NORTHAMPTON PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 2 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 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £388 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £410 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 | -£32k -£275 per pupil | £1.1m £9,470 per pupil | £1.1m £9,704 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £26 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£60k -£158 per pupil | £2.6m £6,772 per pupil | £2.6m £7,005 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £4k £11 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£305k +£547 per pupil | £3.9m £7,029 per pupil | £3.9m £7,065 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £21k £38 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£313k +£693 per pupil | £4.0m £8,973 per pupil | £3.9m £8,639 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£152k +£899 per pupil | £1.4m £8,555 per pupil | £1.6m £9,540 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £24 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£439k +£996 per pupil | £3.5m £7,918 per pupil | £3.5m £7,864 per pupil | £20k £46 per pupil | £46 | £11k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£442k +£1,005 per pupil | £3.1m £7,020 per pupil | £3.0m £6,927 per pupil | £10k | — | £10k £23 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£207k +£1,062 per pupil | £1.4m £7,354 per pupil | £1.4m £7,200 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£258k +£1,207 per pupil | £1.7m £8,014 per pupil | £1.6m £7,696 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£447k +£1,117 per pupil | £2.8m £6,934 per pupil | £2.7m £6,782 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£307k +£1,288 per pupil | £1.6m £6,878 per pupil | £1.5m £6,475 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£395k +£1,710 per pupil | £2.1m £9,126 per pupil | £2.1m £8,909 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£630k +£1,479 per pupil | £2.8m £6,552 per pupil | £2.8m £6,671 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 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