THE SHAW EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
31 academies with a full-year return, 9 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: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 22 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 25 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 27 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 9 of 31 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,067 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,128 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 | -£238k -£2,263 per pupil | £698k £6,648 per pupil | £746k £7,105 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£559k -£1,653 per pupil | £2.4m £7,092 per pupil | £2.5m £7,453 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£177k -£1,171 per pupil | £995k £6,568 per pupil | £1.0m £6,713 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£96k -£1,298 per pupil | £731k £9,878 per pupil | £837k £11,311 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£216k -£771 per pupil | £2.2m £7,989 per pupil | £2.3m £8,357 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£125k -£645 per pupil | £1.5m £7,762 per pupil | £1.6m £8,083 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£340k -£2,151 per pupil | £3.9m £24,468 per pupil | £4.6m £28,943 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£100k -£433 per pupil | £1.4m £6,030 per pupil | £1.7m £7,515 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£65k -£84 per pupil | £5.2m £6,783 per pupil | £5.2m £6,744 per pupil | £1k £1 per pupil | £1 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£85k +£98 per pupil | £7.3m £8,387 per pupil | £7.3m £8,288 per pupil | £5k | — | £5k £6 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£59k +£437 per pupil | £4.4m £32,844 per pupil | £4.3m £31,570 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£140k +£127 per pupil | £8.2m £7,396 per pupil | £8.6m £7,839 per pupil | £44k £40 per pupil | £40 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£165k +£234 per pupil | £4.8m £6,866 per pupil | £4.8m £6,856 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2020 | — | £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