OXFORD DIOCESAN SCHOOLS TRUST: academy finances
45 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: 1 of 32 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 32 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 36 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 40 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 40 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 42 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 8 of 43 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £265 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £280 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 | -£279k -£1,825 per pupil | £970k £6,340 per pupil | £1.1m £7,163 per pupil | £14k £92 per pupil | £92 | £18k £118 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£73k -£1,348 per pupil | £612k £11,333 per pupil | £681k £12,611 per pupil | £5k £87 per pupil | £87 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£67k -£307 per pupil | £1.3m £5,991 per pupil | £1.4m £6,569 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £9 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£68k -£323 per pupil | £1.3m £6,123 per pupil | £1.6m £7,425 per pupil | £23k £109 per pupil | £109 | £27k £127 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£16k -£282 per pupil | £483k £8,328 per pupil | £528k £9,103 per pupil | £12k £212 per pupil | £212 | £5k £86 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£44k -£229 per pupil | £1.5m £7,732 per pupil | £1.5m £7,732 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £16 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£31k -£193 per pupil | £1.0m £6,315 per pupil | £1.2m £7,241 per pupil | £12k | — | £6k £37 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£16k -£192 per pupil | £699k £8,422 per pupil | £751k £9,048 per pupil | £9k £112 per pupil | £112 | £5k £60 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£53k +£183 per pupil | £2.4m £8,166 per pupil | £2.5m £8,616 per pupil | £6 £0 per pupil | £0 | £6k £21 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£22k +£191 per pupil | £878k £7,472 per pupil | £969k £8,247 per pupil | £16k £140 per pupil | £140 | £13k £111 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£171 per pupil | £1.1m £6,811 per pupil | £1.2m £7,350 per pupil | £7k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£92k +£253 per pupil | £2.2m £5,902 per pupil | £2.3m £6,221 per pupil | £13k £36 per pupil | £36 | £27k £74 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