INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
10 academies with a full-year return, 3 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: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 6 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 10 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £409 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £432 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In deficit | -£362k -£1,912 per pupil | £1.7m £8,982 per pupil | £1.6m £8,654 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £16 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£418k -£1,277 per pupil | £2.5m £7,618 per pupil | £2.5m £7,657 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £17k £52 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£287k -£316 per pupil | £6.7m £7,373 per pupil | £6.3m £6,948 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £14k £15 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£91k +£437 per pupil | £1.4m £6,702 per pupil | £1.5m £7,043 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £77 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£4k +£16 per pupil | £2.2m £7,921 per pupil | £2.1m £7,410 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £47 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£25k +£126 per pupil | £1.7m £8,586 per pupil | £1.7m £8,218 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £40 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£144k +£319 per pupil | £3.6m £8,007 per pupil | £3.4m £7,544 per pupil | £15k £23 per pupil | £23 | £11k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£1,666 per pupil | £5.3m £8,034 per pupil | £4.8m £7,307 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £17k £26 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£700k +£1,786 per pupil | £2.3m £5,974 per pupil | £2.1m £5,301 per pupil | £18k £45 per pupil | £45 | £42k £107 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£3,650 per pupil | £3.7m £10,068 per pupil | £3.4m £9,417 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £33 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