TRINITY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
11 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.
- 2019-20: 0 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 5 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 10 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £634 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £670 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 | -£127k -£1,009 per pupil | £867k £6,881 per pupil | £865k £6,865 per pupil | £5k £37 per pupil | £37 | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£55k +£88 per pupil | £4.2m £6,790 per pupil | £4.2m £6,718 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£216k +£232 per pupil | £7.0m £7,571 per pupil | £6.8m £7,300 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£30k +£299 per pupil | £867k £8,758 per pupil | £817k £8,253 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£620k +£386 per pupil | £14.2m £8,817 per pupil | £13.2m £8,201 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£295k +£345 per pupil | £5.3m £6,242 per pupil | £5.0m £5,898 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£758k +£770 per pupil | £9.4m £9,562 per pupil | £8.5m £8,652 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£528k +£737 per pupil | £5.5m £7,736 per pupil | £5.3m £7,423 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£916k +£883 per pupil | £8.6m £8,315 per pupil | £8.3m £7,964 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£277k +£1,208 per pupil | £1.8m £7,769 per pupil | £1.7m £7,271 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.7m +£1,822 per pupil | £8.8m £9,204 per pupil | £7.8m £8,149 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £11 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