THE PARTNERSHIP TRUST: academy finances
17 academies with a full-year return, 7 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: 2 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 6 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 7 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 7 of 17 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £616 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £651 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 | -£704k -£1,518 per pupil | £2.8m £6,088 per pupil | £2.9m £6,349 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £69k £149 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£128k -£1,239 per pupil | £710k £6,893 per pupil | £739k £7,175 per pupil | £8k | — | £12k £117 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£74k -£513 per pupil | £1.1m £7,514 per pupil | £1.1m £7,312 per pupil | £17k | — | £43k £299 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£33k -£464 per pupil | £638k £8,986 per pupil | £605k £8,521 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £155 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£24k -£146 per pupil | £1.3m £7,720 per pupil | £1.2m £7,091 per pupil | £12k £74 per pupil | £74 | £7k £43 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£18k -£117 per pupil | £1.0m £6,707 per pupil | £1.0m £6,893 per pupil | £6k | — | £15k £100 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£27k -£104 per pupil | £2.0m £7,602 per pupil | £2.2m £8,521 per pupil | £6k £23 per pupil | £23 | £85k £328 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£141 per pupil | £665k £7,228 per pupil | £659k £7,163 per pupil | £29k £311 per pupil | £311 | £11k £120 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£132 per pupil | £681k £6,743 per pupil | £675k £6,683 per pupil | £6k £59 per pupil | £59 | £33k £327 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£51k +£142 per pupil | £2.1m £5,923 per pupil | £2.2m £6,141 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2014 | — | £120k £331 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£381k +£1,699 per pupil | £6.4m £28,545 per pupil | £6.2m £27,616 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £10k £45 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£44k +£464 per pupil | £627k £6,600 per pupil | £715k £7,526 per pupil | £25k | — | £27k £284 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£136k +£454 per pupil | £1.7m £5,796 per pupil | £1.7m £5,609 per pupil | £8k £28 per pupil | £28 | £33k £110 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