THE HARMONY TRUST LTD: academy finances
15 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: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 6 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 £123 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £130 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 | -£591k -£5,031 per pupil | £1.0m £8,740 per pupil | £1.2m £10,119 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£621k -£3,279 per pupil | £1.6m £8,311 per pupil | £1.7m £9,018 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£459k -£2,638 per pupil | £1.2m £7,006 per pupil | £1.4m £8,034 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2025 | — | £2k £11 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£468k -£1,397 per pupil | £2.1m £6,266 per pupil | £2.4m £7,281 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2023 | — | £9k £27 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£833k -£1,403 per pupil | £4.3m £7,253 per pupil | £4.5m £7,593 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £7 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£221k -£736 per pupil | £2.2m £7,370 per pupil | £2.3m £7,767 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £23 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£43k +£187 per pupil | £1.6m £6,911 per pupil | £1.7m £7,302 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£197k +£525 per pupil | £2.7m £7,252 per pupil | £2.6m £6,999 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£250k +£520 per pupil | £3.2m £6,648 per pupil | £3.1m £6,388 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£340k +£1,088 per pupil | £2.5m £7,949 per pupil | £2.3m £7,510 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£264k +£1,266 per pupil | £1.4m £6,571 per pupil | £1.4m £6,791 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£1,749 per pupil | £4.6m £6,860 per pupil | £4.4m £6,699 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £25k £38 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£419k +£1,878 per pupil | £1.6m £7,148 per pupil | £1.5m £6,839 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £13 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