Customer Story: Delta Academies Trust

• Delta and Access have grown together since the beginning, working side by side to tackle challenges and ensure smooth operations across all 57 academies.
• Access Central Budgets has helped to reduce time and manual work for the finance teams, enhancing processes across the trust.
• The Delta team is eager to collaborate closely with Access Education’s product teams to develop bespoke budgeting tools tailored to the trust’s unique needs.

Building Delta’s success

Delta Academies Trust has experienced remarkable growth and transformation since its early days, evolving into a thriving network of 57 academies. Established in 2010 during the wave of academisation, the trust has expanded and refined its approach over the years, driven by strong leadership and a commitment to delivering outstanding education.

David Pitchfork, Senior Finance Manager, joined the trust in 2010 and has been a key figure in Delta's journey. He has helped shape the trust’s success, guiding it through rapid expansion and operational challenges. Today, Delta Academies Trust continues to thrive, supported by innovative systems and a clear vision for the future.

The power of consistency and embracing cloud technology

From the very beginning, Delta Academies Trust has turned to Access Education for its budgeting needs. David stresses how vital this consistency has been for their operations, almost like the steady heartbeat of their financial planning. They’ve reviewed other budgeting tools; however, Access Education Budgets met the specific needs of Delta Academies Trust when it comes to things like term-time percentage calculations and last-minute fund profiling.

As David puts it, “Access has worked well for us... we haven’t felt the need to switch.”

A game-changer for Delta was Access’ transition to a cloud-based system some years ago, which has transformed how their finance teams collaborate. Now, with just a few clicks, they can connect with academies across the network. He recently conducted a 30-minute budget call via Microsoft Teams, allowing for seamless screen sharing and real-time collaboration.

“It’s much simpler now,” he said with a smile, reflecting on the newfound efficiency.

Budgeting system benefits and user-friendly tools

The benefits of Access’ budgeting system have been immense. David highlights its role in streamlining financial forecasting changes, such as pay rises. A standout feature is the quick salary calculator, which finance managers frequently use. This handy tool allows principals to assess staffing decisions, providing immediate feedback on the financial implications of amending the staffing profile of the academy.

"It’s really easy to use—anyone can get the hang of it, even if they don’t have a financial background."

The benefits of Access’ budgeting system have been immense. David highlights its role in streamlining financial forecasting changes, such as pay rises. A standout feature is the quick salary calculator, which finance managers frequently use. This handy tool allows principals to assess staffing decisions, providing immediate feedback on the financial implications of amending the staffing profile of the academy.

David enthusiastically discussed the budgeting software’s efficiency and user-friendliness, crucial for facilitating quick decision-making among Academy Principals. With its intuitive design, even those without a financial background can navigate it with ease. A key benefit is the read-only access for all Principals and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), empowering them to view essential information. This accessibility fosters proactive engagement with the finance team and a collaborative atmosphere around financial management.

David also discussed the effectiveness of central budgets, especially concerning pay scales and financial year management. The ability to make updates across multiple academies centrally, rather than individually, has saved significant time, estimating it to be a day’s worth of work for the finance team across the 57 academies.

Exploring future enhancements

Looking ahead, David is eager to meet with Access Education’s Product Manager, Charlotte, to discuss potential integrations and features that could take their budgeting system to the next level. “While our current setup works, I’m always on the lookout for ways to enhance our operations,” he says, his enthusiasm for innovation evident.

This really captures what we’re all about at Access Education—working closely with our customers to create solutions that fit their unique needs. Our product teams love sitting down with our customers because we know they’re the ones who help shape how we develop our solutions.

Addressing financial pressures and ongoing uncertainties

David candidly recounts the financial pressures they've faced, particularly in relation to rising costs, such as energy expenses. Access Education Budgets became their ally, modeling the financial impacts of these changes.

The Central Finance team was swiftly able to discuss the impact of these increases and support the academies affected by these financial strains.

During the interview, David addressed ongoing uncertainties regarding staff pay and budget management:

• Teacher Pay Rise: A recent announcement of a 5.5% pay rise, which is higher than what was in the recently approved budgets, although the government has confirmed that additional funding will be made available to fill some of the gap.
• Support Staff Pay Rise: Ongoing negotiations for the April 2024 pay rise for NJC support staff, with demands being higher than budgets.
• General Economic Climate: Broader uncertainties due to changing government policies and impending spending reviews.
• Benefit of Collaborative Working: While David feels their situation might be better than before, financial management remains incredibly tight, especially in smaller primary schools with low deprivation funding. However, the benefit of being part of Delta is that cloud-based solutions, such as Access Education Budgets, allow them to utilise staff across more than one school, saving further costs.

Despite these ongoing challenges, Access Education’s Budgeting software has been a vital resource for Delta. By offering flexibility and the ability to run different financial scenarios, it has helped the trust stay ahead of uncertainties and make informed decisions as they navigate tight financial constraints.

Strengthening partnerships beyond software

David emphasiaes the positive relationship between Delta and Access Education, showcasing the software’s effectiveness and invaluable support. He notes that, despite the software's complex background, its user-friendly design makes it accessible for everyone on the team.

Moreover, David recognises their commitment to community engagement through the Delta Academies Charitable Trust, which offers grants to students. “Access’s support in fundraising events really enhances our partnership,” he expresses gratefully.

Final thoughts

When you're managing a trust as large and dynamic as Delta, it's essential that your technology is running smoothly; just as important, you need a partner you can truly rely on. That’s where the relationship between Delta and Access Education comes into play.

Delta has been with Access since the very beginning, and over the years, both have grown together. It’s not just about having the right tools—though Access’s solutions have been crucial for Delta’s financial planning—but about working side by side to tackle challenges and keep things running smoothly across all 57 academies.

We thank Delta for their continued constructive feedback in ensuring our software continues to evolve!