REACH SOUTH ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
20 academies with a full-year return, 5 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: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £969 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,024 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 | -£118k -£634 per pupil | £1.3m £6,753 per pupil | £1.3m £6,823 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £8k £43 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£466k -£781 per pupil | £5.0m £8,423 per pupil | £4.8m £8,082 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£178k -£2,780 per pupil | £2.0m £31,875 per pupil | £2.1m £32,953 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£218k -£473 per pupil | £3.7m £7,985 per pupil | £3.6m £7,789 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £20k £43 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£55k -£319 per pupil | £1.4m £7,936 per pupil | £1.3m £7,433 per pupil | £12k £72 per pupil | £72 | £7k £41 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£63k +£114 per pupil | £4.8m £8,749 per pupil | £4.2m £7,593 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £7k £13 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£82k +£962 per pupil | £3.1m £36,565 per pupil | £2.9m £34,541 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £118 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£187k +£1,728 per pupil | £4.3m £39,963 per pupil | £4.6m £42,870 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£508k +£1,728 per pupil | £12.1m £41,211 per pupil | £11.3m £38,500 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£187k +£1,728 per pupil | £3.7m £33,963 per pupil | £3.7m £33,972 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£199k +£1,728 per pupil | £3.2m £27,426 per pupil | £3.2m £28,009 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£207k +£549 per pupil | £3.0m £8,066 per pupil | £2.9m £7,729 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £13k £35 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£570 per pupil | £981k £8,175 per pupil | £873k £7,275 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £50 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