WICKERSLEY PARTNERSHIP TRUST: academy finances
13 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: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £541 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £572 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 | -£284k -£506 per pupil | £5.5m £9,763 per pupil | £5.2m £9,322 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£24k +£82 per pupil | £1.7m £5,858 per pupil | £1.7m £5,899 per pupil | £6k | — | £8k £27 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£423k +£211 per pupil | £15.1m £7,548 per pupil | £14.6m £7,279 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£82k +£279 per pupil | £1.7m £5,736 per pupil | £1.7m £5,763 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2016 | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£88k +£513 per pupil | £1.3m £7,339 per pupil | £1.3m £7,708 per pupil | £2k £9 per pupil | £9 | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£84k +£665 per pupil | £1.0m £8,262 per pupil | £1.1m £9,095 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£150k +£855 per pupil | £1.2m £6,688 per pupil | £1.2m £7,011 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£381k +£888 per pupil | £2.7m £6,364 per pupil | £2.6m £6,077 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£195k +£1,198 per pupil | £1.3m £8,043 per pupil | £1.3m £7,871 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.1m +£1,505 per pupil | £6.7m £9,321 per pupil | £6.4m £8,902 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.8m +£1,589 per pupil | £10.9m £9,752 per pupil | £9.8m £8,761 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.3m +£2,142 per pupil | £9.2m £8,377 per pupil | £9.0m £8,245 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£559k +£2,780 per pupil | £1.5m £7,622 per pupil | £1.5m £7,512 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 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