THE ACADEMIES FOR CHARACTER AND EXCELLENCE: academy finances
17 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.
- 2019-20: 2 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: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,092 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,154 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£16k +£590 per pupil | £416k £15,698 per pupil | £356k £13,434 per pupil | £2k £84 per pupil | £84 | £51k £1,925 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£23k +£590 per pupil | £446k £11,436 per pupil | £474k £12,154 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £50k £1,282 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£24k +£590 per pupil | £459k £11,195 per pupil | £329k £8,024 per pupil | £5k £127 per pupil | £127 | £51k £1,244 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£35k +£590 per pupil | £507k £8,521 per pupil | £537k £9,025 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £54k £908 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£42k +£590 per pupil | £564k £7,833 per pupil | £562k £7,806 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £63k £875 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£92k +£590 per pupil | £1.2m £7,891 per pupil | £1.2m £7,751 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £55k £351 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£50k +£590 per pupil | £688k £8,094 per pupil | £601k £7,071 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£115k +£590 per pupil | £1.4m £7,010 per pupil | £1.3m £6,605 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £21 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£120k +£590 per pupil | £1.3m £6,635 per pupil | £1.3m £6,291 per pupil | £9k £43 per pupil | £43 | £52k £256 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£229k +£590 per pupil | £2.6m £6,795 per pupil | £2.3m £5,941 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £51k £131 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£114k +£590 per pupil | £1.3m £6,794 per pupil | £1.2m £6,299 per pupil | £7k £35 per pupil | £35 | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£129k +£590 per pupil | £1.4m £6,330 per pupil | £1.4m £6,486 per pupil | £1k £5 per pupil | £5 | £57k £261 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