NOVA EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
15 academies with a full-year return, 8 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: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 8 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 8 of 15 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £321 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £339 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 | -£731k -£1,424 per pupil | £2.8m £5,423 per pupil | £2.9m £5,700 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£258k -£1,445 per pupil | £1.3m £7,025 per pupil | £1.4m £7,686 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£160k -£1,395 per pupil | £881k £7,661 per pupil | £989k £8,600 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£659k -£1,004 per pupil | £4.9m £7,399 per pupil | £4.6m £6,938 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£312k -£415 per pupil | £7.4m £9,797 per pupil | £7.4m £9,806 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£178k -£264 per pupil | £5.4m £7,933 per pupil | £5.2m £7,652 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£208k -£181 per pupil | £8.7m £7,577 per pupil | £8.2m £7,116 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£30k -£126 per pupil | £1.3m £5,479 per pupil | £1.3m £5,336 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£669k +£722 per pupil | £8.4m £9,011 per pupil | £7.7m £8,329 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£992k +£1,004 per pupil | £7.2m £7,328 per pupil | £6.8m £6,917 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.4m +£1,317 per pupil | £8.7m £8,173 per pupil | £8.0m £7,485 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.7m +£1,403 per pupil | £13.2m £6,921 per pupil | £13.1m £6,841 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£446k +£1,389 per pupil | £2.1m £6,408 per pupil | £2.0m £6,100 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 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