WELLSPRING ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
32 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: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 28 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 31 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 32 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £1,308 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £1,382 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 | -£62k -£593 per pupil | £3.5m £32,867 per pupil | £3.1m £29,229 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£189k +£171 per pupil | £8.9m £8,065 per pupil | £8.7m £7,846 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2010 | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£218k +£327 per pupil | £5.8m £8,676 per pupil | £5.1m £7,614 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£105k +£253 per pupil | £2.7m £6,509 per pupil | £2.4m £5,821 per pupil | £22k £50 per pupil | £50 | £10k £24 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£90k +£450 per pupil | £1.8m £9,007 per pupil | £1.6m £8,130 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £55 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£121k +£1,761 per pupil | £2.3m £32,754 per pupil | £2.1m £30,145 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £4k £58 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£125k +£380 per pupil | £2.1m £6,442 per pupil | £1.8m £5,485 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£345k +£1,561 per pupil | £5.9m £26,828 per pupil | £5.2m £23,566 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£237k +£1,593 per pupil | £3.8m £25,248 per pupil | £3.5m £23,242 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £50k £336 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£242k +£747 per pupil | £2.5m £7,765 per pupil | £2.1m £6,628 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.2m +£3,357 per pupil | £11.9m £34,312 per pupil | £10.9m £31,405 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£361k +£2,962 per pupil | £3.5m £28,713 per pupil | £3.1m £25,533 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£127k +£822 per pupil | £1.2m £7,812 per pupil | £1.1m £6,961 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