THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
16 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.
- 2018-19: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 3 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £913 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £965 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£19k +£204 per pupil | £730k £7,684 per pupil | £776k £8,168 per pupil | £9k £93 per pupil | £93 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£85k +£204 per pupil | £2.4m £5,790 per pupil | £3.0m £7,331 per pupil | £3k £7 per pupil | £7 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£12k +£155 per pupil | £621k £7,861 per pupil | £633k £8,013 per pupil | £2k £26 per pupil | £26 | £6k £76 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£431k +£204 per pupil | £14.4m £6,819 per pupil | £16.5m £7,799 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2013 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£46k +£204 per pupil | £1.4m £6,053 per pupil | £1.4m £6,272 per pupil | £696 £3 per pupil | £3 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£53k +£204 per pupil | £1.7m £6,488 per pupil | £1.6m £6,300 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£360k +£247 per pupil | £10.8m £7,376 per pupil | £11.6m £7,964 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £47k £32 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£199k +£340 per pupil | £4.8m £8,188 per pupil | £5.4m £9,236 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £170k £291 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£786k +£400 per pupil | £15.9m £8,095 per pupil | £17.7m £9,009 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £47k £24 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£100k +£254 per pupil | £2.2m £5,686 per pupil | £2.4m £6,020 per pupil | £15k £37 per pupil | £37 | £40k £101 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£32k +£369 per pupil | £708k £8,045 per pupil | £709k £8,057 per pupil | £4k £50 per pupil | £50 | £17k £193 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£113k +£528 per pupil | £1.5m £6,958 per pupil | £1.5m £6,809 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £6k £28 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£661 per pupil | £11.7m £7,666 per pupil | £12.0m £7,834 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2019 | — | £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