MERIDIAN TRUST: academy finances
36 academies with a full-year return, 4 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: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 30 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £568 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £600 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 | -£56k -£576 per pupil | £693k £7,071 per pupil | £645k £6,582 per pupil | £3k £27 per pupil | £27 | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£307k -£312 per pupil | £7.9m £8,025 per pupil | £7.3m £7,420 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £12k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£37k -£122 per pupil | £1.9m £6,129 per pupil | £1.9m £6,158 per pupil | £16k £54 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £54 | £6k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£4k -£11 per pupil | £2.2m £5,943 per pupil | £2.4m £6,528 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £23k £62 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£151k +£218 per pupil | £6.5m £9,444 per pupil | £6.2m £8,988 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£206k +£267 per pupil | £6.4m £8,231 per pupil | £6.1m £7,879 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £34k £44 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£225k +£239 per pupil | £6.8m £7,182 per pupil | £6.7m £7,122 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£305k +£280 per pupil | £7.1m £6,557 per pupil | £7.3m £6,737 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£104k +£1,605 per pupil | £2.2m £34,569 per pupil | £2.0m £31,492 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £15 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£100k +£338 per pupil | £1.7m £5,753 per pupil | £2.0m £6,689 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £37 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£156k +£386 per pupil | £2.2m £5,342 per pupil | £2.0m £5,032 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£692k +£419 per pupil | £11.5m £6,981 per pupil | £10.7m £6,455 per pupil | £7k | — | £22k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£719k +£427 per pupil | £11.4m £6,781 per pupil | £11.6m £6,891 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £18k £11 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