Customer Story: Children First Trust

Mandy joined Children First Trust in November 2025, bringing with her extensive experience across both primary and secondary education, as well as a strong background in business banking.

Having worked with several finance systems throughout her career, including Sage, RM Integris and RM Unify, she understands first-hand the challenges schools face when systems become overly complicated or are not designed specifically for education.

“I've always worked in finance and I've used several finance systems,” Mandy explains.

“When I first saw Access, what stood out immediately was how simple it was. It felt intuitive and easy to use.”

That simplicity became even more apparent when compared with other systems she had used previously.
“I went from using Access briefly to using Sage for a year, and it was incredibly difficult because it wasn't designed for schools. Access is completely different because it's built specifically for education.”

One of the biggest advantages Mandy sees in Access Education is its ease of use.
While finance software often carries a reputation for being complex and difficult to learn, Mandy believes Access removes many of the barriers that can make financial management intimidating for school staff.

“It's really straightforward. It does exactly what it says on the tin,” she says. “You can pick it up very quickly and it's easy to understand how everything flows from one stage to the next.”

For Mandy, the system's structure makes financial processes easier to explain, easier to train and easier to manage across the trust.

“It almost works like a flowchart. You can clearly see how a requisition becomes a purchase order, how approvals happen and where things go next. That makes it really easy to explain to colleagues and schools.”

At Children First Trust, ease of use is delivering benefits far beyond the central finance team.

The trust recently welcomed two new finance assistants who had never used a school finance system before. Despite their lack of previous experience, both were able to become productive users quickly.

“We've got two new finance assistants who had never used school finance software before, and both are now using Access easily,” says Mandy.

What particularly impressed her was how quickly new team members were able to develop confidence within the system.

“One of our team members has been in schools for less than four months and has already completed a major SEND finance project. The system is very usable and easy to navigate.”

For Mandy, that confidence comes from knowing that mistakes can be corrected quickly and easily.
“It's actually a very good system to make a mistake on because you can go back and correct it. That's how people learn. I always tell new staff not to be afraid of using it because we can fix things if needed.”

Access Education is also helping the trust access financial information quickly and efficiently.

Even without extensive reporting training, Mandy found herself able to generate the information school leaders needed with confidence.

“One of our headteachers asked for an update on their budget and I was able to work it out straight away. I went into the reports, found what I needed and gave them the information without needing additional support.”

For Mandy, the flexibility of reporting is one of the platform's greatest strengths.

“What I like is that you can view the information from different angles. You can look at budget versus actual versus committed spend, income and expenditure, analysis codes or individual ledger reports. You can almost filter the information before you even start filtering.”

The trust has also used reporting functionality to identify gaps, improve coding consistency and strengthen financial processes following audit reviews.

“It was really easy to identify where changes were needed and then make those corrections. Because the data was there, we could quickly put things right.”

The trust has recently signed up for Access Education Purchasing and is looking forward to the opportunities it will bring.

Initially, Mandy admits she was cautious about introducing more automation into finance processes.

“When I first saw it, I wondered whether it might replace people. But the more I learned about it, the more excited I became.”

Today, she sees automation as a way to enhance the role of finance professionals rather than replace them.

“I don't think it will remove jobs at all. I think it will free people up from processing tasks and allow them to focus on more valuable work, projects and strategic improvements.”

As the trust prepares to implement Access Education Purchasing, Mandy is confident it will continue to improve efficiency across the finance function.

“No one likes change at first, but I think this is one of those changes that will only improve what we're already doing.”

Alongside usability and functionality, Mandy values the ongoing investment and development behind the Access platform.

“Access never sits still. It's always evolving and improving.”

She also appreciates the range of support resources available, from knowledge articles and online guidance through to training materials that help users continue developing their skills.

Whether searching for answers independently or accessing additional support, Mandy believes schools are well supported throughout their journey.

“There are lots of resources available and it's easy to find the information you need when you need it.”

Discover how Access Education Finance, Access Education Budgets and Access Education Purchasing are helping schools, academies and trusts streamline financial processes, improve visibility and give finance teams more time to focus on what matters most.

Whether you are looking for a system that is easier to learn, simpler to manage or better suited to the unique needs of education, Access Education provides the tools, support and innovation to help your organisation succeed.