LEARNING ACCORD MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
12 academies with a full-year return, 2 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.
- 2020-21: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £583 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £616 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 | -£33k -£420 per pupil | £598k £7,570 per pupil | £654k £8,278 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £13 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£32k -£242 per pupil | £977k £7,346 per pupil | £1.1m £8,346 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £23 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£12k +£115 per pupil | £719k £7,119 per pupil | £790k £7,822 per pupil | £4k £35 per pupil | £35 | £10k £99 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£7k +£61 per pupil | £893k £7,380 per pupil | £885k £7,314 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£33k +£193 per pupil | £985k £5,727 per pupil | £988k £5,744 per pupil | £5k | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£119k +£619 per pupil | £2.4m £12,755 per pupil | £2.4m £12,302 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £26 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£103k +£707 per pupil | £970k £6,644 per pupil | £908k £6,219 per pupil | £11k £78 per pupil | £78 | £4k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£120k +£731 per pupil | £1.1m £6,470 per pupil | £1.1m £6,616 per pupil | £6k £35 per pupil | £35 | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£107k +£994 per pupil | £925k £8,605 per pupil | £911k £8,474 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£158k +£998 per pupil | £1.4m £8,842 per pupil | £1.3m £8,487 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£296k +£829 per pupil | £2.2m £6,202 per pupil | £2.3m £6,493 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£213k +£1,600 per pupil | £1.0m £7,602 per pupil | £1.0m £7,534 per pupil | £7k £55 per pupil | £55 | £1k £8 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