TRANSFORM TRUST: academy finances
24 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 16 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 24 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £609 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £644 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 | +£21k +£51 per pupil | £2.8m £6,832 per pupil | £2.8m £6,812 per pupil | £2k £6 per pupil | £6 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£52k +£147 per pupil | £2.0m £5,801 per pupil | £2.1m £5,983 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£58k +£260 per pupil | £1.8m £8,102 per pupil | £1.8m £7,826 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£144k +£335 per pupil | £3.7m £8,497 per pupil | £3.5m £8,183 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£131k +£331 per pupil | £2.8m £7,119 per pupil | £2.7m £6,782 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£128k +£427 per pupil | £2.5m £8,357 per pupil | £2.5m £8,274 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£87k +£401 per pupil | £1.6m £7,554 per pupil | £1.6m £7,214 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£140k +£322 per pupil | £2.4m £5,592 per pupil | £2.5m £5,766 per pupil | £15k £34 per pupil matched with lower confidence | £34 | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£258k +£447 per pupil | £4.8m £8,260 per pupil | £4.6m £7,889 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£217k +£522 per pupil | £2.9m £6,936 per pupil | £2.7m £6,558 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£254k +£604 per pupil | £3.0m £7,083 per pupil | £2.8m £6,591 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£193k +£932 per pupil | £2.0m £9,483 per pupil | £2.0m £9,478 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£184k +£825 per pupil | £1.9m £8,532 per pupil | £1.9m £8,286 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