LINK ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
23 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: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £2,098 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £2,217 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£6k +£425 per pupil | £319k £24,538 per pupil | £248k £19,077 per pupil | £822 | — | £1k £77 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£9k +£425 per pupil | £388k £18,476 per pupil | £330k £15,714 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£14k +£425 per pupil | £418k £12,478 per pupil | £360k £10,746 per pupil | £3k £77 per pupil | £77 | £1k £30 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£20k +£425 per pupil | £561k £12,196 per pupil | £460k £10,000 per pupil | £8k £180 per pupil | £180 | £5k £109 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£32k +£425 per pupil | £887k £11,827 per pupil | £854k £11,387 per pupil | £8k £105 per pupil | £105 | £2k £27 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£19k +£425 per pupil | £481k £10,809 per pupil | £369k £8,292 per pupil | £3k £74 per pupil | £74 | £1k £22 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£23k +£425 per pupil | £548k £10,148 per pupil | £447k £8,278 per pupil | £33k | — | £2k £37 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£20k +£425 per pupil | £462k £9,726 per pupil | £389k £8,189 per pupil | £6k £133 per pupil | £133 | £2k £42 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£24k +£425 per pupil | £503k £8,982 per pupil | £570k £10,179 per pupil | £19k | — | £4k £71 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£25k +£425 per pupil | £529k £9,043 per pupil | £490k £8,376 per pupil | £13k £215 per pupil | £215 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£18k +£425 per pupil | £377k £9,084 per pupil | £334k £8,048 per pupil | £18k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£37k +£425 per pupil | £756k £8,791 per pupil | £629k £7,314 per pupil | £9k £99 per pupil | £99 | £4k £47 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£37k +£425 per pupil | £693k £7,966 per pupil | £616k £7,080 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 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