LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP: academy finances
32 academies with a full-year return, 6 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: 2 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 6 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 25 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 29 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 32 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £353 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £373 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 | -£350k -£2,120 per pupil | £1.1m £6,891 per pupil | £1.1m £6,642 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£177k -£1,295 per pupil | £850k £6,204 per pupil | £994k £7,255 per pupil | £12k £91 per pupil | £91 | £10k £73 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£44k -£109 per pupil | £2.7m £6,662 per pupil | £2.4m £5,947 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £25 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£54k -£163 per pupil | £3.6m £10,964 per pupil | £2.7m £8,218 per pupil | £5k £15 per pupil | £15 | £6k £18 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5k -£83 per pupil | £515k £9,035 per pupil | £531k £9,316 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £228 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£8k -£19 per pupil | £3.5m £8,852 per pupil | £3.1m £7,694 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2014 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£4k +£18 per pupil | £1.4m £6,901 per pupil | £1.3m £6,668 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£63k +£202 per pupil | £1.9m £6,045 per pupil | £2.0m £6,332 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2014 | — | £43k £139 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£22k +£261 per pupil | £637k £7,675 per pupil | £596k £7,181 per pupil | £11k £132 per pupil | £132 | £8k £96 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£49k +£252 per pupil | £1.4m £7,175 per pupil | £1.3m £6,887 per pupil | £19k £100 per pupil | £100 | £19k £98 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£39k +£227 per pupil | £1.1m £6,310 per pupil | £1.1m £6,304 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £41 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£41k +£208 per pupil | £1.1m £5,737 per pupil | £1.1m £5,616 per pupil | £22k £110 per pupil | £110 | £11k £56 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