ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
23 academies with a full-year return, 15 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 19 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 2 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 2 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 21 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 0 of 23 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 15 of 23 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £330 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £349 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 | -£531k -£3,764 per pupil | £946k £6,709 per pupil | £1.1m £8,050 per pupil | £5k £33 per pupil | £33 | £1k £7 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£489k -£3,178 per pupil | £1.0m £6,708 per pupil | £1.2m £7,747 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £6 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£419k -£2,760 per pupil | £1.0m £6,618 per pupil | £1.1m £7,507 per pupil | £6k £38 per pupil | £38 | £6k £39 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£152k -£1,313 per pupil | £819k £7,060 per pupil | £881k £7,595 per pupil | £5k | — | £2k £17 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£195k -£997 per pupil | £1.1m £5,776 per pupil | £1.3m £6,383 per pupil | £6k £31 per pupil | £31 | £4k £20 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£880k -£1,170 per pupil | £5.3m £7,066 per pupil | £6.0m £8,023 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £34k £45 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£769k -£672 per pupil | £7.8m £6,775 per pupil | £8.2m £7,132 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £2 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£129k -£537 per pupil | £1.4m £5,656 per pupil | £1.4m £5,921 per pupil | £3k | — | £3k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£125k -£627 per pupil | £1.3m £6,485 per pupil | £1.4m £6,815 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £30 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£92k -£455 per pupil | £1.2m £5,695 per pupil | £1.2m £6,099 per pupil | £275 £1 per pupil | £1 | £8k £39 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£90k -£447 per pupil | £1.2m £5,886 per pupil | £1.3m £6,564 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£92k -£444 per pupil | £1.5m £7,099 per pupil | £1.5m £7,277 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 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