LEARNERS' TRUST: academy finances
20 academies with a full-year return, 8 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 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 7 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 5 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 7 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £519 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £548 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 | -£160k -£977 per pupil | £1.1m £6,433 per pupil | £1.0m £6,287 per pupil | £7k | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£96k -£1,039 per pupil | £655k £7,120 per pupil | £695k £7,554 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£138k -£755 per pupil | £1.2m £6,630 per pupil | £1.2m £6,822 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£39k -£660 per pupil | £523k £8,940 per pupil | £502k £8,581 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £17 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£53k -£414 per pupil | £1.1m £9,039 per pupil | £1.0m £7,961 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £24 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£48k -£376 per pupil | £954k £7,512 per pupil | £1.0m £8,134 per pupil | £12k £94 per pupil | £94 | £2k £16 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£42k -£421 per pupil | £967k £9,817 per pupil | £927k £9,411 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £51 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£18k -£76 per pupil | £1.5m £6,422 per pupil | £1.5m £6,211 per pupil | £6k £26 per pupil | £26 | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£20k +£54 per pupil | £2.0m £5,592 per pupil | £2.1m £5,747 per pupil | £22k £61 per pupil | £61 | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£141k +£572 per pupil | £1.4m £5,589 per pupil | £1.3m £5,317 per pupil | £15k £60 per pupil | £60 | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£738k +£4,586 per pupil | £5.4m £33,547 per pupil | £5.1m £31,571 per pupil | £8k £51 per pupil | £51 | £50k £311 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£129k +£948 per pupil | £924k £6,794 per pupil | £893k £6,566 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £44 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£283k +£1,226 per pupil | £1.7m £7,310 per pupil | £1.4m £6,134 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 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