THE BLUE KITE ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
24 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.
- 2019-20: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 10 of 24 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £354 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £374 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 | -£512k -£1,392 per pupil | £2.2m £5,913 per pupil | £2.4m £6,579 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £27 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£136k -£285 per pupil | £2.6m £5,550 per pupil | £2.8m £5,815 per pupil | £33k | — | £15k £32 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£101k -£244 per pupil | £2.3m £5,523 per pupil | £2.3m £5,586 per pupil | £15k £37 per pupil | £37 | £14k £34 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£29k -£66 per pupil | £2.6m £5,887 per pupil | £2.7m £6,106 per pupil | £12k £27 per pupil | £27 | £35k £79 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£10k -£66 per pupil | £992k £6,841 per pupil | £961k £6,628 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £83 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£11k -£66 per pupil | £1.1m £6,697 per pupil | £1.1m £6,661 per pupil | £10k £62 per pupil | £62 | £14k £85 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£14k -£66 per pupil | £1.4m £6,957 per pupil | £1.4m £6,894 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £19k £91 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£10k -£66 per pupil | £1.1m £6,925 per pupil | £1.1m £6,925 per pupil | £17k | — | £9k £56 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£13k -£66 per pupil | £1.4m £6,974 per pupil | £1.4m £7,158 per pupil | £5k £25 per pupil | £25 | £16k £82 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£6k -£66 per pupil | £692k £7,208 per pupil | £701k £7,302 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £73 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£48k +£108 per pupil | £2.5m £5,709 per pupil | £2.7m £6,055 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £7 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£45k +£222 per pupil | £1.2m £5,773 per pupil | £1.3m £6,527 per pupil | £16k £77 per pupil | £77 | £24k £118 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