LEARNING ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
18 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: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £244 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £258 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large reserves | +£171k +£1,002 per pupil | £1.5m £9,015 per pupil | £1.5m £8,839 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £7k £41 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£183k +£995 per pupil | £1.5m £8,396 per pupil | £1.6m £8,401 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £43 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£271k +£978 per pupil | £2.4m £8,740 per pupil | £2.1m £7,679 per pupil | £4k £14 per pupil | £14 | £16k £58 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£247k +£1,015 per pupil | £2.0m £8,267 per pupil | £1.9m £7,799 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £21 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£211k +£988 per pupil | £1.8m £8,272 per pupil | £1.6m £7,621 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £23 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£126k +£978 per pupil | £912k £7,070 per pupil | £896k £6,946 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £16 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£423k +£981 per pupil | £3.3m £7,615 per pupil | £2.9m £6,763 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £16 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£380k +£983 per pupil | £2.9m £7,508 per pupil | £2.6m £6,727 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2010 | — | £23k £60 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£224k +£983 per pupil | £1.7m £7,314 per pupil | £1.5m £6,589 per pupil | £4k £16 per pupil | £16 | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£332k +£984 per pupil | £2.3m £6,872 per pupil | £2.2m £6,418 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £19k £56 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£203k +£978 per pupil | £1.4m £6,639 per pupil | £1.3m £6,298 per pupil | £5k | — | £10k £48 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£399k +£986 per pupil | £2.7m £6,654 per pupil | £2.4m £6,032 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £37 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£203k +£983 per pupil | £1.3m £6,286 per pupil | £1.2m £5,947 per pupil | £6k | — | £21k £102 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