NEXUS MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
17 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.
- 2020-21: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £2,175 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £2,299 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£479k +£2,618 per pupil | £6.4m £34,820 per pupil | £5.8m £31,519 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £77 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£308k +£3,353 per pupil | £3.0m £32,228 per pupil | £2.7m £29,859 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £152 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£594k +£3,761 per pupil | £5.4m £34,209 per pupil | £4.9m £30,880 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£456k +£4,962 per pupil | £3.8m £41,283 per pupil | £3.5m £37,870 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £43 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£974k +£3,752 per pupil | £7.1m £27,202 per pupil | £5.8m £22,443 per pupil | £3k | — | £3k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£437k +£4,672 per pupil | £3.2m £34,107 per pupil | £2.5m £26,642 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £53 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£642k +£3,869 per pupil | £4.6m £27,602 per pupil | £3.9m £23,337 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £90 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£542k +£4,110 per pupil | £3.8m £28,652 per pupil | £3.3m £25,303 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £15 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£4,065 per pupil | £7.1m £28,099 per pupil | £6.2m £24,464 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£505k +£4,208 per pupil | £3.5m £29,083 per pupil | £3.2m £26,417 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£625k +£3,881 per pupil | £4.2m £26,236 per pupil | £3.7m £22,969 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £8k £50 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£478k +£4,191 per pupil | £3.1m £27,132 per pupil | £2.9m £25,430 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£462k +£4,282 per pupil | £2.9m £26,944 per pupil | £2.6m £23,889 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £28 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