THE GOOD SHEPHERD MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
12 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: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £515 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £544 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large reserves | +£32k +£1,333 per pupil | £319k £13,292 per pupil | £291k £12,125 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£76k +£639 per pupil | £619k £5,202 per pupil | £701k £5,891 per pupil | £68k | — | £64k £538 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£82k +£932 per pupil | £695k £7,898 per pupil | £681k £7,739 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£53k +£1,205 per pupil | £442k £10,045 per pupil | £481k £10,932 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £68 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£76k +£2,054 per pupil | £550k £14,865 per pupil | £578k £15,622 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£58k +£1,871 per pupil | £382k £12,323 per pupil | £359k £11,581 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £258 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£127k +£1,396 per pupil | £691k £7,593 per pupil | £675k £7,418 per pupil | £4k | — | £1k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£127k +£1,740 per pupil | £656k £8,986 per pupil | £660k £9,041 per pupil | £3k £33 per pupil | £33 | £9k £123 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£113k +£2,457 per pupil | £422k £9,174 per pupil | £450k £9,783 per pupil | £6k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£118k +£3,576 per pupil | £427k £12,939 per pupil | £417k £12,636 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £91 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£184k +£1,769 per pupil | £616k £5,923 per pupil | £615k £5,913 per pupil | £16k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£125k +£5,208 per pupil | £329k £13,708 per pupil | £288k £12,000 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £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