THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
20 academies with a full-year return, 6 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: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 15 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £141 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £149 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 | -£332k -£2,155 per pupil | £1.3m £8,156 per pupil | £1.7m £10,903 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £166k £1,078 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£74k -£1,248 per pupil | £540k £9,153 per pupil | £633k £10,729 per pupil | £20k £338 per pupil | £338 | £57k £966 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£126k -£805 per pupil | £1.2m £7,436 per pupil | £1.3m £8,647 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £111k £712 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£231k -£823 per pupil | £2.3m £8,206 per pupil | £2.3m £8,253 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £276k £982 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£159k -£809 per pupil | £1.6m £8,051 per pupil | £1.9m £9,750 per pupil | £5k £23 per pupil | £23 | £281k £1,434 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£35k -£383 per pupil | £636k £6,989 per pupil | £678k £7,451 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £65k £714 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£35k +£207 per pupil | £1.0m £6,257 per pupil | £1.1m £6,808 per pupil | £5k £29 per pupil | £29 | £91k £545 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£37k +£342 per pupil | £704k £6,579 per pupil | £800k £7,477 per pupil | £15k £138 per pupil | £138 | £87k £813 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£60k +£363 per pupil | £1.3m £7,818 per pupil | £1.3m £7,824 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£197k +£363 per pupil | £3.6m £6,628 per pupil | £3.5m £6,359 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£254k +£363 per pupil | £4.6m £6,521 per pupil | £4.5m £6,483 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£113k +£363 per pupil | £1.7m £5,314 per pupil | £1.9m £5,965 per pupil | £17k £53 per pupil | £53 | £0 £0 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