ST GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
56 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: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 1 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 3 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 16 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 0 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £231 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £244 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 | -£381k -£1,596 per pupil | £1.3m £5,586 per pupil | £1.3m £5,552 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £17 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£112k -£323 per pupil | £2.0m £5,692 per pupil | £2.1m £6,058 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £12 per pupil | ||
Heading for deficit | +£64k +£265 per pupil | £1.7m £7,027 per pupil | £1.7m £6,894 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£3k +£14 per pupil | £1.1m £5,831 per pupil | £1.2m £6,323 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2025 | — | £4k £21 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£13k +£81 per pupil | £1.2m £7,610 per pupil | £1.2m £7,974 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £13 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£19k +£111 per pupil | £1.3m £7,675 per pupil | £1.2m £7,320 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2011 | — | £2k £12 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£22k +£105 per pupil | £1.5m £7,019 per pupil | £1.5m £7,135 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£7k +£159 per pupil | £455k £9,891 per pupil | £424k £9,217 per pupil | £1k | — | £1k £22 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£151k +£138 per pupil | £8.0m £7,323 per pupil | £8.1m £7,382 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £23k £21 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£15k +£216 per pupil | £608k £8,563 per pupil | £645k £9,085 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £28 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£297k +£265 per pupil | £9.5m £8,450 per pupil | £9.2m £8,223 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £3k £3 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£236k +£281 per pupil | £6.5m £7,796 per pupil | £6.6m £7,903 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£93k +£277 per pupil | £2.2m £6,427 per pupil | £2.2m £6,395 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £3 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