THE TILIAN PARTNERSHIP: academy finances
13 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: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 10 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £522 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £552 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 | -£126k -£376 per pupil | £1.8m £5,479 per pupil | £1.9m £5,649 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2016 | — | £2k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£110k +£576 per pupil | £1.1m £5,785 per pupil | £1.1m £6,016 per pupil | £12k | — | £7k £37 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£104k +£757 per pupil | £808k £5,898 per pupil | £814k £5,942 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £15 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£199k +£1,453 per pupil | £1.0m £7,380 per pupil | £976k £7,124 per pupil | £7k £50 per pupil | £50 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£184k +£1,258 per pupil | £839k £5,747 per pupil | £906k £6,205 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £34 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£138k +£1,642 per pupil | £554k £6,595 per pupil | £592k £7,048 per pupil | £6k £75 per pupil | £75 | £1k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£135k +£2,871 per pupil | £531k £11,298 per pupil | £529k £11,255 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £3k £64 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£313k +£1,640 per pupil | £1.1m £5,906 per pupil | £1.1m £5,974 per pupil | £10k | — | £18k £94 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£203k +£2,077 per pupil | £694k £7,118 per pupil | £684k £7,015 per pupil | £12k £127 per pupil | £127 | £6k £62 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£162k +£2,749 per pupil | £525k £8,898 per pupil | £477k £8,085 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £17 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£235k +£2,585 per pupil | £719k £7,901 per pupil | £625k £6,868 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £22 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£208k +£2,976 per pupil | £632k £9,029 per pupil | £583k £8,329 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £29 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