NORTHERN STAR ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
15 academies with a full-year return, 5 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 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 4 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 15 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £442 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £467 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 | -£349k -£1,461 per pupil | £1.5m £6,134 per pupil | £1.5m £6,197 per pupil | £9k £37 per pupil | £37 | £3k £13 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£163k -£821 per pupil | £1.3m £6,628 per pupil | £1.3m £6,739 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £15 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£70k -£389 per pupil | £1.2m £6,572 per pupil | £1.4m £7,522 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2021 | — | £2k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£118k -£176 per pupil | £5.6m £8,317 per pupil | £5.6m £8,341 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £22 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£20k -£69 per pupil | £1.7m £5,562 per pupil | £1.6m £5,532 per pupil | £13k £44 per pupil | £44 | £12k £40 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£1k +£5 per pupil | £1.7m £7,501 per pupil | £1.5m £6,962 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£8k -£36 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£22k +£64 per pupil | £2.4m £6,948 per pupil | £2.4m £6,838 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£87k +£281 per pupil | £2.1m £6,956 per pupil | £2.0m £6,421 per pupil | £9k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£316k +£489 per pupil | £4.4m £6,807 per pupil | £3.7m £5,753 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£214k +£682 per pupil | £2.7m £8,566 per pupil | £2.4m £7,564 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£1k -£3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£376k +£595 per pupil | £4.5m £7,084 per pupil | £3.9m £6,114 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£1k -£2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£181k +£875 per pupil | £1.9m £9,285 per pupil | £1.7m £8,106 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£281k +£645 per pupil | £2.9m £6,713 per pupil | £2.9m £6,589 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 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