EMMAUS CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
12 academies with a full-year return, 3 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.
- 2022-23: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 3 of 12 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £470 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £497 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 | -£107k -£535 per pupil | £1.5m £7,308 per pupil | £1.5m £7,358 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£108k -£485 per pupil | £1.6m £7,095 per pupil | £1.6m £7,297 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£21k -£44 per pupil | £2.8m £6,084 per pupil | £2.7m £5,890 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £19 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£370 +£1 per pupil | £1.7m £6,561 per pupil | £1.8m £6,885 per pupil | £5k £18 per pupil | £18 | £4k £16 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£22k +£222 per pupil | £1.1m £11,056 per pupil | £1.0m £10,441 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £31 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£138k +£200 per pupil | £5.7m £8,269 per pupil | £5.5m £8,057 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £42k £61 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£159k +£378 per pupil | £2.9m £6,976 per pupil | £2.9m £7,010 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £55k £131 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£209k +£523 per pupil | £2.7m £6,793 per pupil | £2.4m £5,950 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£754k +£567 per pupil | £12.4m £9,367 per pupil | £11.3m £8,498 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £8 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£428k +£667 per pupil | £5.2m £8,097 per pupil | £4.7m £7,265 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£278k +£634 per pupil | £3.2m £7,240 per pupil | £3.0m £6,831 per pupil | £270 £1 per pupil | £1 | £5k £11 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£395k +£1,829 per pupil | £1.7m £7,750 per pupil | £1.5m £6,778 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £42 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