Customer Story: Benchill Primary School
Streamlining financial management with Access Education Budgets
Benchill Primary School, under the guidance of Lucy Mallinson, faced the challenge of navigating complex school finances. New to the education sector, Lucy needed a system that was easy to understand, intuitive, and powerful enough to manage a large school's payroll and budgeting needs. Access Education Budgets delivered just that - offering clarity, time savings, and powerful reconciliation tools that have become essential in her day-to-day work. Lucy now confidently recommends the software to other schools looking to streamline their financial processes.
Access Education Budgets
Primary school
Challenge
- Navigating complex school finances with no prior education sector experience
- Managing payroll reconciliation for a large number of staff members
- Identifying budget anomalies and resolving variances quickly
- Saving time on routine financial tasks in a busy primary school setting
Approach
- Using Access Education Budgets’ intuitive design to quickly adapt to school finance management
- Leveraging the payroll reconciliation feature to identify variances between actuals and budget
- Working closely with One Education for initial training, then mastering the software over time
- Relying on the system’s simplicity and time-saving features to make financial management easier
Results
- Mastery of school budgeting within six months, even without prior education sector experience
- Significant time savings on payroll reconciliation for a large staff team
- Easy identification and resolution of budget variances
- Confidence in financial reporting and budgeting, with ongoing support when needed
Introduction
Benchill Primary School is a large primary institution that, like many schools, faces the challenge of managing complex finances. Lucy Mallinson, School Business Manager at Benchill, joined the school with no prior experience in the education sector. Yet, within just six months of using Access Education Budgets, Lucy mastered the system and now relies on it for her day-to-day financial tasks. The software's simplicity, intuitive interface, and powerful tools have helped her manage the school's budget efficiently and accurately.
Key takeaways
- Easy to learn: "Access has been very simple, very straightforward to understand, and it’s really intuitive."
- Time-saving features: "With the amount of work that school business managers have to do, anything that can help save time is invaluable."
- Effective payroll reconciliation: "The payroll reconciliation tool is very helpful, especially for a large school with many staff members."
- Anomaly detection: "The tool helps me spot any anomalies versus the budget, going line by line to resolve variances."
Learning school finance made easy
As someone with no previous experience in school finance, Lucy needed a solution that was intuitive and straightforward. She quickly adapted to Access Education Budgets, finding that even with minimal training, she was able to understand the system and start using it effectively. Lucy shares:
"Access has really helped me understand school budgeting. This is my first role in the education sector, and after six months of using it, it’s become part of my everyday job."
Simplifying payroll reconciliation for a large school
Managing payroll for a large staff can be a time-consuming and error-prone process, but the payroll reconciliation tool in Access Education Budgets has been a game-changer for Lucy.
"I have a lot of staff members that I have to reconcile payroll for every month. The tool is really helpful because it brings out any anomalies versus my budget, and it’s easy to resolve those variances."
This feature has saved her hours of manual work, allowing her to focus on budgeting tasks knowing payroll is accurate.
Time-saving and intuitive design
In a busy school environment, time is of the essence, and Access Education Budgets’ user-friendly design means Lucy can manage complex tasks with ease. The software’s intuitive layout allowed her to quickly get up to speed, even as a newcomer to school finance:
It’s simple and intuitive, which is key when you have so many tasks as a school business manager. Anything that can save time, I would definitely recommend.
This time-saving element has allowed Lucy to spend more time on other essential responsibilities, knowing the financial side is under control.
Why Benchill Primary recommends Access Education Budgets
Lucy is confident that Access Education Budgets has made a tangible difference at Benchill Primary and encourages other schools to explore its benefits:
"From my experience of using Access Budgets, I would recommend it to other schools. It’s straightforward, it saves time, and it helps manage the complexities of school finances."
With a system that provides clarity, accuracy, and efficiency, it’s clear why Benchill Primary trusts Access for their budgeting needs.
Why Access Education Budgets is perfect for schools
Access Education Budgets is designed specifically for schools, offering tools that simplify payroll reconciliation, budgeting, and financial reporting. Whether you’re managing a large staff team or trying to streamline budget variance tracking, Access Education Budgets provides the clarity and ease of use that schools need. Lucy Mallinson's experience shows how even those new to school finance can quickly gain confidence with this powerful software.