THE ELLIOT FOUNDATION ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
33 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: 2 of 26 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 27 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 6 of 32 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 33 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 33 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £340 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £359 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£93k +£515 per pupil | £1.7m £9,667 per pupil | £1.8m £10,267 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £11 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£144k +£515 per pupil | £2.8m £10,097 per pupil | £2.8m £9,950 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £36 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£121k +£515 per pupil | £2.1m £9,094 per pupil | £2.0m £8,556 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£111k +£515 per pupil | £1.9m £8,914 per pupil | £2.0m £9,114 per pupil | £16k £73 per pupil | £73 | £18k £84 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£222k +£515 per pupil | £3.9m £9,081 per pupil | £3.6m £8,369 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £32 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£178k +£515 per pupil | £2.9m £8,461 per pupil | £2.8m £8,043 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £29 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£352k +£515 per pupil | £5.6m £8,161 per pupil | £5.3m £7,704 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£217k +£515 per pupil | £3.4m £7,957 per pupil | £3.2m £7,675 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£103k +£515 per pupil | £1.5m £7,638 per pupil | £1.7m £8,367 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£122k +£515 per pupil | £1.9m £7,979 per pupil | £1.9m £8,017 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2023 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£314k +£515 per pupil | £4.9m £7,979 per pupil | £4.2m £6,859 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£125k +£515 per pupil | £1.9m £7,926 per pupil | £1.9m £7,922 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £20k £82 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£232k +£515 per pupil | £3.4m £7,497 per pupil | £3.3m £7,355 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £37k £82 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