WISE ACADEMIES: academy finances
16 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: 1 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 12 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: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £645 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £682 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthy | +£59k +£732 per pupil | £727k £9,031 per pupil | £754k £9,366 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2017 | — | £4k £50 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£244k +£620 per pupil | £2.7m £6,873 per pupil | £2.7m £6,807 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£218k +£819 per pupil | £2.3m £8,720 per pupil | £2.4m £9,167 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £26 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£79k +£721 per pupil | £794k £7,284 per pupil | £805k £7,385 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2014 | — | £21k £193 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£132k +£899 per pupil | £1.2m £8,293 per pupil | £1.2m £8,374 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£444k +£953 per pupil | £3.8m £8,071 per pupil | £3.6m £7,762 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£207k +£1,078 per pupil | £1.5m £8,031 per pupil | £1.6m £8,130 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £73 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£260k +£1,228 per pupil | £1.8m £8,259 per pupil | £1.7m £8,151 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £19k £90 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£212k +£1,174 per pupil | £1.4m £7,512 per pupil | £1.4m £7,535 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2008 | — | £3k £17 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£271k +£1,322 per pupil | £1.6m £7,785 per pupil | £1.6m £7,820 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £2k £10 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£351k +£4,279 per pupil | £2.0m £24,220 per pupil | £1.7m £20,780 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£299k +£1,364 per pupil | £1.6m £7,137 per pupil | £1.6m £7,329 per pupil | £9k £35 per pupil | £35 | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£555k +£1,348 per pupil | £2.9m £6,937 per pupil | £2.7m £6,454 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £2 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