THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
42 academies with a full-year return, 10 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: 5 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 5 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 5 of 33 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 6 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 7 of 35 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 10 of 37 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 10 of 42 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £441 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £466 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 | -£345k -£3,078 per pupil | £1.0m £9,045 per pupil | £1.1m £9,562 per pupil | £7k £63 per pupil | £63 | £7k £62 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£91k -£652 per pupil | £965k £6,942 per pupil | £1.0m £7,266 per pupil | £21k £154 per pupil | £154 | £17k £122 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£76k -£525 per pupil | £948k £6,561 per pupil | £860k £5,952 per pupil | £9k | — | £12k £83 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£114k -£519 per pupil | £1.5m £6,893 per pupil | £1.5m £6,812 per pupil | £15k £70 per pupil | £70 | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£73k -£205 per pupil | £2.0m £5,530 per pupil | £2.0m £5,611 per pupil | £26k £73 per pupil | £73 | £30k £85 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£24k -£213 per pupil | £785k £7,072 per pupil | £761k £6,856 per pupil | £8k | — | £13k £117 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£47k -£153 per pupil | £1.9m £6,201 per pupil | £1.8m £5,841 per pupil | £9k £28 per pupil | £28 | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£30k -£129 per pupil | £1.5m £6,530 per pupil | £1.6m £7,174 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £17 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£41k -£104 per pupil | £3.2m £7,977 per pupil | £2.9m £7,346 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £8 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£4k -£60 per pupil | £582k £7,865 per pupil | £586k £7,919 per pupil | £8k £102 per pupil | £102 | £7k £95 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£1k +£17 per pupil | £660k £8,250 per pupil | £576k £7,200 per pupil | £3k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£44k +£322 per pupil | £1.3m £9,681 per pupil | £1.3m £9,080 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £58k £420 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