THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
35 academies with a full-year return, 9 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: 0 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 14 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 7 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 6 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 7 of 34 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 9 of 35 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £700 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £740 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 | -£147k -£923 per pupil | £920k £5,786 per pupil | £1.1m £6,761 per pupil | £4k | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£308k -£1,150 per pupil | £2.7m £9,940 per pupil | £3.0m £11,022 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£111k -£686 per pupil | £1.3m £7,747 per pupil | £1.4m £8,407 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £31 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£377k -£575 per pupil | £5.1m £7,754 per pupil | £5.6m £8,583 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£92k -£291 per pupil | £1.9m £5,849 per pupil | £2.0m £6,258 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£251k -£395 per pupil | £5.1m £8,058 per pupil | £5.5m £8,614 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£163k -£430 per pupil | £3.7m £9,774 per pupil | £4.0m £10,495 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£19k -£228 per pupil | £648k £7,902 per pupil | £663k £8,085 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5k -£89 per pupil | £579k £10,339 per pupil | £588k £10,500 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £196 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£17k +£44 per pupil | £2.5m £6,501 per pupil | £2.5m £6,553 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£306k +£281 per pupil | £10.3m £9,465 per pupil | £9.9m £9,106 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £6 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£39k +£230 per pupil | £1.1m £6,450 per pupil | £1.0m £6,112 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£38k +£524 per pupil | £588k £8,167 per pupil | £558k £7,750 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £83 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