PATHFINDER MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 6 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: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 6 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £252 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £266 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 | -£92k -£689 per pupil | £876k £6,586 per pupil | £952k £7,158 per pupil | £4k | — | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£120k -£590 per pupil | £1.4m £6,983 per pupil | £1.5m £7,615 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£142k -£362 per pupil | £2.3m £5,832 per pupil | £2.3m £5,977 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £13 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£78k -£345 per pupil | £1.6m £7,024 per pupil | £1.7m £7,437 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £9 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£22k -£199 per pupil | £658k £6,037 per pupil | £768k £7,046 per pupil | £11k £103 per pupil | £103 | £2k £18 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£22k -£71 per pupil | £1.7m £5,580 per pupil | £1.9m £6,237 per pupil | £12k £39 per pupil | £39 | £23k £74 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£125k +£120 per pupil | £7.3m £7,011 per pupil | £8.4m £8,022 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £107k £103 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£150 per pupil | £1.2m £6,184 per pupil | £1.3m £7,053 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £3k £16 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£461k +£254 per pupil | £13.3m £7,323 per pupil | £13.7m £7,552 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £92k £51 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£39k +£290 per pupil | £1.2m £8,716 per pupil | £1.2m £8,804 per pupil | £3k | — | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£172k +£286 per pupil | £3.4m £5,623 per pupil | £3.4m £5,678 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£152k +£420 per pupil | £2.1m £5,749 per pupil | £2.1m £5,856 per pupil | £12k | — | £7k £19 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£431k +£1,021 per pupil | £2.3m £5,438 per pupil | £2.4m £5,704 per pupil | £50 £0 per pupil | £0 | £16k £38 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