BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST: academy finances
46 academies with a full-year return, 15 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: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 13 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 30 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 10 of 46 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 16 of 46 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 15 of 46 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £521 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £551 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 | -£488k -£5,363 per pupil | £662k £7,275 per pupil | £993k £10,912 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£288k -£4,728 per pupil | £535k £8,770 per pupil | £685k £11,230 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £33 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£334k -£4,071 per pupil | £722k £8,805 per pupil | £824k £10,049 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£302k -£3,283 per pupil | £678k £7,370 per pupil | £768k £8,348 per pupil | £2k | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£221k -£2,511 per pupil | £802k £9,114 per pupil | £868k £9,864 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£170k -£1,755 per pupil | £695k £7,165 per pupil | £825k £8,505 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £31 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£157k -£1,868 per pupil | £685k £8,155 per pupil | £820k £9,762 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £24 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£69k -£1,860 per pupil | £478k £12,919 per pupil | £417k £11,270 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£108k -£762 per pupil | £878k £6,183 per pupil | £990k £6,972 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £2k £14 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£110k -£741 per pupil | £1.1m £7,503 per pupil | £1.1m £7,450 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£70k -£466 per pupil | £1.1m £7,358 per pupil | £1.1m £7,609 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£67k -£375 per pupil | £1.3m £7,223 per pupil | £1.4m £8,022 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £11 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