LIFT SCHOOLS: academy finances
59 academies with a full-year return, 5 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 61 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 57 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 57 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,136 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,201 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 | -£146k -£698 per pupil | £1.3m £6,296 per pupil | £1.4m £6,630 per pupil | £2k | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£143k -£698 per pupil | £1.4m £6,824 per pupil | £1.4m £6,839 per pupil | £2k | — | £4k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£781k -£698 per pupil | £7.6m £6,811 per pupil | £7.6m £6,786 per pupil | £6k £6 per pupil | £6 | £12k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£92k -£698 per pupil | £1.0m £7,585 per pupil | £1.2m £8,913 per pupil | £5k £39 per pupil | £39 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£124k -£1,854 per pupil | £2.1m £31,075 per pupil | £2.2m £32,567 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £15 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£247k +£803 per pupil | £3.1m £10,088 per pupil | £2.9m £9,516 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£291k +£803 per pupil | £4.0m £11,140 per pupil | £3.8m £10,444 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£826k +£803 per pupil | £10.6m £10,328 per pupil | £9.0m £8,752 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£763k +£803 per pupil | £9.5m £9,954 per pupil | £8.3m £8,741 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£520k +£803 per pupil | £5.9m £9,162 per pupil | £5.7m £8,787 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£803 per pupil | £14.5m £9,455 per pupil | £13.8m £9,002 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£453k +£803 per pupil | £5.2m £9,300 per pupil | £4.6m £8,103 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £16 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£441k +£803 per pupil | £5.0m £9,149 per pupil | £4.4m £7,976 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £27k £49 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