THE HARBOUR SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP: academy finances
32 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: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 4 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 32 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £594 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £628 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 | +£53k +£287 per pupil | £1.1m £6,027 per pupil | £1.2m £6,667 per pupil | £14k | — | £8k £43 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£50k +£625 per pupil | £701k £8,708 per pupil | £736k £9,143 per pupil | £8k £102 per pupil | £102 | £6k £75 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£67k +£698 per pupil | £755k £7,865 per pupil | £793k £8,260 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £73 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£144k +£629 per pupil | £1.4m £6,206 per pupil | £1.6m £7,031 per pupil | £13k | — | £17k £75 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£112k +£636 per pupil | £1.1m £6,148 per pupil | £1.3m £7,239 per pupil | £18k | — | £18k £102 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£35k +£285 per pupil | £1.1m £8,939 per pupil | £1.2m £9,665 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £41 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£403k +£281 per pupil | £10.6m £7,355 per pupil | £10.5m £7,325 per pupil | £4k £3 per pupil | £3 | £46k £32 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£87k +£267 per pupil | £2.2m £6,734 per pupil | £2.3m £7,076 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£75k +£268 per pupil | £1.8m £6,452 per pupil | £1.8m £6,541 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £21 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£119k +£260 per pupil | £2.7m £5,956 per pupil | £2.8m £6,090 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2026 | — | £6k £13 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£268 per pupil | £768k £6,000 per pupil | £826k £6,453 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £23 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£116k +£265 per pupil | £2.5m £5,687 per pupil | £2.7m £6,080 per pupil | £3k | — | £11k £25 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£26k +£676 per pupil | £477k £12,231 per pupil | £546k £14,000 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £103 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