NORTHERN LIGHTS LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
10 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 7 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £359 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £379 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 | -£839k -£993 per pupil | £6.8m £7,995 per pupil | £7.1m £8,360 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£74k +£63 per pupil | £8.3m £7,089 per pupil | £8.5m £7,289 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£292k +£489 per pupil | £5.2m £8,712 per pupil | £5.0m £8,449 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £20k £34 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£313k +£930 per pupil | £3.4m £10,226 per pupil | £3.3m £9,846 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£85k +£803 per pupil | £779k £7,349 per pupil | £799k £7,538 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £19 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£199k +£886 per pupil | £1.4m £6,152 per pupil | £1.4m £6,357 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£122k +£1,242 per pupil | £733k £7,442 per pupil | £771k £7,827 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£559k +£1,780 per pupil | £2.7m £8,675 per pupil | £2.6m £8,264 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£449k +£1,784 per pupil | £2.1m £8,361 per pupil | £2.1m £8,512 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£462k +£1,677 per pupil | £2.1m £7,517 per pupil | £2.1m £7,746 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 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