THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST: academy finances
12 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.
- 2022-23: 0 of 7 academies in deficit
- 2023-24: 1 of 8 academies in deficit
- 2024-25: 2 of 12 academies in deficit
in 2025-26 prices (HM Treasury GDP deflator, October 2026)
In 2023-24 the trust spent £357 per pupil centrally (cash), money that is not counted in its academies' own spending, or £377 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 | -£167k -£865 per pupil | £1.1m £5,933 per pupil | £1.3m £6,782 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £9k £47 per pupil | ||
In deficit | -£13k -£65 per pupil | £1.5m £7,130 per pupil | £1.5m £7,355 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£138k +£116 per pupil | £9.6m £8,063 per pupil | £9.9m £8,316 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £410k £344 per pupil | ||
Tight | +£65k +£143 per pupil | £3.5m £7,683 per pupil | £3.7m £7,989 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £14k £31 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£52k +£237 per pupil | £1.4m £6,533 per pupil | £1.5m £6,961 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £10k £46 per pupil | ||
Healthy | +£43k +£216 per pupil | £1.2m £5,930 per pupil | £1.2m £6,120 per pupil | Had a registered PTA until 2009 | — | £1k £5 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£43k +£912 per pupil | £498k £10,596 per pupil | £439k £9,340 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £1k £21 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£145k +£676 per pupil | £1.4m £6,402 per pupil | £1.4m £6,542 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £0 £0 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£149k +£706 per pupil | £1.4m £6,626 per pupil | £1.4m £6,573 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £11k £52 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£215k +£944 per pupil | £1.7m £7,500 per pupil | £1.7m £7,482 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £18 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£112k +£2,520 per pupil | £511k £11,483 per pupil | £448k £10,067 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £4k £90 per pupil | ||
Large reserves | +£499k +£2,155 per pupil | £1.8m £7,840 per pupil | £1.8m £7,706 per pupil | No registered parents' association found | — | £8k £35 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