MULBERRY SCHOOLS TRUST: academy finances
14 academies with a full-year return, 1 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.
- 2022-23: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £336 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £355 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 | -£90k -£705 per pupil | £1.7m £13,441 per pupil | £2.0m £15,669 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £36k £283 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£7k +£23 per pupil | £2.4m £7,967 per pupil | £2.5m £8,186 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£19k +£23 per pupil | £7.5m £9,170 per pupil | £7.3m £8,951 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£31k +£23 per pupil | £11.8m £8,874 per pupil | £11.1m £8,341 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2005 | — | £3k £2 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£10k +£23 per pupil | £2.7m £6,432 per pupil | £2.8m £6,789 per pupil | £18k | — | £112k £269 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£15k +£23 per pupil | £3.6m £5,841 per pupil | £3.6m £5,828 per pupil | £10k £15 per pupil | £15 | £11k £18 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£892 per pupil | £15.7m £11,088 per pupil | £14.7m £10,378 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£861 per pupil | £11.7m £8,058 per pupil | £11.5m £7,891 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2006 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£259k +£1,603 per pupil | £1.8m £11,263 per pupil | £1.7m £10,700 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.7m +£2,215 per pupil | £17.5m £10,635 per pupil | £16.9m £10,259 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £87k £53 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£923k +£1,812 per pupil | £4.7m £9,244 per pupil | £4.2m £8,171 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.0m +£2,183 per pupil | £14.3m £10,553 per pupil | £13.4m £9,936 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£272k +£2,109 per pupil | £1.2m £9,318 per pupil | £1.2m £9,674 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £8 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