KENT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS' PARTNERSHIP: academy finances
26 academies with a full-year return, 2 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 24 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 3 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 2 of 24 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 25 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 2 of 26 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 26 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £617 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £652 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 | -£220k -£1,863 per pupil | £913k £7,737 per pupil | £805k £6,822 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£5k -£32 per pupil | £1.1m £6,944 per pupil | £1.0m £6,354 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £25 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£74 per pupil | £2.1m £11,337 per pupil | £1.8m £10,006 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £11 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£24k +£92 per pupil | £1.6m £6,231 per pupil | £1.5m £5,697 per pupil | £9k £34 per pupil | £34 | £4k £15 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£21k +£105 per pupil | £1.3m £6,340 per pupil | £1.2m £6,039 per pupil | £13k £65 per pupil | £65 | £7k £34 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£80k +£386 per pupil | £1.7m £8,221 per pupil | £1.5m £7,029 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£85k +£401 per pupil | £1.3m £6,241 per pupil | £1.2m £5,500 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £7k £33 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£91k +£450 per pupil | £1.3m £6,567 per pupil | £1.2m £5,773 per pupil | £368 £2 per pupil | £2 | £6k £30 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£91k +£476 per pupil | £1.3m £6,781 per pupil | £1.1m £5,734 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £26 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£383k +£591 per pupil | £5.3m £8,250 per pupil | £4.8m £7,454 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £3 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£648k +£562 per pupil | £7.8m £6,813 per pupil | £6.8m £5,885 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £5k £4 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£622k +£663 per pupil | £7.4m £7,903 per pupil | £7.0m £7,504 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2018 | — | £2k £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