ST BART'S MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
22 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 16 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 4 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 22 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £436 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £461 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 | -£57k -£334 per pupil | £1.3m £7,416 per pupil | £1.4m £8,130 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £3k £18 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£47k -£110 per pupil | £2.4m £5,686 per pupil | £2.6m £6,031 per pupil | £6k £14 per pupil | £14 | £6k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£60k +£194 per pupil | £1.8m £5,692 per pupil | £1.8m £5,740 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2017 | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£136k +£295 per pupil | £3.3m £7,093 per pupil | £3.4m £7,459 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£92k +£317 per pupil | £1.7m £5,821 per pupil | £1.7m £5,674 per pupil | £1k £4 per pupil | £4 | £4k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£169k +£398 per pupil | £2.9m £6,890 per pupil | £2.7m £6,439 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £7 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£543k +£1,456 per pupil | £8.8m £23,576 per pupil | £8.5m £22,831 per pupil | £18k £49 per pupil | £49 | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£152k +£549 per pupil | £2.0m £7,192 per pupil | £1.9m £6,917 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£260k +£666 per pupil | £2.7m £6,910 per pupil | £2.7m £6,810 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£257k +£693 per pupil | £2.5m £6,736 per pupil | £2.4m £6,402 per pupil | £5k £13 per pupil | £13 | £4k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£459k +£844 per pupil | £4.2m £7,728 per pupil | £4.4m £8,007 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£209k +£833 per pupil | £1.9m £7,429 per pupil | £1.6m £6,347 per pupil | £5k £16 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £16 | £5k £20 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