THE MEAD EDUCATIONAL TRUST: academy finances
14 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 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £367 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £388 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 | +£1.1m +£785 per pupil | £9.7m £6,759 per pupil | £10.9m £7,630 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2006 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.7m +£946 per pupil | £13.9m £7,810 per pupil | £15.7m £8,805 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £433k £243 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£991k +£946 per pupil | £9.5m £9,040 per pupil | £8.3m £7,943 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£198k +£946 per pupil | £1.8m £8,415 per pupil | £1.6m £7,800 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£806k +£946 per pupil | £7.0m £8,200 per pupil | £5.6m £6,527 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£946 per pupil | £10.1m £8,134 per pupil | £9.0m £7,211 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£226k +£946 per pupil | £1.9m £7,916 per pupil | £1.8m £7,620 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£393k +£946 per pupil | £3.1m £7,511 per pupil | £2.8m £6,720 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£419k +£946 per pupil | £3.1m £7,095 per pupil | £2.9m £6,637 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£410k +£946 per pupil | £3.1m £7,190 per pupil | £2.7m £6,208 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£784k +£946 per pupil | £5.7m £6,884 per pupil | £5.7m £6,836 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£725k +£946 per pupil | £5.2m £6,823 per pupil | £4.8m £6,317 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£378k +£946 per pupil | £2.5m £6,290 per pupil | £2.1m £5,305 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