THE PIONEER ACADEMY: academy finances
19 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 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £859 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £908 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 | +£11k +£23 per pupil | £2.6m £5,777 per pupil | £3.0m £6,510 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £13 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£6k +£23 per pupil | £1.8m £7,541 per pupil | £1.8m £7,277 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £12 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£16k +£423 per pupil | £652k £17,622 per pupil | £659k £17,811 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £7k £189 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£27k +£411 per pupil | £799k £12,106 per pupil | £786k £11,909 per pupil | £5k £67 per pupil | £67 | £9k £136 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£89k +£401 per pupil | £2.1m £9,420 per pupil | £2.1m £9,389 per pupil | £10k £47 per pupil | £47 | £22k £99 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£130k +£399 per pupil | £2.9m £9,037 per pupil | £3.0m £9,181 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £31 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£149k +£399 per pupil | £3.3m £8,983 per pupil | £3.5m £9,479 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £21k £56 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£80k +£401 per pupil | £1.8m £8,859 per pupil | £1.7m £8,668 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£155k +£399 per pupil | £3.2m £8,237 per pupil | £3.2m £8,317 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £15k £39 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£115k +£400 per pupil | £2.3m £8,035 per pupil | £2.3m £7,997 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2016 | — | £19k £66 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£102k +£400 per pupil | £2.0m £7,988 per pupil | £2.0m £7,870 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £12 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£70k +£402 per pupil | £1.3m £7,580 per pupil | £1.4m £7,839 per pupil | £8k £45 per pupil | £45 | £15k £86 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£164k +£399 per pupil | £2.7m £6,641 per pupil | £2.8m £6,716 per pupil | £8k £18 per pupil | £18 | £38k £92 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