STEP ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
18 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: 4 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 5 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 18 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £2,900 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £3,065 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 | +£109k +£268 per pupil | £3.6m £8,865 per pupil | £2.0m £4,811 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£123k +£292 per pupil | £3.9m £9,211 per pupil | £2.2m £5,249 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£126k +£284 per pupil | £3.9m £8,746 per pupil | £1.9m £4,316 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£102k +£246 per pupil | £2.8m £6,820 per pupil | £1.6m £3,962 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£59k +£300 per pupil | £1.6m £7,929 per pupil | £910k £4,643 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£59k +£377 per pupil | £1.5m £9,821 per pupil | £1.1m £7,329 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£112k +£261 per pupil | £2.9m £6,777 per pupil | £1.7m £4,065 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2004 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£58k +£304 per pupil | £1.5m £8,005 per pupil | £707k £3,702 per pupil | £3k £16 per pupil | £16 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£61k +£349 per pupil | £1.6m £9,048 per pupil | £1.1m £6,199 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£61k +£355 per pupil | £1.6m £9,070 per pupil | £1.1m £6,573 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£40k +£318 per pupil | £880k £6,929 per pupil | £835k £6,575 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£93k +£276 per pupil | £2.1m £6,313 per pupil | £1.3m £3,887 per pupil | £17k £50 per pupil | £50 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£102k +£295 per pupil | £2.2m £6,391 per pupil | £1.8m £5,169 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