HCAT: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 0 of them in deficit at their latest return. A trust can move money between its academies, so an academy shown in deficit may be supported by the trust as a whole.
Most of a school's money pays for staff, so deficits usually build up when pay and other costs rise faster than funding, or when pupil numbers fall and the money that comes with each pupil goes too. What helps: a recovery plan agreed with the council or trust that brings the budget back into balance over a few years, regular forecasts that governors check, and early conversations about pupil numbers and special needs funding.
- 2020-21: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £366 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £387 in 2025–26 prices. The IFS average for all trusts in 2023-24 was £510 per pupil, in 2025–26 prices (IFS, p.56).
Figures are each school's latest full-year return, total with the per-pupil figure beside it. PTA income is the school's share of its registered parents' association's latest return, in the school year that return falls in. Where no registered parents' association was found, the school may still have one: charities with an income of £5,000 or less need not register.
| School | Status | Reserve | Government funding | Spending | PTA income | PTA per pupil | Donations | Reserve per pupil trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£28k +£132 per pupil | £1.5m £7,012 per pupil | £1.6m £7,402 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£27k +£132 per pupil | £1.5m £7,488 per pupil | £1.4m £6,888 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£132 per pupil | £1.5m £7,022 per pupil | £1.4m £6,537 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£38k +£132 per pupil | £1.8m £6,403 per pupil | £1.7m £5,968 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £10k £35 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£387 per pupil | £644k £7,402 per pupil | £704k £8,092 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £23 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£84k +£447 per pupil | £1.1m £6,043 per pupil | £1.2m £6,383 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£203k +£617 per pupil | £1.8m £5,577 per pupil | £2.0m £5,945 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.8m +£1,475 per pupil | £16.3m £8,513 per pupil | £16.5m £8,603 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2013 | — | £4k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£456k +£1,188 per pupil | £2.5m £6,467 per pupil | £2.4m £6,271 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£531k +£1,366 per pupil | £2.6m £6,658 per pupil | £2.7m £7,059 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £26 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£412k +£1,390 per pupil | £2.0m £6,664 per pupil | £1.9m £6,422 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£382k +£1,303 per pupil | £1.9m £6,317 per pupil | £1.9m £6,427 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£819k +£2,122 per pupil | £2.8m £7,329 per pupil | £2.8m £7,337 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £16 per pupil |
Sources: DfE Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool data (CFR returns for council-run schools, April to March; academy accounts returns, September to August), Get Information about Schools, DfE section 251 outturn (DSG balances), the Charity Commission register and the IFS annual report on education spending in England 2025–26 (IFS figures in 2025–26 prices, November 2025 deflator). Open Government Licence v3.0. Check at source: DfE benchmarking for this trust. How these figures are worked out