STOUR VALE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
11 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.
- 2019-20: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £304 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £321 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 | -£328k -£541 per pupil | £4.4m £7,230 per pupil | £4.9m £8,048 per pupil | £2k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£41k -£101 per pupil | £2.5m £6,196 per pupil | £2.8m £6,954 per pupil | £12k £30 per pupil | £30 | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£38k +£79 per pupil | £3.4m £6,974 per pupil | £3.8m £7,793 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £12 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£270k +£724 per pupil | £2.7m £7,225 per pupil | £3.0m £8,067 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£145k +£722 per pupil | £1.8m £8,731 per pupil | £1.8m £8,821 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£854 per pupil | £9.1m £7,513 per pupil | £9.2m £7,554 per pupil | £533 £0 per pupil | £0 | £5k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£619k +£1,580 per pupil | £4.0m £10,133 per pupil | £4.1m £10,436 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£492k +£1,031 per pupil | £3.1m £6,461 per pupil | £3.2m £6,692 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.2m +£2,378 per pupil | £11.5m £8,483 per pupil | £10.7m £7,944 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.8m +£2,158 per pupil | £9.3m £7,199 per pupil | £9.5m £7,324 per pupil | £3k £2 per pupil | £2 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£800k +£1,810 per pupil | £2.7m £6,172 per pupil | £2.7m £6,036 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £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