Why is the Access Education financial management solution suited to MATs?

A unified approach for complex financial demands

Our solution combines our finance and budgeting products - Access Education Finance and Access Education Budgets. They’re great on their own, but when they work together, they give you a full picture of your trust’s finances. Instead of hopping between different tools and outdated spreadsheets, you can have everything you need on one, easy-to-navigate platform. This is exactly the kind of financial management solution for MATs that streamlines operations and enhances transparency.

Customer Story: Little Way Catholic Educational Trust

Formed in January 2024, Little Way Catholic Educational Trust brought together six schools that were all using different financial tools and methods. CFO Kevin Parker shared how the trust’s decision to adopt our integrated financial management solution for MATs has made a real difference:

• Dependable and accurate: “It just works. You can rely on it and know it’s right.”
• Easy to use: The simple interface and helpful scenario planning mean staff can quickly explore options - whether it’s adjusting teacher pay or planning a new project.
• Flexible access: Being fully cloud-based lets the team work comfortably from anywhere, making it a much friendlier setup for everyone.

Read the full customer story here

Centralised control across your trust

We understand that keeping things consistent across a trust is no small feat. Our financial management solution for MATs brings all your budgeting tasks into one place, so you can manage accounts, permissions and updates without the hassle of dealing with different systems at each school.

With centralised planning and reporting across your trust, you get:

• Access to real-time data
• A trust and academy level view
• Actionable insights for both standard and ‘what if’ scenarios

Here’s a video explaining a little more about our centralisation feature, Access Central Budgets.

St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust embraced centralisation using our financial management solution for MATs

With seven primary academies under its wing, this trust has embraced a fully centralised finance strategy. Christopher Dryer, Director of Finance and Operations, explains that centralising tasks—like updating user profiles, supplier details and account codes—has eased the workload and helped keep financial practices consistent across the board.

Read the full customer story here

Further resources:

• On-demand webinar: Benefits of centralised planning & reporting
• Article - Five key benefits of centralisation for MATs

Scalability, flexibility and real-time insights

As your trust grows, you need a system that grows with you. Our financial management solution for MATs is designed to support unlimited users and offers role-based permissions so that you have both detailed control and the ability to work together as a team. With clear dashboards and automated reports, you can always have a quick, up-to-date insight into your finances.

Learning Accord Multi Academy Trust

Deputy CEO & CFO Gemma Falconer recalls how Learning Accord transitioned from an error-prone legacy system to our integrated financial software for multi-academy trusts. This case study clearly demonstrates how the right software can transform financial operations across your trust. Some of the benefits they’ve enjoyed include:

• Speedier decisions: What used to take days now takes just minutes.
• Better oversight: The unified dashboards give a clear view of financial performance, helping even those without a finance background feel confident.
• Friendly support: Ongoing training and a dedicated support team mean staff can settle in quickly and feel well looked after.

Read the full customer story here

Real-time reporting and automated processes

We know that timely data is key for keeping a trust agile. Our system handles routine tasks—from tracking cash flow to processing inter-school transactions—so that manual errors are minimised. This approach means you can generate detailed, compliant reports in no time, giving you the transparency you need to make smart decisions.

We’ve just launched a brand-new custom reporting tool, which provides greater flexibility and control over data. For a quick, on-demand product overview, click below:

Managing different financial tools and supplier contracts can be an administrative headache. That’s why we’ve created the Financial Focus pricing bundle – a single, all-in-one contract designed to cover all your financial management needs.

With a straightforward “per academy” (or per trust) pricing model, the bundle brings together Access Education Finance and Budgets along with extra modules like the Staff Voucher Scheme and School Policy Manager App. There’s even an option to add Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning, making it a cost-effective solution that really adds value as part of your financial management solution for MATs toolkit.

What’s included?

Core features such as Analytics, Engage, Access Evo, Copilot AI, Single Sign-On, Mobile Access, Learning Lite, Digital Assistant and Feeds.

This bundled approach means you:

• Simplify procurement: Replace multiple contracts with one easy solution.
• Cut down on administration: Enjoy consistent support, single invoicing and a dedicated customer success team.
• Maximise your budget: Benefit from attractive discount schemes and support packages tailored to your needs.

And if you’re already in a contract with another provider, don’t worry – our Buy Now, Pay Later option means you never dual pay. Existing Access customers can also swap their current contract for an upgrade, unlocking extra value at an exclusive price.

Conclusion

When it comes to financial management solutions for MATs, the Access Education Financial Management Suite offers a solution designed with you in mind. By combining comprehensive budgeting with real-time financial management, centralised control and scalable, automated processes – plus the added simplicity of our Financial Focus pricing bundle – this system is perfectly suited to meet the everyday challenges you face.

Ready to make your trust’s financial management a little simpler?