BLESSED CHRISTOPHER WHARTON CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
19 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: 2 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 6 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 11 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 17 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 1 of 19 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £247 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £261 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 | -£432k -£614 per pupil | £6.7m £9,477 per pupil | £7.1m £10,145 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£35k +£151 per pupil | £1.7m £7,322 per pupil | £1.7m £7,153 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £13 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£54k +£244 per pupil | £1.4m £6,532 per pupil | £1.5m £6,645 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£63k +£356 per pupil | £1.1m £6,107 per pupil | £1.1m £6,237 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £40 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£87k +£401 per pupil | £1.4m £6,505 per pupil | £1.4m £6,592 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £73 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£172k +£443 per pupil | £2.5m £6,388 per pupil | £2.5m £6,442 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £23 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£111k +£490 per pupil | £1.6m £6,998 per pupil | £1.5m £6,589 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£174k +£540 per pupil | £2.3m £7,253 per pupil | £2.3m £7,176 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £16 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£62k +£554 per pupil | £810k £7,232 per pupil | £863k £7,705 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£112k +£509 per pupil | £1.5m £6,708 per pupil | £1.4m £6,594 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£177k +£548 per pupil | £2.2m £6,783 per pupil | £2.1m £6,661 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £12 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£807k +£449 per pupil | £13.5m £7,492 per pupil | £14.1m £7,826 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