THE RUTLAND LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
12 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 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £515 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £544 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£45k +£500 per pupil | £572k £6,286 per pupil | £658k £7,231 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £55 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£90k +£483 per pupil | £989k £5,289 per pupil | £1.1m £5,636 per pupil | £15k £81 per pupil | £81 | £9k £48 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£192k +£1,019 per pupil | £1.8m £9,495 per pupil | £1.3m £7,101 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £10k £53 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£104k +£846 per pupil | £867k £7,049 per pupil | £1.1m £8,805 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2024 | — | £7k £57 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£65k +£861 per pupil | £541k £7,118 per pupil | £547k £7,197 per pupil | £5k £67 per pupil | £67 | £1k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£111k +£829 per pupil | £862k £6,433 per pupil | £913k £6,813 per pupil | £5k | — | £31k £231 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£67k +£965 per pupil | £540k £7,826 per pupil | £590k £8,551 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £145 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£135k +£1,002 per pupil | £1.1m £7,822 per pupil | £1.1m £8,267 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £23k £170 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£114k +£812 per pupil | £820k £5,857 per pupil | £907k £6,479 per pupil | £11k | — | £15k £107 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£127k +£1,896 per pupil | £601k £8,970 per pupil | £592k £8,836 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £209 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£515k +£2,222 per pupil | £2.2m £9,422 per pupil | £2.4m £10,556 per pupil | £6k £27 per pupil | £27 | £3k £13 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£146k +£1,972 per pupil | £615k £8,311 per pupil | £657k £8,878 per pupil | £5k £62 per pupil | £62 | £7k £95 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