ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST: academy finances
16 academies with a full-year return, 5 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: 0 of 5 academies in deficit
- 2019-20: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2020-21: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2021-22: 0 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2022-23: 1 of 14 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 5 of 15 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 5 of 16 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £480 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £507 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 | -£159k -£2,121 per pupil | £772k £10,293 per pupil | £815k £10,867 per pupil | £3k | — | £2k £27 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£283k -£681 per pupil | £2.6m £6,325 per pupil | £2.7m £6,474 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2015 | — | £4k £10 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£521k -£525 per pupil | £7.0m £7,055 per pupil | £7.3m £7,315 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £12k £12 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£166k -£348 per pupil | £3.0m £6,275 per pupil | £3.0m £6,367 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £4 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£62k -£154 per pupil | £2.6m £6,483 per pupil | £2.3m £5,791 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £6k £15 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£10k +£49 per pupil | £1.3m £6,178 per pupil | £1.4m £6,620 per pupil | £21k £98 per pupil | £98 | £19k £89 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£30k +£68 per pupil | £2.8m £6,359 per pupil | £2.8m £6,316 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£32k +£158 per pupil | £1.4m £7,054 per pupil | £1.5m £7,422 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£614k +£373 per pupil | £12.2m £7,435 per pupil | £10.4m £6,348 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £2k £1 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£425k +£937 per pupil | £3.1m £6,887 per pupil | £2.5m £5,565 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£458k +£1,214 per pupil | £2.3m £6,183 per pupil | £2.9m £7,637 per pupil | £60k | — | £10k £27 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£246k +£963 per pupil | £1.5m £5,820 per pupil | £1.5m £5,890 per pupil | Registered, no income filed yet | — | £4k £16 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