THE TWO COUNTIES TRUST: academy finances
10 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 7 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £460 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £486 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 | +£9k +£7 per pupil | £9.5m £7,656 per pupil | £9.0m £7,272 per pupil | £1k £1 per pupil | £1 | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£295k +£333 per pupil | £8.1m £9,165 per pupil | £7.6m £8,620 per pupil | £0 | — | £4k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£495k +£354 per pupil | £10.2m £7,280 per pupil | £11.1m £7,899 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £12k £9 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£584k +£613 per pupil | £7.8m £8,225 per pupil | £7.0m £7,358 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£604k +£686 per pupil | £6.8m £7,751 per pupil | £6.6m £7,462 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.8m +£686 per pupil | £19.3m £7,446 per pupil | £18.1m £6,995 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£861k +£699 per pupil | £9.1m £7,407 per pupil | £8.4m £6,798 per pupil | £3k £2 per pupil | £2 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£1,037 per pupil | £8.9m £8,149 per pupil | £8.1m £7,418 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£982k +£1,222 per pupil | £6.3m £7,823 per pupil | £5.8m £7,228 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.7m +£2,134 per pupil | £9.9m £7,839 per pupil | £9.1m £7,202 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £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