AU & NZ
SG
MY
US
IE
Access Education ICFP
Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning (ICFP)
Access Education ICFP: The future of finance and curriculum planning, made simple.
Deliver the best education for your pupils while staying on top of tight budgets. Access Education ICFP is here to lighten your load, whether you're running a single school or a multi-academy trust. Built into our budgeting software, the Access Education ICFP module is aligned with the DfE ICFP framework.
Already a user of our curriculum planning module? The transition to Access Education ICFP is seamless. Your current resource plans will automatically migrate to this new functionality without any need for rework, ensuring a hassle-free switch.
Say goodbye to confusion, focus on the data that matters most, and confidently plan a curriculum that fits your budget.
What to expect with Access Education ICFP’s latest functionality
Real-time integration
Resource plans update automatically with the latest financial and staffing budgets, keeping Access Education Budgets and ICFP in sync.
Enhanced user experience
With a refreshed interface and fewer steps, it’s easier and quicker to access the insights that matter to your school.
Long-term planning
See the bigger picture with five-year forecasts of key metrics, all visualised for easier long-term planning.
Collaborative access
Work together in real-time, with admin controls to manage who can view or edit.
Benefits of ICFP for schools and academies
Eliminate errors
Data is shared directly from Access Education Budgets into ICFP, removing the need for double entry and reducing the risk of mistakes. This seamless integration minimises manual input, saving time and ensuring data accuracy.
By automating data sharing, you can avoid common spreadsheet errors and maintain confidence in their resource plans.
Stay current
Real-time updates ensure plans always reflect the latest information, making scenario planning more effective. With up-to-date data at your fingertips, you can quickly adapt to changes, whether it’s staffing adjustments or funding revisions.
This allows for proactive decision-making and ensures that plans remain relevant throughout the academic year.
Single source of truth
Harmonise financial and curriculum data for consistent and reliable reporting.
Access Education ICFP ensures all stakeholders are working with the same accurate data, eliminating discrepancies and miscommunication.
This unified approach simplifies reporting and provides a clear, trustworthy foundation for strategic planning and presentations to leadership or governors.
User-friendly collaboration
Administrators can easily manage user access, ensuring the right people can contribute or view as needed. Multiple users can work simultaneously on the platform, fostering teamwork and reducing bottlenecks.
With customisable permissions, you can maintain control over sensitive data while empowering staff to collaborate effectively.
The planning admin is handled. The decisions are yours.
Access Evo is the connected platform that underpins every Access Education product you use, from finance and HR to curriculum resources and parent communications. As well as storing your planning data, it acts on it, so leaders spend less time manually pulling figures together and more time making curriculum and staffing decisions the budget can support.
-
What needs you, in one place: Access Evo Navigator brings what needs your attention together the moment you log in, so you see changes to your budget as they happen.
-
Answers from your own data: ask Access Evo Researcher how your curriculum plans affect your budget, and have it build the report your governors need.
ICFP, connected to your accounts and people data
Access Education ICFP is an optional add-on to Access Education Budgets and part of our school financial management software working alongside finance and purchasing on one connected platform. Your curriculum plans use the same budgets, actuals and forecasts as your finance team, and update automatically when your budget changes.
Add HR and payroll, and staffing data from a single workforce record feeds your plans too, with less time updating systems and less risk of errors.
- For trusts: compare curriculum and staffing costs across every school, with pupil-teacher ratios and benchmarks side by side.
- For schools: a curriculum your budget can afford, planned without spreadsheets.
Whether you start with one product or grow over time, you benefit from the efficiencies and cost savings of one provider and one contract.
See Access Education ICFP in action
Built for all stages of ICFP adoption
Whether you're just starting with Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning or looking to build on your existing processes, Access Education ICFP is flexible to fit your needs:
- Easy onboarding: Jump straight into the metrics that matter, with the option to dive as deep as you need, so you can start improving your reporting right away.
- Flexible planning: Keep your plans up to date as new information comes in throughout the year, making sure they stay relevant and actionable.
- Seamless data integration: Bring together financial, HR, and curriculum data into one place, simplifying things and boosting accuracy.
Engage all decision-makers
Sharing your financial and curriculum plans with decision-makers has never been simpler:
- Clear reporting: Easily create straightforward reports that show where you stand now and where you're heading in the future.
