THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST: academy finances
21 academies with a full-year return, 1 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 19 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 21 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £393 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £415 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 | -£9k -£81 per pupil | £684k £6,514 per pupil | £820k £7,810 per pupil | £5k £45 per pupil | £45 | £40k £381 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£14k +£74 per pupil | £1.3m £6,992 per pupil | £1.5m £8,016 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £95k £518 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£26k +£125 per pupil | £1.1m £5,600 per pupil | £1.2m £5,849 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £53k £259 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£33k +£410 per pupil | £1.5m £18,037 per pupil | £791k £9,765 per pupil | £14k | — | £59k £728 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£40k +£159 per pupil | £1.6m £6,439 per pupil | £1.5m £5,909 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £17k £67 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£37k +£306 per pupil | £871k £7,139 per pupil | £917k £7,516 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £52k £426 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£30k +£255 per pupil | £721k £6,110 per pupil | £779k £6,602 per pupil | £4k £33 per pupil | £33 | £51k £432 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£145k +£324 per pupil | £2.6m £5,866 per pupil | £2.7m £6,071 per pupil | £5k matched with lower confidence | — | £144k £321 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£96k +£465 per pupil | £1.3m £6,248 per pupil | £1.3m £6,456 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £101k £490 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£60k +£445 per pupil | £885k £6,556 per pupil | £933k £6,911 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £56k £415 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£119k +£485 per pupil | £1.6m £6,502 per pupil | £1.6m £6,343 per pupil | £6k | — | £78k £318 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£173k +£483 per pupil | £2.1m £5,751 per pupil | £2.1m £5,779 per pupil | £14k £38 per pupil | £38 | £124k £347 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