SAPIENTIA EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
21 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: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 20 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,252 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,323 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£8k +£499 per pupil | £393k £24,562 per pupil | £307k £19,188 per pupil | £3k £182 per pupil | £182 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£12k +£499 per pupil | £461k £18,440 per pupil | £438k £17,520 per pupil | £5k £199 per pupil | £199 | £1k £40 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£36k +£405 per pupil | £948k £10,652 per pupil | £920k £10,337 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £22 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£719k +£499 per pupil | £9.6m £6,626 per pupil | £17.4m £12,042 per pupil | £21k £14 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £14 | £17k £12 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£119k +£499 per pupil | £3.0m £12,418 per pupil | £2.7m £11,364 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£120k +£499 per pupil | £2.6m £10,975 per pupil | £2.5m £10,329 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£340k +£499 per pupil | £6.8m £9,903 per pupil | £6.7m £9,833 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£29k +£499 per pupil | £507k £8,593 per pupil | £478k £8,102 per pupil | £12k | — | £5k £85 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£49k +£499 per pupil | £738k £7,531 per pupil | £727k £7,418 per pupil | £6k £66 per pupil | £66 | £5k £51 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£52k +£499 per pupil | £732k £7,005 per pupil | £665k £6,364 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £10 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£200k +£499 per pupil | £2.3m £5,640 per pupil | £2.5m £6,310 per pupil | £20k £51 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £51 | £5k £12 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£98k +£499 per pupil | £1.2m £6,332 per pupil | £1.3m £6,633 per pupil | £13k £66 per pupil | £66 | £6k £31 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