SAFFRON ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
9 academies with a full-year return, 0 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: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £71 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £75 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£814k +£384 per pupil | £13.5m £6,378 per pupil | £16.4m £7,759 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1.0m £486 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£316k +£384 per pupil | £6.6m £8,006 per pupil | £7.0m £8,531 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £345k £419 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£69k +£384 per pupil | £1.1m £6,294 per pupil | £1.3m £7,200 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2010 | — | £25k £139 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£504k +£384 per pupil | £9.5m £7,240 per pupil | £9.1m £6,969 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £139k £106 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£96k +£384 per pupil | £1.5m £6,161 per pupil | £1.8m £7,084 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2010 | — | £35k £141 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£122k +£384 per pupil | £2.2m £6,849 per pupil | £2.2m £6,890 per pupil | £11k £35 per pupil | £35 | £24k £76 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£147k +£384 per pupil | £2.3m £5,880 per pupil | £2.3m £5,990 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £67k £174 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£104k +£384 per pupil | £1.6m £5,875 per pupil | £1.6m £5,982 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £48k £177 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£410k +£384 per pupil | £7.5m £6,995 per pupil | £8.1m £7,585 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £128k £120 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