THE BECKMEAD TRUST: academy finances
11 academies with a full-year return, 7 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.
- 2021-22: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 7 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2024-25 the trust spent £4,235 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £4,317 in 2025–26 prices. The IFS average for all trusts in 2023-24 was £510 per pupil, in 2025–26 prices (IFS, p.56); the trust's figure above is for 2024-25, so the two are for different years.
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 | -£898k -£7,127 per pupil | £5.1m £40,214 per pupil | £5.1m £40,365 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £16 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£393k -£4,229 per pupil | £3.6m £38,183 per pupil | £3.4m £36,419 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£172k -£2,812 per pupil | £2.0m £32,131 per pupil | £2.1m £34,410 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£202k -£1,821 per pupil | £2.9m £26,378 per pupil | £2.9m £25,901 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£73k -£1,617 per pupil | £2.4m £52,867 per pupil | £2.0m £44,200 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £22k £489 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£96k -£1,147 per pupil | £3.5m £41,952 per pupil | £3.0m £35,345 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£17k -£1,054 per pupil | £765k £47,812 per pupil | £868k £54,250 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£44k +£650 per pupil | £2.4m £35,343 per pupil | £2.1m £32,030 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £104 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£25k +£934 per pupil | £1.2m £45,926 per pupil | £1.2m £44,185 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£388k +£7,752 per pupil | £3.7m £74,220 per pupil | £3.2m £63,420 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £18k £360 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£963k +£16,330 per pupil | £2.0m £34,593 per pupil | £2.7m £45,831 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