- Visualising long-term impact: Use forecasting tools to clearly show how your decisions will play out over the next five years.
- Say goodbye to spreadsheets: Stop relying on messy, manual spreadsheets—saving time and reducing the risk of mistakes.
Discover the metrics that matter most to you
Access Education ICFP helps you focus on the data that drives real decisions. With quick access to the key metrics, you can:
- Save time by focusing on what matters most to leaders and decision-makers.
- Customise your reports with thresholds that reflect your school’s specific goals.
Why customers love Access Education ICFP
I really like Access Education ICFP. One of the main drawbacks of ICFP is the data collection process. You have to manually input your budget, which can be time-consuming. However, with this system, everything is linked together, making it much more efficient. You get your metrics right away, and as you update your scenarios, the figures automatically refresh, ensuring you always have the most up-to-date information.
I like everything from a user perspective. The layout on the screen is very similar to the Central Budgets module, especially with the section on the left-hand side, which reminds me of it. I think Multi-Academy Trusts will find it user-friendly for that reason.
Frequently asked questions
How does Access Education ICFP differ from the Access Education Curriculum module?
Access Education ICFP replaces the Access Education Curriculum module, offering a refreshed user experience, fewer manual processes, and deeper insights into financial and curriculum planning. It also integrates seamlessly with Access Education Budgets, automating data sharing for improved accuracy and efficiency.
Who is Access Education ICFP designed for?
It’s designed for school leaders, academies, and Trusts who need a streamlined solution for integrated curriculum and financial planning, aligned with the Department for Education’s ICFP framework.
How does Access Education ICFP integrate with Access Education Budgets?
ICFP automatically shares data from Access Education Budgets, eliminating the need for manual double-entry. This real-time integration ensures accuracy and consistency across financial and curriculum planning processes.
How does Access Education ICFP help with long-term planning?
The platform provides visualisations of selected metrics forecasted over five years, helping schools understand the long-term impacts of their financial and curriculum decisions.
Is Access Education ICFP easy to use for teams?
Yes, it allows multiple users to collaborate simultaneously, with administrator controls to manage who can read, write, and view data. This fosters teamwork while maintaining data security.
I’m an existing customer using Access Education Curriculum. What does the transition to ICFP look like?
The transition is seamless. Your current resource plans will automatically migrate to Access Education ICFP without any need for rework, ensuring a hassle-free switch.
I’m a new customer. Will I need to use the older Access Education Curriculum module?
No, new customers will start directly with Access Education ICFP, bypassing the need for legacy systems entirely.
What happens if my data changes during the year?
Real-time updates mean that any changes to your financial or staffing data are automatically reflected in your resource plans, ensuring your scenarios and reports are always based on the most accurate information.
Does Access Education ICFP eliminate the need for spreadsheets?
Yes! ICFP removes the complexities and risks associated with managing spreadsheets, such as version control issues, missing files, and manual errors. All your data is integrated and accessible within the platform.
Does Access Education provide support for schools new to ICFP?
Absolutely. Access Education has extensive experience in the education sector and can guide schools in adopting and benefiting from the ICFP framework. Whether you’re new to the concept or looking to enhance your current processes, we’re here to help.
Can I buy Access Education ICFP on its own?
No. Access Education ICFP is an optional add-on to Access Education Budgets, and part of our financial management software for schools and trusts, so your curriculum plans use the same staffing and financial data as your budget. If you already use our curriculum planning module, your existing resource plans move across automatically.
What is ICFP?
Integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP) is the DfE’s approach to planning your curriculum and budget together, so you can check that the curriculum you want can be staffed and afforded. Access Education ICFP is curriculum planning software built into Access Education Budgets, so you can manage your curriculum and staffing plans alongside the budget that pays for them.
Get on top of all things ICFP
Discover valuable resources and updates to support your research and purchasing decisions. Our news and articles offer expert advice on how ICFP can transform your school or trust.
View all resources
Introducing Access Education ICFP
ICFP guide: Why it matters & strategies to overcome challenges
ICFP deep dive: Fundamentals & benefits
Insights on ICFP from school finance leaders
Access Education
Connecting people, processes and data in one intelligent system.
Access Education transforms how schools, academies, trusts, and local authorities operate – bringing finance, budget, operations, teaching and parent communications 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.