THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH ST BENET'S MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 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.
- 2021-22: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 9 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 £648 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £685 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | £0 £0 per pupil | £794k £5,796 per pupil | £769k £5,613 per pupil | £3k | — | £2k £15 per pupil | ||
Tight | £0 £0 per pupil | £587k £6,596 per pupil | £605k £6,798 per pupil | £3k | — | £14k £157 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£23k +£460 per pupil | £1.2m £24,612 per pupil | £1.2m £24,776 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £286 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£38k +£460 per pupil | £1.4m £17,145 per pupil | £1.2m £14,819 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £72 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£40k +£460 per pupil | £1.5m £17,322 per pupil | £1.4m £16,632 per pupil | £6k £71 per pupil | £71 | £2k £23 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£74k +£460 per pupil | £2.6m £15,926 per pupil | £2.4m £14,667 per pupil | £3k £17 per pupil | £17 | £4k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£81k +£460 per pupil | £1.8m £10,350 per pupil | £1.7m £9,791 per pupil | £3k £16 per pupil | £16 | £3k £17 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£40k +£460 per pupil | £699k £8,128 per pupil | £667k £7,756 per pupil | £3k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£382k +£460 per pupil | £6.3m £7,628 per pupil | £6.4m £7,714 per pupil | £15k matched with lower confidence | — | £13k £16 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£73k +£460 per pupil | £1.1m £7,195 per pupil | £1.1m £6,881 per pupil | £6k £41 per pupil | £41 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£48k +£460 per pupil | £703k £6,695 per pupil | £635k £6,048 per pupil | £12k £113 per pupil | £113 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£85k +£460 per pupil | £1.2m £6,541 per pupil | £1.2m £6,578 per pupil | £21k £115 per pupil | £115 | £9k £49 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