ST CUTHBERT'S ROMAN CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
15 academies with a full-year return, 0 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 8 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 15 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £623 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £658 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading for deficit | +£31k +£308 per pupil | £746k £7,423 per pupil | £822k £8,179 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £40 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£33k +£367 per pupil | £857k £9,522 per pupil | £787k £8,744 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£55k +£279 per pupil | £1.3m £6,614 per pupil | £1.2m £6,096 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£196k +£335 per pupil | £4.4m £7,585 per pupil | £4.3m £7,393 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£93k +£321 per pupil | £2.1m £7,386 per pupil | £2.0m £6,800 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2026 | — | £2k £7 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£943k +£387 per pupil | £19.5m £7,975 per pupil | £20.0m £8,202 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£68k +£343 per pupil | £1.4m £7,290 per pupil | £1.4m £6,922 per pupil | £4k £22 per pupil | £22 | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£80k +£358 per pupil | £1.8m £7,911 per pupil | £1.5m £6,841 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £4 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£55k +£293 per pupil | £1.2m £6,255 per pupil | £1.2m £6,314 per pupil | £4k | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£38k +£332 per pupil | £821k £7,170 per pupil | £809k £7,066 per pupil | £13k | — | £1k £9 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£77k +£346 per pupil | £1.6m £6,989 per pupil | £1.5m £6,840 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2017 | — | £3k £13 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£65k +£330 per pupil | £1.3m £6,640 per pupil | £1.3m £6,381 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £10 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