LEEDS DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
13 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.
- 2023-24: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £399 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £422 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 | -£30k -£373 per pupil | £497k £6,252 per pupil | £551k £6,931 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £151 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£50k -£222 per pupil | £1.1m £4,871 per pupil | £1.1m £5,062 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £53k £237 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£17k -£184 per pupil | £695k £7,473 per pupil | £686k £7,376 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £26k £280 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£5k +£117 per pupil | £502k £12,244 per pupil | £558k £13,610 per pupil | £2k £57 per pupil | £57 | £18k £439 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£45k +£120 per pupil | £2.4m £6,259 per pupil | £2.4m £6,377 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £84k £222 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£45k +£312 per pupil | £1.0m £7,118 per pupil | £1.0m £7,069 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £33k £229 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£95k +£399 per pupil | £1.4m £6,017 per pupil | £1.6m £6,653 per pupil | £8k £35 per pupil | £35 | £54k £227 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£85k +£586 per pupil | £895k £6,172 per pupil | £980k £6,759 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £38k £262 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£57k +£937 per pupil | £502k £8,230 per pupil | £560k £9,180 per pupil | £6k £101 per pupil | £101 | £18k £295 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£59k +£750 per pupil | £502k £6,354 per pupil | £560k £7,089 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £18k £228 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£294k +£1,303 per pupil | £2.2m £9,642 per pupil | £2.1m £9,261 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £104k £460 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£222k +£1,076 per pupil | £1.4m £6,557 per pupil | £1.4m £6,538 per pupil | £5k £22 per pupil | £22 | £48k £232 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