Romero Catholic Academy Trust

UID 17373·Companies House 11907285·Incorporated March 2019·Compare

Schools

Flags

22 high severity

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: Apr 2026Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2026/27Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£51.0m

6,142 pupils

Avg staff costs

70.7%

of income

Avg reserves

19.2%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

32.7%

free school meals

Capacity

97%

6,142 / 6,334 places

Total admin cost

£2.3m

£381 per pupil

Trust overview

All 18 schools with reported data have staff costs below the DfE's 78% review point.

3 of 18 schools hold reserves below the DfE's 5% reference point.

Trust-average reserves have fallen about 2 percentage points over two years of published returns.

Absence is at or below the national average in 10 of 18 schools.

7 schools report persistent absence above 20%, a level the DfE prioritises for additional support.

12 of 18 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above; 6 have at least one area judged below it. Inspection dates vary — some grades predate current leadership.

2 of these inspections used the new Report Card framework; its scale is not directly comparable with legacy grades.

Generated from published DfE and Ofsted data — year-end snapshots that cannot show in-year plans, restructuring or local context. Reference points are DfE review thresholds, not judgements.

At a glance

4 of 7 directors appointed in last 2 years17 schools with workforce pressure7 schools with absence above 8%6 schools with Ofsted concerns5 schools in deficit4 schools with staff costs above 78%1 school with declining results

Ofsted & results

Ofsted

67%meeting standard or above

Across 18 graded schools, including 2 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

50% Good+

Good 5RI 4Inad. 1

Behaviour & attitudes

60% Good+

Good 6RI 3Inad. 1

Personal development

60% Good+

Good 6RI 4

Leadership & management

67% Good+

Good 12RI 4Inad. 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

38.8

-7.5

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

54.4%

-6.6pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressOffice 204, Group First House Mead Way, Shuttleworth Mead, Burnley, BB12 7NG

Companies House11907285

Incorporated27 March 2019

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

Grade distribution across 2 schoolsinspected under Ofsted's 5-point scale (from November 2025). Not directly comparable with the earlier 1–4 sub-judgements above.

Curriculum & teaching

Needs attention 2

Achievement

Needs attention 2

Inclusion

Needs attention 1Expected standard 1

Attendance & behaviour

Needs attention 2

Growth

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	10	4,248	£27.0m	£26.4m	85.5%	19.4%
2022/23	15	5,737	£35.5m	£35.0m	73.9%	21.6%
2023/24	16	4,889	£41.5m	£40.7m	71.1%	12.8%
2024/25partial	17	5,996	£49.9m	£47.3m	70.4%	20.1%
2025/26	16	5,717	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

4.4%

of total trust spend

Typical MAT centralisation ranges from 3-7% of total trust spend. Figures below 2% may indicate limited central coordination; above 10% warrants review of value for money.

CS expenditure

£2,233,000

CS staff costs

£1,478,000

CS income

£318,000

Admin & clerical£650,000

Teaching staff£756,000

ICT£0

Premises£71,000

Legal & professional£258,000

Auditor costs£63,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

7 current directors · Average tenure: 2.7 years · 4 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Joanne Elizabeth Halsall

director·< 1 year

Peter David Mcdonald

director·< 1 year

Martin Johnson

director·< 1 year

Paul Anthony Devine

director·1 year

Christopher Barlow

director·2 years

Joseph Patrick Hickey

director·6 years

Angela Maria Ager

director·7 years

Company Secretary

Lauren Lang

secretary·1 year

11 former officers — most recent departure: Dec 2025

Johanna Mcmanus

director·1 year·Resigned May 2025

Donna Maria Mcnicoll

director·2 years·Resigned Jan 2025

Rosemary Rouse

director·3 years·Resigned Feb 2025

Helen Elizabeth Whitaker

secretary·4 years·Resigned Dec 2024

Nancy Doctor Walbank

director·4 years·Resigned Dec 2025

Rachel Claire Owen

Member schools (18)

18 schools|17 with risk flags|14 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
All Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy	147565	Secondary	high absenceofsted concernworkforce pressure
Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy	147581	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absenceofsted concern
Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	149124	Primary	workforce pressure
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	149125	Primary	workforce pressure
Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy	150308	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absenceofsted concernin year deficit
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	149126	Primary	—
St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	150307	Primary	workforce pressurehigh absenceofsted concernin year deficit
St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	147564	Primary	workforce pressure
St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy	149457	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressurehigh staff costs
St Charles' Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	152199	Primary	workforce pressure
St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	150080	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
St John Southworth RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	149849	Primary	workforce pressurehigh absenceperformance decline
St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	147578	Primary	workforce pressure
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Academy	147583	Primary	workforce pressure
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	148993	Primary	workforce pressure
St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	150081	Primary	ofsted concernhigh staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	147592	Primary	high absencehigh staff costsin year deficitofsted concernworkforce pressure
St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	152198	Primary	workforce pressure