NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
29 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 18 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 22 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 29 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £560 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £592 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£472k +£1,054 per pupil | £4.2m £9,467 per pupil | £4.8m £10,734 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £22 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£101k +£1,198 per pupil | £753k £8,911 per pupil | £967k £11,444 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £59 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£159k +£1,126 per pupil | £907k £6,433 per pupil | £1.2m £8,234 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £35 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£936k +£1,037 per pupil | £9.5m £10,544 per pupil | £8.2m £9,097 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£804k +£1,039 per pupil | £7.4m £9,556 per pupil | £6.8m £8,821 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£509k +£1,051 per pupil | £4.8m £9,913 per pupil | £4.9m £10,107 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£711k +£1,042 per pupil | £6.0m £8,743 per pupil | £6.7m £9,820 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £23 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£1,035 per pupil | £9.0m £9,051 per pupil | £8.0m £8,021 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £19k £19 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£1,034 per pupil | £9.4m £8,740 per pupil | £8.7m £8,078 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £24k £22 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£1,032 per pupil | £11.1m £8,471 per pupil | £9.8m £7,463 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £103k £79 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£235k +£1,090 per pupil | £2.0m £9,151 per pupil | £1.8m £8,367 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £51 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£852k +£1,038 per pupil | £7.0m £8,532 per pupil | £6.5m £7,924 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£854k +£1,038 per pupil | £7.0m £8,482 per pupil | £6.7m £8,133 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £30k £36 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