SDBE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
14 academies with a full-year return, 6 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: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 14 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £399 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £422 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 | -£164k -£1,031 per pupil | £1.6m £9,818 per pupil | £1.8m £11,082 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £13 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£125k -£781 per pupil | £1.7m £10,656 per pupil | £1.7m £10,869 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£42k -£96 per pupil | £2.6m £5,991 per pupil | £2.8m £6,456 per pupil | £15k £34 per pupil | £34 | £9k £21 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£39k -£100 per pupil | £3.0m £7,541 per pupil | £2.9m £7,283 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £25 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£21k -£61 per pupil | £2.9m £8,469 per pupil | £3.3m £9,705 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £18 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£13k -£60 per pupil | £1.8m £8,432 per pupil | £2.0m £9,659 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £19 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£46k +£231 per pupil | £1.5m £7,458 per pupil | £1.5m £7,532 per pupil | £13k £64 per pupil | £64 | £7k £35 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£436 per pupil | £1.6m £10,064 per pupil | £1.6m £10,397 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£105k +£525 per pupil | £1.6m £7,840 per pupil | £1.8m £9,052 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£150k +£664 per pupil | £1.7m £7,444 per pupil | £1.8m £7,849 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £3k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£158k +£879 per pupil | £1.8m £10,078 per pupil | £1.8m £10,194 per pupil | £5k £25 per pupil | £25 | £33k £183 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£583k +£1,519 per pupil | £3.0m £7,750 per pupil | £3.0m £7,846 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £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