Customer Story: St Benedict’s

• Cyber-attack as a catalyst for change: A cyber-attack highlighted the vulnerabilities of outdated financial systems, prompting the school to seek more secure, efficient, and modern financial software.
• Improved financial efficiency: The transition to Access Education’s cloud-based financial management solution significantly improved financial tracking, reporting speed, and accuracy, making the budgeting process faster and more transparent.
• Enhanced budget control: The software’s proactive budgeting features, including alerts for overspending and the ability to create multiple budgeting scenarios, helped the school manage its tight budget more effectively, especially when responding to unexpected costs.
• Streamlined daily operations: The shift to electronic payments and cloud-based processing reduced time and costs associated with handling invoices and payments, improving overall operational efficiency.
• Increased confidence in financial management: With better financial security, visibility, and reporting tools, the school is now better positioned to handle both routine and unexpected financial challenges, allowing for more strategic planning and long-term financial stability.

The catalyst for change

When a cyber-attack struck unexpectedly, the Wigan school was faced with a damaged IT infrastructure and the loss of critical financial data, from the start of the financial year through December.

For School Business Manager, Jackie Fowler, and her team, it was a wake-up call - a reminder of how vulnerable outdated systems were and how crucial it was to modernise their financial tools. Although initially a setback, the attack ultimately spurred the school into action, driving them to seek more secure, efficient, and user-friendly financial software.

As a small, one-form entry Catholic school in a deprived area, St. Benedict’s has always operated on a tight budget. Many of the students qualify for pupil premium funding, and the school supports a significant number of children with special educational needs (SEN), often without additional funding. Balancing these financial pressures while ensuring that every student receives the support they need had already been a juggling act. The cyber-attack made the situation more urgent.

A School Business Manager’s role: Balancing the books and the unexpected

Jackie’s job as School Business Manager involves overseeing the entire financial operation of the school. From managing invoices and monitoring the budget to coordinating maintenance projects and liaising with contractors, her role demands a unique blend of financial acumen and logistical flexibility. She is the linchpin that ensures the school stays within budget while meeting both operational and educational needs.

However, with most of the staff at St. Benedict’s being highly experienced, payroll was one of the school’s biggest costs—an expense that Jackie had to carefully manage. But despite these challenges, she was determined to find a solution that would streamline the school’s financial processes and offer more control over how funds were spent.

The search for a solution

After the cyber-attack, Jackie’s team knew they needed to find a more robust, cloud-based solution that would offer greater security, improve financial efficiency, and make reporting easier. Through consultations with local schools, product demos, and a thorough review of the available options, they decided on Access Education’s financial management solution.

Jackie explains that the decision to move forward with Access was not just about security, but also about enhancing the school's financial efficiency. 

A smooth transition: Starting from scratch

One silver lining to the data loss caused by the cyber-attack was that the team essentially started from scratch, without the burden of trying to migrate old data into a new system. The transition to Access was smoother because there were no legacy issues to deal with. The software was easy to set up, and Jackie’s team quickly adapted to its intuitive interface, thanks in part to the training and ongoing support provided by the Access Education team.

“James from Customer Success worked closely with the team, providing invaluable support during the setup process. His expertise and availability helped us get up to speed quickly, enabling us to use the new system effectively and without missing a beat.”

Improved financial management: Making every penny count

With Access Education software in place, Jackie saw immediate improvements in the way the school managed its finances. The system allowed her to track budget usage more accurately, and its user-friendly design made it easier to generate reports.

“The speed and ease of generating reports is a game-changer. We used to spend hours creating reports manually, but now we can generate them with a few clicks.”

The software’s tailored reporting options also allowed Jackie to present clear, real-time financial information to the headteacher, governing body, and local authority. During budgeting meetings, she could quickly provide insights into current allocations, expenditures, and potential cost savings, helping the school make informed decisions.

Enhanced budget control and strategic planning

For St Benedict’s, one of the most important features of Access Education’s Financial Management solution is its ability to provide clear visibility into the school’s financial health. The software alerts the team if a particular budget area is close to being exceeded, giving them the chance to make adjustments before any overspending occurs. This proactive budgeting system has been invaluable, especially when managing the school’s tight payroll budget.

In particular, Access allows users to create multiple budgeting scenarios, which is crucial when unexpected costs arise.

“When an influx of students with special needs required additional staffing in one year group, I used the software to assess the financial impact of hiring one or two extra staff members. This level of flexibility allowed me to make well-informed recommendations to the headteacher and the governing board, ensuring that the school could provide the necessary support while staying within budget.”

Saving time, reducing costs: a more efficient way to pay bills

The shift to cloud-based financial software also brought about a significant improvement in how St. Benedict’s handled everyday financial operations. Previously, processing invoices and making payments was a time-consuming task. But after the cyber-attack forced the school to update its systems, the transition to a cloud-based solution streamlined these processes considerably.

The ability to process BACS payments directly through the bank has reduced the need for physical checks, saving both time and money.

“Before, we were spending a lot of time writing checks and dealing with postage costs. Now, we can make payments electronically, which is much faster and more efficient.”

Looking ahead: Confidence in financial management

With Access Education’s Financial Management solution now in place, Jackie is confident that St. Benedict’s is in a better position to handle both routine financial tasks and unexpected challenges. The school’s financial processes are more secure, efficient, and transparent, enabling Jackie to focus on strategic financial planning rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks.

Although she doesn’t currently see a need to explore additional features, Jackie is hopeful that as more schools in the region adopt similar software, there will be greater collaboration and shared knowledge. She is already excited about how Access will help her plan for the future and ensure that the school’s financial health remains strong.

Final thoughts: A recommendation for other schools

Reflecting on her experience with Access Finance and Budgets, Jackie has a few key pieces of advice for other schools.

“The system is incredibly easy to use and saves so much time. The training and support are excellent, and the built-in error-checking is a huge help. If you’re still using older systems, I highly recommend making the switch. It’s made my job so much easier and less stressful.”

With a streamlined financial system in place, Jackie and her team can focus on what truly matters: providing the best education and support for their students.

In a school where resources are limited and every penny counts, Access has provided the clarity, flexibility, and control needed to ensure financial stability for years to come.