PERRY HALL MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
10 academies with a full-year return, 4 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 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £324 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £342 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 | -£649k -£4,353 per pupil | £1.1m £7,584 per pupil | £1.2m £8,295 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £40 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£531k -£1,789 per pupil | £2.1m £7,081 per pupil | £2.0m £6,593 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £10k £34 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£162k -£729 per pupil | £1.5m £6,831 per pupil | £1.6m £7,043 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £14k £63 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£55k -£682 per pupil | £817k £10,212 per pupil | £763k £9,538 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £50 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£40k +£95 per pupil | £2.5m £5,863 per pupil | £2.5m £6,007 per pupil | £5k | — | £51k £121 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£114k +£277 per pupil | £2.7m £6,608 per pupil | £2.6m £6,259 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £24k £59 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£83k +£384 per pupil | £1.9m £8,636 per pupil | £1.7m £7,912 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £23k £106 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£143k +£303 per pupil | £3.1m £6,511 per pupil | £2.9m £6,070 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £14k £30 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£698k +£1,165 per pupil | £4.1m £6,873 per pupil | £3.6m £6,007 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £26k £43 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.2m +£4,913 per pupil | £3.3m £7,421 per pupil | £2.9m £6,517 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £36 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