HEARTWOOD LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
14 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.
- 2018-19: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £499 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £527 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 | +£127k +£1,342 per pupil | £763k £8,074 per pupil | £1.1m £11,937 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£129k +£1,342 per pupil | £707k £7,365 per pupil | £910k £9,479 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £31 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£194k +£1,342 per pupil | £988k £6,837 per pupil | £1.3m £8,664 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£86k +£1,342 per pupil | £1.6m £24,438 per pupil | £1.8m £27,516 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£262k +£1,342 per pupil | £2.7m £13,774 per pupil | £4.1m £20,974 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.7m +£1,342 per pupil | £12.0m £9,552 per pupil | £10.8m £8,638 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£1,342 per pupil | £8.7m £8,993 per pupil | £7.3m £7,515 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£644k +£1,342 per pupil | £3.8m £7,927 per pupil | £4.1m £8,475 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£976k +£1,342 per pupil | £5.8m £7,928 per pupil | £5.5m £7,554 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£943k +£1,342 per pupil | £5.3m £7,485 per pupil | £5.2m £7,376 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.5m +£1,342 per pupil | £8.1m £7,072 per pupil | £7.9m £6,944 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£293k +£1,342 per pupil | £1.5m £7,046 per pupil | £1.7m £7,693 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£282k +£1,342 per pupil | £1.4m £6,838 per pupil | £1.4m £6,743 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 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