THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
19 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 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £220 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £232 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 | +£22k +£118 per pupil | £1.4m £7,537 per pupil | £1.4m £7,531 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£27k +£132 per pupil | £1.5m £7,204 per pupil | £1.4m £6,976 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£23k +£132 per pupil | £1.1m £6,423 per pupil | £1.1m £6,446 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£59k +£276 per pupil | £1.2m £5,637 per pupil | £1.2m £5,844 per pupil | £4k £18 per pupil | £18 | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£71k +£366 per pupil | £1.3m £6,874 per pupil | £1.3m £6,756 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£81k +£374 per pupil | £1.4m £6,616 per pupil | £1.4m £6,271 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£89k +£424 per pupil | £1.4m £6,488 per pupil | £1.5m £6,924 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£212k +£485 per pupil | £3.3m £7,567 per pupil | £3.3m £7,468 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£157k +£385 per pupil | £2.2m £5,382 per pupil | £2.3m £5,591 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £20 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£95k +£531 per pupil | £1.1m £5,961 per pupil | £1.0m £5,765 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £17 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£153k +£494 per pupil | £1.7m £5,462 per pupil | £1.7m £5,423 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£156k +£724 per pupil | £1.4m £6,687 per pupil | £1.4m £6,436 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £28 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