KERNOW LEARNING MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
21 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: 3 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £451 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £477 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 | +£52k +£414 per pupil | £878k £6,968 per pupil | £957k £7,595 per pupil | £18k £141 per pupil | £141 | £5k £40 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£73k +£465 per pupil | £1.1m £6,842 per pupil | £1.1m £7,228 per pupil | £3k £21 per pupil | £21 | £4k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£33k +£414 per pupil | £802k £10,088 per pupil | £691k £8,692 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £13 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£92k +£428 per pupil | £1.9m £8,662 per pupil | £1.8m £8,532 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £37 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£454 per pupil | £700k £9,211 per pupil | £697k £9,171 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £39 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£29k +£414 per pupil | £574k £8,085 per pupil | £563k £7,930 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £1k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£39k +£414 per pupil | £686k £7,221 per pupil | £716k £7,537 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2025 | — | £2k £21 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£36k +£414 per pupil | £657k £7,640 per pupil | £608k £7,070 per pupil | £8k £89 per pupil | £89 | £1k £12 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£184k +£431 per pupil | £3.2m £7,405 per pupil | £2.8m £6,478 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£42k +£414 per pupil | £652k £6,392 per pupil | £669k £6,559 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2014 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£149k +£464 per pupil | £2.2m £7,009 per pupil | £2.1m £6,416 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £28 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£71k +£420 per pupil | £1.1m £6,302 per pupil | £1.1m £6,479 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£1k -£6 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£169k +£414 per pupil | £2.3m £5,695 per pupil | £2.2m £5,486 per pupil | £13k £32 per pupil | £32 | £2k £5 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