RIVER LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
30 academies with a full-year return, 2 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 17 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 5 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 4 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 5 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 30 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £286 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £302 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 | -£91k -£919 per pupil | £3.3m £33,364 per pupil | £3.9m £39,586 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5k -£19 per pupil | £1.8m £6,699 per pupil | £2.0m £7,348 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £15 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£9k +£50 per pupil | £1.4m £7,559 per pupil | £1.4m £7,791 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £17 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£14k +£79 per pupil | £1.0m £5,925 per pupil | £1.2m £6,653 per pupil | £22k | — | £40k £231 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£32k +£75 per pupil | £2.6m £5,958 per pupil | £2.7m £6,296 per pupil | £18k £41 per pupil | £41 | £14k £33 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£96k +£101 per pupil | £7.1m £7,437 per pupil | £7.5m £7,834 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£54k +£207 per pupil | £2.2m £8,342 per pupil | £2.0m £7,839 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£26k +£177 per pupil | £987k £6,602 per pupil | £1.0m £6,870 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £22k £147 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£111k +£447 per pupil | £2.3m £9,048 per pupil | £2.2m £8,783 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £28 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£327 per pupil | £1.2m £5,890 per pupil | £1.3m £6,239 per pupil | £15k £71 per pupil | £71 | £9k £43 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£83k +£376 per pupil | £1.5m £6,585 per pupil | £1.5m £6,912 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £17k £77 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£158k +£479 per pupil | £1.9m £5,831 per pupil | £2.2m £6,767 per pupil | £18k £54 per pupil | £54 | £27k £82 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£532k +£517 per pupil | £7.2m £7,002 per pupil | £7.3m £7,107 per pupil | £12k £12 per pupil | £12 | £6k £6 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