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Access Education Finance
Financial management solutions for MATs
Our finance software for multi-academy trusts helps large and small trusts confidently manage their accounts at a school, group or trust level - part of a connected platform that brings finance, operations and teaching together across your trust.
Maintaining financial control at a trust level allows you to streamline your processes, save costs and promote efficiencies across schools.
Trusted financial software for multi-academy trusts
Central control
Central control allows permissions to be set at a trust level for individual users and for schools. Central payments and central bank reconciliations also gives trust finance teams more control over processes and payments.
Trust wide visibility
Gives a complete view of the organisation at the trust level with the option to drill down into individual schools at the click of a button.
Consolidated reporting
A consolidated reporting suite allows you to create reports on single schools, groups or the entire trust. Custom reporting now also available.
Reduce admin burdens
Ensuring there is an efficient and effective financial layer at the MAT level gives central staff time to focus on other important tasks.
MAT finance – key features
Increase accuracy and improve financial decision making across your trust
Whether you’re a trust with multiple bank accounts or you’ve centralised your services and have a single bank account, reconciling your transactions every week or month can be a time-consuming task.
You can reconcile your account(s) by uploading a .csv version of your statement, the system will then attempt to auto match the transactions from that bank statement to unreconciled transactions in Access Education Finance.
Inter-school transactions allow MATs to post one journal to various schools, while central payments and central bank reconciliations give trust finance teams more control over processes and payments with options to manage accounts individually, as a central account with sub-branches or as a single, central account.
Reporting dashboards for powerful communication
Our financial software for multi-academy trusts is delivered through Access Evo, giving you powerful collaboration and communication tools, boosting efficiency, productivity and engagement.
The analytics and real-time information dashboard gives an up-to-date picture of your trust’s financial performance. Reporting solutions and KPI tools highlight the most important issues and trends. A fully customisable interface and drag-and-drop personalisation means you can stay on top of all your different applications from one place.
The secret to smarter financial management across your MAT
When Access Education Finance and Access Education Budgets work together, finance and budgeting share a single source of truth – giving trust leaders a clear, consistent view across every school without the manual consolidation. And when Access Education People connects too, workforce and finance data sit in one place - so resourcing decisions are always grounded in reality.
Purchasing that works the way your trust does
When each school manages purchasing in its own way, visibility drops and admin piles up.
Access Education Purchasing brings everything together, giving MAT finance teams one place to manage purchasing, approvals and suppliers across every school.
It automates invoice capture and approvals, prevents duplicate payments and keeps every transaction compliant with your scheme of delegation. Because it connects directly with Access Education Finance, budgets, spend and approvals always stay aligned.
- Save up to 80% of AP processing time
- Real-time budget visibility across every school
- Duplicate invoice detection and full audit trails
- Integration with Access Education Finance and 40+ accounting systems
Gain control with financial software for multi-academy trusts
Why customers love our finance software for MATs
From fragmented systems to one connected trust
A leadership guide for multi-academy trusts
Growth should create opportunity – wider reach, shared expertise and better outcomes for pupils. But as trusts expand, complexity grows with them. More schools, more systems, more pressure on leadership time.
This guide explores what changes when your trust stops working around fragmented systems and starts working from one connected platform.
Inside, you'll find:
- Why growth can weaken visibility – and how to get it back
- What financial and operational control at scale actually looks like
- How embedding compliance and governance reduces risk without adding workload
- Why connected systems create capacity for the work that matters most
Latest insights on finance software for MATs
Discover valuable resources and updates to support your research and purchasing decisions. Our news and articles offer expert advice, case studies, and industry trends to help you make informed choices for your school’s financial management.
View all resources
Choosing the best finance system
Switching finance system for your MAT or academy: what to look for
When is it time to change your MAT finance software?
Benefits of integrated Budgets & Finance for academies & MATs
FAQs
How can MAT finance leaders give schools more freedom without losing control?
By finding the right balance between centralisation and autonomy. With clear policies, shared systems, and collaborative processes, MAT finance leaders can maintain oversight while allowing schools to manage their own budgets effectively. Learn more about practical strategies—like GAG pooling, top slicing, and integrated reporting—in this article on balancing freedom and control across trusts.
Read more: Control vs Freedom for MAT Finance Leaders
How can a finance system actually support MAT growth?
A well-designed system helps scale operations by automating manual work, improving reporting accuracy, and providing real-time insights. It can make budgeting, forecasting, and compliance easier, freeing up teams to focus on growth and decision-making instead of admin.
Find out more in our article: The unsung hero of MAT growth: Finding a finance system that’s fit for the future
When should a MAT consider changing its finance software?
It might be time to switch if your current system is slowing you down, can’t keep up with regulatory changes, or isn’t scalable as your trust grows. The right software should make financial management simpler, not harder, and give you real-time visibility across every school. Read this article to learn when and how to make the change smoothly.
Read more: When is it time to change your MAT finance software?
How can financial software help MATs balance school autonomy and central oversight?
The right software gives MATs a single, centralised view of finances while still allowing schools to manage their own budgets. With features like real-time reporting, scenario planning and role-based access, finance leaders can maintain oversight without limiting school-level flexibility. Read this article to learn how the right system can help your trust achieve that balance.
Read more: Financial Software for Multi-Academy Trusts
Why is the Access Education Financial Management solution ideal for MATs?
Because it’s built specifically for multi-academy trusts. Access Education combines finance, budgeting and reporting tools in one cloud-based platform, giving you real-time visibility, central oversight and flexibility for every school. Learn more about how it helps MATs simplify processes and improve financial control in this article.
Read more: Financial management solutions for MATs | Why consider Access Education?
What’s the difference between Access Education and IMP for MAT finance management?
Both support trust-level financial management, but Access Education offers a broader, integrated platform that connects finance, budgeting, HR, payroll and analytics in one place. It’s designed for MATs that want strategic oversight as well as operational efficiency. Read this article for a full comparison and to see which system best fits your trust’s needs.
Read more: Access Education vs IMP: Strategic Financial Systems for MAT Growth
Access Education
Access Education transforms how schools, academies, trusts, and local authorities operate – bringing financial management, people management, curriculum and assessment, and parental engagement together through Access Evo, our intelligent software platform. Data moves effortlessly, decisions happen faster, and complexity dissolves into clarity.
Start where it matters most, then expand as your needs evolve. Each solution delivers impact on its own. Together, they're unstoppable.