UNITED LEARNING TRUST: academy finances
93 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 61 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 72 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 73 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 75 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 80 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 83 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 90 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £89 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £94 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£128k +£894 per pupil | £2.0m £13,657 per pupil | £2.0m £13,930 per pupil | £11k | — | -£68k -£476 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£141k +£894 per pupil | £1.6m £10,000 per pupil | £1.7m £11,060 per pupil | £4k £28 per pupil | £28 | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£175k +£894 per pupil | £1.7m £8,684 per pupil | £1.9m £9,633 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£188k +£894 per pupil | £1.7m £8,171 per pupil | £1.8m £8,733 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£333k +£894 per pupil | £3.1m £8,429 per pupil | £3.3m £8,729 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£587k +£894 per pupil | £5.4m £8,193 per pupil | £5.6m £8,592 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£127k +£894 per pupil | £1.1m £7,690 per pupil | £1.3m £9,437 per pupil | £4k £27 per pupil | £27 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£810k +£894 per pupil | £6.7m £7,348 per pupil | £11.9m £13,105 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£231k +£894 per pupil | £2.1m £8,019 per pupil | £2.3m £9,101 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £19 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£202k +£894 per pupil | £1.8m £7,881 per pupil | £1.9m £8,549 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£222k +£894 per pupil | £2.0m £7,956 per pupil | £2.3m £9,194 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£510k +£894 per pupil | £4.2m £7,441 per pupil | £4.7m £8,228 per pupil | £6k £10 per pupil | £10 | £32k £56 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£894 per pupil | £18.3m £14,515 per pupil | £16.3m £12,909 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £1 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