THE PRIORY FEDERATION OF ACADEMIES: academy finances
14 academies with a full-year return, 1 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: 4 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £878 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £928 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 | -£411k -£434 per pupil | £8.1m £8,526 per pupil | £7.8m £8,256 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£9k +£119 per pupil | £631k £8,358 per pupil | £611k £8,093 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £53 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£125k +£594 per pupil | £1.4m £6,576 per pupil | £1.8m £8,419 per pupil | £14k | — | £8k £38 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£695k +£1,000 per pupil | £5.1m £7,354 per pupil | £5.1m £7,407 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£517k +£3,593 per pupil | £4.0m £28,028 per pupil | £3.7m £25,688 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £93k £646 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£450k +£1,079 per pupil | £2.9m £6,947 per pupil | £2.9m £6,871 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£396k +£1,080 per pupil | £2.2m £6,082 per pupil | £2.2m £5,970 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.0m +£1,714 per pupil | £4.9m £8,320 per pupil | £4.9m £8,211 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.3m +£1,687 per pupil | £11.3m £8,159 per pupil | £10.8m £7,834 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.9m +£1,747 per pupil | £9.1m £8,507 per pupil | £8.9m £8,364 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.9m +£1,618 per pupil | £12.4m £6,972 per pupil | £11.9m £6,721 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £96k £54 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£637k +£1,538 per pupil | £2.5m £5,925 per pupil | £2.4m £5,901 per pupil | £6k £16 per pupil | £16 | £6k £14 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£530k +£1,808 per pupil | £1.9m £6,352 per pupil | £1.8m £6,106 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £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