NEXUS EDUCATION SCHOOLS TRUST: academy finances
20 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: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 20 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £614 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £649 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 | +£78k +£659 per pupil | £4.7m £39,395 per pupil | £4.6m £38,891 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £79k £664 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£140k +£656 per pupil | £2.1m £10,028 per pupil | £2.1m £9,710 per pupil | £4k £17 per pupil | £17 | £3k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£232k +£654 per pupil | £3.5m £9,797 per pupil | £3.2m £8,917 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £34 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£218k +£654 per pupil | £3.2m £9,634 per pupil | £3.0m £8,969 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £21k £63 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£215k +£657 per pupil | £2.4m £7,196 per pupil | £2.9m £8,872 per pupil | £19k £57 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £57 | £21k £64 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£239k +£654 per pupil | £3.4m £9,315 per pupil | £3.4m £9,395 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £33 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£165k +£655 per pupil | £2.3m £8,968 per pupil | £2.3m £9,143 per pupil | £9k | — | £13k £52 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£261k +£653 per pupil | £3.5m £8,732 per pupil | £3.4m £8,489 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £23k £58 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£127k +£656 per pupil | £1.6m £8,485 per pupil | £1.6m £8,299 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £17k £88 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£131k +£656 per pupil | £1.6m £8,176 per pupil | £1.6m £7,925 per pupil | £10k £51 per pupil | £51 | £23k £116 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£166k +£655 per pupil | £1.6m £6,272 per pupil | £1.8m £7,091 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £59 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£240k +£654 per pupil | £2.6m £7,022 per pupil | £2.4m £6,460 per pupil | £13k £36 per pupil | £36 | £29k £79 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£403k +£653 per pupil | £3.6m £5,854 per pupil | £4.0m £6,477 per pupil | £75k £122 per pupil | £122 | £112k £181 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