THE DIAMOND LEARNING PARTNERSHIP TRUST: academy finances
15 academies with a full-year return, 8 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 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 4 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 7 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 8 of 15 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £391 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £413 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 | -£154k -£1,219 per pupil | £960k £7,619 per pupil | £1.1m £8,563 per pupil | £5k £36 per pupil | £36 | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£56k -£733 per pupil | £601k £7,908 per pupil | £672k £8,842 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £66 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£456k -£485 per pupil | £6.2m £6,621 per pupil | £6.7m £7,100 per pupil | £12k £13 per pupil | £13 | £24k £26 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£65k -£200 per pupil | £2.1m £6,316 per pupil | £2.2m £6,753 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £5k £15 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£27k -£115 per pupil | £1.8m £7,688 per pupil | £1.8m £7,829 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £21 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£35k -£85 per pupil | £2.5m £6,180 per pupil | £2.6m £6,323 per pupil | £12k £30 per pupil | £30 | £21k £52 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£11k -£107 per pupil | £811k £8,110 per pupil | £795k £7,950 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £40 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£2k -£8 per pupil | £1.2m £5,563 per pupil | £1.2m £5,777 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £56 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£36k +£336 per pupil | £766k £7,226 per pupil | £800k £7,547 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £28 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£42k +£563 per pupil | £591k £7,880 per pupil | £607k £8,093 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £67 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£115k +£576 per pupil | £1.3m £6,754 per pupil | £1.3m £6,668 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £40 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£194k +£872 per pupil | £1.5m £6,847 per pupil | £1.4m £6,374 per pupil | £25k | — | £13k £59 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£401k +£1,919 per pupil | £1.6m £7,541 per pupil | £1.4m £6,861 per pupil | £10 £0 per pupil | £0 | £12k £57 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