STAR ACADEMIES: academy finances
36 academies with a full-year return, 4 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 24 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 29 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 31 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 33 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 4 of 36 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £465 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £491 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 | -£5.7m -£8,352 per pupil | £6.0m £8,816 per pupil | £7.1m £10,341 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2013 | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£1.9m -£2,647 per pupil | £6.3m £8,720 per pupil | £6.4m £8,852 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £8 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£1.3m -£2,160 per pupil | £5.7m £9,620 per pupil | £5.8m £9,798 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£682 -£11 per pupil | £746k £12,433 per pupil | £758k £12,633 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £67 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£19k +£46 per pupil | £3.9m £9,692 per pupil | £3.7m £9,119 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£26k +£176 per pupil | £2.5m £16,812 per pupil | £2.5m £16,725 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£216k +£443 per pupil | £3.2m £6,529 per pupil | £3.0m £6,078 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£754k +£952 per pupil | £8.0m £10,144 per pupil | £7.9m £9,949 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£271k +£976 per pupil | £2.9m £10,522 per pupil | £2.6m £9,191 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£448k +£711 per pupil | £4.1m £6,437 per pupil | £3.8m £6,083 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £42k £67 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£320k +£992 per pupil | £2.5m £7,888 per pupil | £2.5m £7,684 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£1,109 per pupil | £7.4m £7,045 per pupil | £7.5m £7,142 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£847k +£1,357 per pupil | £5.3m £8,502 per pupil | £5.1m £8,228 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 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