PLYMOUTH CAST: academy finances
34 academies with a full-year return, 7 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: 10 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 7 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 6 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 7 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 7 of 34 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,248 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,319 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 | -£204k -£3,458 per pupil | £460k £7,797 per pupil | £581k £9,847 per pupil | £550 £9 per pupil | £9 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£248k -£2,102 per pupil | £773k £6,551 per pupil | £847k £7,178 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£156k -£1,789 per pupil | £743k £8,540 per pupil | £789k £9,069 per pupil | £2k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£678k -£1,731 per pupil | £3.3m £8,503 per pupil | £3.5m £8,844 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£189k -£1,100 per pupil | £1.2m £7,186 per pupil | £1.2m £7,192 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£71k -£437 per pupil | £1.1m £6,804 per pupil | £1.1m £6,859 per pupil | £4k £26 per pupil | £26 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£36k -£265 per pupil | £867k £6,375 per pupil | £952k £7,000 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£49k +£423 per pupil | £832k £7,172 per pupil | £923k £7,957 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£35k +£199 per pupil | £1.0m £5,833 per pupil | £1.0m £6,006 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£181k +£463 per pupil | £2.3m £6,005 per pupil | £2.3m £5,928 per pupil | £6k £16 per pupil | £16 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£107k +£940 per pupil | £927k £8,132 per pupil | £921k £8,079 per pupil | £3k £27 per pupil | £27 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£149k +£790 per pupil | £1.1m £5,984 per pupil | £1.1m £5,984 per pupil | £10k £54 per pupil | £54 | £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