ST CLARE CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 academies with a full-year return, 6 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.
- 2023-24: 5 of 12 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 6 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £539 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £570 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 | -£238k -£2,480 per pupil | £687k £7,156 per pupil | £787k £8,198 per pupil | £2k £20 per pupil | £20 | £23k £240 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£213k -£929 per pupil | £1.6m £6,782 per pupil | £1.8m £7,681 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £50k £218 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£117k -£531 per pupil | £1.2m £5,484 per pupil | £1.4m £6,321 per pupil | £21k | — | £64k £290 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£189k -£674 per pupil | £2.3m £8,132 per pupil | £2.0m £7,200 per pupil | £13k £45 per pupil | £45 | £74k £264 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£88k -£270 per pupil | £2.2m £6,822 per pupil | £2.4m £7,357 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £120k £369 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£8k -£37 per pupil | £1.3m £5,934 per pupil | £1.3m £6,291 per pupil | £12k £54 per pupil | £54 | £43k £202 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£55k +£126 per pupil | £3.1m £7,129 per pupil | £3.8m £8,679 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £106k £242 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£23k +£101 per pupil | £1.6m £7,224 per pupil | £1.7m £7,504 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £37k £162 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£104k +£491 per pupil | £1.3m £5,962 per pupil | £1.3m £6,250 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £53k £250 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£1.5m +£1,293 per pupil | £8.7m £7,618 per pupil | £9.3m £8,087 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £516k £449 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£205k +£1,164 per pupil | £1.0m £5,830 per pupil | £1.2m £6,619 per pupil | £3k £16 per pupil | £16 | £47k £267 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£2.5m +£1,699 per pupil | £12.0m £8,009 per pupil | £10.7m £7,188 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £293k £196 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