PARTNERSHIP LEARNING: academy finances
18 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 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £475 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £502 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 | +£338k +£1,332 per pupil | £2.9m £11,579 per pupil | £3.6m £14,370 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £21k £83 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£333k +£1,336 per pupil | £9.2m £36,924 per pupil | £8.5m £33,940 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £44 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£28k +£1,382 per pupil | £503k £25,150 per pupil | £404k £20,200 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£1,334 per pupil | £7.3m £9,077 per pupil | £7.4m £9,232 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £68k £84 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.6m +£1,333 per pupil | £11.2m £9,175 per pupil | £11.0m £8,989 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | -£1k -£1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£317k +£1,337 per pupil | £2.2m £9,194 per pupil | £2.8m £12,021 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£958k +£1,334 per pupil | £6.5m £9,053 per pupil | £6.8m £9,401 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £18k £25 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£341k +£1,336 per pupil | £2.3m £9,129 per pupil | £2.6m £10,318 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £31k £122 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.5m +£1,333 per pupil | £23.0m £8,704 per pupil | £22.0m £8,351 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £112k £42 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.3m +£1,333 per pupil | £8.6m £8,632 per pupil | £8.3m £8,343 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £16 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.4m +£1,333 per pupil | £8.3m £8,023 per pupil | £9.1m £8,784 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £83k £81 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.1m +£1,333 per pupil | £12.7m £8,240 per pupil | £12.4m £8,046 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £20k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.0m +£1,333 per pupil | £11.5m £7,678 per pupil | £12.1m £8,041 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £134k £89 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