THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
25 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: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 7 of 20 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 20 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,607 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,698 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tight | +£633 +£13 per pupil | £1.5m £30,708 per pupil | £1.1m £23,729 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£11k +£13 per pupil | £7.0m £8,415 per pupil | £6.0m £7,155 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£14k +£13 per pupil | £8.4m £7,996 per pupil | £7.4m £6,996 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2012 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£5k +£16 per pupil | £3.2m £9,655 per pupil | £2.6m £7,814 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£7k +£13 per pupil | £4.3m £7,566 per pupil | £3.4m £6,002 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£29k +£18 per pupil | £12.6m £7,995 per pupil | £10.9m £6,921 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£21k +£18 per pupil | £8.1m £6,953 per pupil | £6.7m £5,757 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2025 | — | £12k £10 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£18k +£17 per pupil | £6.7m £6,468 per pupil | £5.7m £5,524 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £6 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£16k +£21 per pupil | £5.4m £6,771 per pupil | £4.5m £5,714 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£14k +£32 per pupil | £3.1m £7,489 per pupil | £2.8m £6,763 per pupil | £0 £0 per pupil | £0 | £10k £24 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£21k +£97 per pupil | £1.6m £7,295 per pupil | £1.4m £6,608 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£18k +£101 per pupil | £813k £4,567 per pupil | £819k £4,601 per pupil | £2k | — | £27k £152 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£15k +£109 per pupil | £605k £4,384 per pupil | £624k £4,522 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £22 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