THE FIRST FEDERATION TRUST: academy finances
29 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.
- 2020-21: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 20 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 29 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £871 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £920 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 | +£113k +£277 per pupil | £2.5m £6,095 per pupil | £2.7m £6,621 per pupil | £29k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£3k +£277 per pupil | £297k £29,700 per pupil | £225k £22,500 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £100 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£8k +£277 per pupil | £505k £16,557 per pupil | £479k £15,705 per pupil | £2k £58 per pupil | £58 | £1k £33 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£10k +£277 per pupil | £507k £14,083 per pupil | £491k £13,639 per pupil | £1k £30 per pupil | £30 | £2k £56 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£277 per pupil | £507k £11,143 per pupil | £513k £11,275 per pupil | £5k £114 per pupil | £114 | £2k £44 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£11k +£277 per pupil | £435k £11,299 per pupil | £424k £11,013 per pupil | £2k £45 per pupil | £45 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£23k +£277 per pupil | £771k £9,402 per pupil | £846k £10,317 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £53k £646 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£16k +£277 per pupil | £532k £9,333 per pupil | £608k £10,667 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £4k £70 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£19k +£277 per pupil | £606k £8,783 per pupil | £531k £7,696 per pupil | £6k £82 per pupil | £82 | £1k £14 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£23k +£277 per pupil | £716k £8,627 per pupil | £688k £8,289 per pupil | £4k £46 per pupil | £46 | £4k £48 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£23k +£277 per pupil | £694k £8,361 per pupil | £728k £8,771 per pupil | £12k £140 per pupil | £140 | £5k £60 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£277 per pupil | £986k £8,016 per pupil | £1.0m £8,382 per pupil | £11k | — | £16k £130 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