ST EDMUNDSBURY AND IPSWICH DIOCESAN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
21 academies with a full-year return, 3 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 17 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 20 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 21 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £377 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £398 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 | -£50k -£338 per pupil | £847k £5,782 per pupil | £893k £6,096 per pupil | £20k £139 per pupil | £139 | £15k £102 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£48k -£246 per pupil | £1.1m £5,628 per pupil | £1.2m £5,969 per pupil | £21k £108 per pupil | £108 | £4k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£43k -£224 per pupil | £1.4m £7,078 per pupil | £1.3m £6,635 per pupil | £3k | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£9k +£100 per pupil | £666k £7,161 per pupil | £658k £7,075 per pupil | £3k £35 per pupil | £35 | £3k £32 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£36k +£133 per pupil | £1.5m £5,746 per pupil | £1.5m £5,631 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £11k £41 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£33k +£236 per pupil | £1.1m £7,893 per pupil | £1.1m £8,114 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £23k £164 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£27k +£471 per pupil | £564k £9,895 per pupil | £558k £9,789 per pupil | £996 | — | £3k £53 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£44k +£431 per pupil | £699k £6,786 per pupil | £699k £6,786 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £39 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£57k +£1,497 per pupil | £443k £11,658 per pupil | £418k £11,000 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2008 | — | £8k £211 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£96k +£1,008 per pupil | £706k £7,432 per pupil | £709k £7,463 per pupil | £5k £48 per pupil | £48 | £1k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£373k +£1,087 per pupil | £2.5m £7,415 per pupil | £2.4m £6,923 per pupil | £7k | — | £4k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£220k +£1,038 per pupil | £1.3m £6,292 per pupil | £1.3m £6,104 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £9k £42 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