THE MERCIAN TRUST: academy finances
9 academies with a full-year return, 3 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 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 9 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £459 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £485 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 | -£356k -£1,924 per pupil | £1.6m £8,643 per pupil | £2.1m £11,524 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£137k -£1,317 per pupil | £2.5m £24,462 per pupil | £2.7m £25,615 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£133k -£114 per pupil | £8.7m £7,443 per pupil | £8.5m £7,318 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£862k +£663 per pupil | £11.6m £8,885 per pupil | £11.3m £8,719 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£731 per pupil | £9.5m £6,932 per pupil | £9.6m £6,955 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £190k £138 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.6m +£1,022 per pupil | £13.2m £8,415 per pupil | £11.8m £7,506 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.1m +£1,456 per pupil | £11.0m £7,611 per pupil | £10.8m £7,493 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£3.1m +£1,923 per pupil | £11.9m £7,461 per pupil | £11.8m £7,411 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.8m +£1,863 per pupil | £6.6m £7,011 per pupil | £6.6m £6,987 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £42k £44 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