ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
13 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.
- 2023-24: 0 of 9 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 13 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £266 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £281 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 | +£36k +£245 per pupil | £973k £6,664 per pupil | £1.1m £7,610 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £28k £192 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£30k +£245 per pupil | £1.1m £8,984 per pupil | £1.1m £8,903 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £30k £242 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£28k +£245 per pupil | £856k £7,542 per pupil | £862k £7,595 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £28k £247 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£34k +£245 per pupil | £1.1m £7,495 per pupil | £1.1m £7,815 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £36k £256 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£201k +£245 per pupil | £6.3m £7,671 per pupil | £5.9m £7,178 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £16k £19 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£50k +£245 per pupil | £1.4m £6,725 per pupil | £1.4m £6,809 per pupil | £6k £31 per pupil | £31 | £39k £191 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£56k +£245 per pupil | £1.5m £6,551 per pupil | £1.6m £6,920 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £55k £239 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£51k +£245 per pupil | £1.4m £6,510 per pupil | £1.3m £6,348 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £42k £200 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£51k +£245 per pupil | £1.3m £6,425 per pupil | £1.3m £6,512 per pupil | £11k | — | £41k £198 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£52k +£245 per pupil | £1.3m £6,174 per pupil | £1.4m £6,531 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £35k £164 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£51k +£245 per pupil | £1.3m £6,188 per pupil | £1.3m £6,067 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £41k £197 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£51k +£245 per pupil | £1.3m £6,062 per pupil | £1.3m £6,143 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £32k £153 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£82k +£245 per pupil | £2.0m £6,039 per pupil | £2.0m £5,994 per pupil | £5k £16 per pupil | £16 | £50k £150 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