BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
30 academies with a full-year return, 16 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: 1 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 3 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 11 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 12 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 16 of 30 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £298 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £315 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 | -£285k -£4,066 per pupil | £558k £7,971 per pupil | £677k £9,671 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£277k -£3,745 per pupil | £629k £8,500 per pupil | £719k £9,716 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£2.9m -£3,138 per pupil | £7.7m £8,245 per pupil | £7.6m £8,112 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£406k -£2,038 per pupil | £1.0m £5,231 per pupil | £1.1m £5,668 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£185k -£1,094 per pupil | £1.0m £5,923 per pupil | £1.1m £6,497 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£57k -£877 per pupil | £621k £9,554 per pupil | £714k £10,985 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£134k -£557 per pupil | £1.5m £6,254 per pupil | £1.6m £6,850 per pupil | £1k | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£115k -£664 per pupil | £1.3m £7,655 per pupil | £1.3m £7,431 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£100k -£583 per pupil | £1.2m £7,035 per pupil | £1.3m £7,378 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£91k -£467 per pupil | £1.2m £6,031 per pupil | £1.4m £7,200 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£70k -£335 per pupil | £1.2m £5,870 per pupil | £1.2m £5,976 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£62k -£308 per pupil | £1.2m £6,189 per pupil | £1.3m £6,682 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£63k -£286 per pupil | £1.4m £6,189 per pupil | £1.4m £6,356 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