How Cheshire Academies Trust Transformed Finance with XfE

As multi-academy trusts grow, their finance systems need to keep up.

What works well for a small trust can quickly become difficult to manage as more schools join, reporting needs increase and central teams require better visibility across the organisation.

For Cheshire Academies Trust, this was exactly the challenge.

The trust had grown from six schools to thirteen, with further schools in the pipeline. As the organisation expanded, it became clear that its existing finance system was no longer giving the trust what it needed at trust level.

In our latest testimonial video, Luci Jones, Chief Finance and Operating Officer at Cheshire Academies Trust, shares how moving to XfE has helped the trust improve control, reduce workload and access cleaner, more reliable financial data.

Outgrowing an Existing Finance System

Before moving to XfE, Cheshire Academies Trust had been using a finance system that worked well enough when the trust was smaller.

However, as the trust grew, the system became harder to manage at trust level. While it was still functioning at school level, producing reliable management information required more time, more manual work and more workaround processes.

For Luci, the biggest issue was the balance of time.

“My time was spent creating data, not scrutinising data. And that’s the wrong balance.”

As CFOO, Luci needed to spend more time reviewing information, understanding what the data was showing and using that insight to support better decision-making across the trust.

Instead, too much time was being spent trying to pull the information together in the first place.

Why Cheshire Academies Trust Chose XfE

When Cheshire Academies Trust began reviewing the market, XfE quickly stood out.

During the demo, the team could immediately see how the system could help simplify finance processes, reduce duplication and support a more centralised way of working.

It was not just about replacing one system with another. The move to XfE gave the trust an opportunity to think carefully about how finance should operate across a growing organisation.

That included reviewing who should be responsible for key tasks, how data should be structured and how the trust could reduce risk while improving visibility and control.

Case Study: Cheshire Academies Trust

Cheshire Academies Trust is a growing primary and SEND multi-academy trust based in the North West. The trust operates across four local authority areas and has grown significantly in recent years.

As the trust expanded from six to thirteen schools, its finance requirements changed. The previous system had supported the trust during its earlier growth, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to rely on at trust level.

Management accounts were a particular challenge, with the team having to spend too much time creating data and building workarounds.

After reviewing several systems, Cheshire Academies Trust moved to XfE in August 2025.

Although changing finance systems close to year-end can feel daunting, the move was far smoother than expected. The trust completed eleven months of the financial year in its previous system, moved to XfE on 1 August, and then completed year-end and audit work in XfE without needing to return to the old finance system.

The move has helped the trust:

• Improve trust-level visibility
• Access cleaner, more reliable data
• Reduce workload across schools
• Centralise key finance tasks
• Strengthen control and reduce risk
• Improve cash visibility and financial planning
• Make onboarding easier for new colleagues
• Create a more scalable finance setup for future growth

For Luci, the impact has been significant.

“XfE has been everything we hoped it would be and more. It has been transformative for Cheshire Academies Trust.”

Reducing Workload and Improving Control

One of the biggest benefits for Cheshire Academies Trust has been the ability to centralise key finance tasks.

Previously, several tasks were being managed across individual schools. As the trust grew, this created duplication and added pressure for school business managers.

By moving to XfE and reviewing its wider finance processes, the trust has been able to remove some of that workload from schools and manage key tasks more consistently at central level.

This has also helped reduce risk.

As a growing trust, Cheshire Academies Trust needed to make sure the right people had access to the right areas of the finance system. XfE has helped the trust achieve this while still giving the central team the flexibility and control needed to work efficiently.

Cleaner Data and Better Decision-Making

The move to XfE has also improved the quality of financial information available to the trust.

Rather than spending time compensating for system limitations, the team can now focus more on reviewing and understanding the data.

For a CFOO, this is a major shift.

Better data supports better conversations, better planning and better decision-making. It allows finance leaders to spend less time creating information and more time using it to support the trust’s future.

XfE has also helped Cheshire Academies Trust think more clearly about cash visibility and financial planning. With better information available, the trust can make more informed decisions about how funds are managed and used.

Support Throughout the Move

Changing finance systems can feel like a major step, especially for a growing trust with multiple schools and teams to support.

For Cheshire Academies Trust, the support from the XfE team made a real difference.

Luci described the team as knowledgeable, calm and accommodating, with nothing feeling like too much trouble. When questions came up or changes were needed, the team were quick to help and explain things clearly.

That support helped make the move smoother and gave the trust confidence throughout the process.

A Finance System Built for Growth

For Cheshire Academies Trust, moving to XfE has been more than a software change.

It has helped the trust create a finance setup that is cleaner, more efficient and better suited to the needs of a growing multi-academy trust.

The trust now has stronger visibility, greater control and more reliable data across its finance processes.

Most importantly, the finance team can spend more time focusing on the information that matters, rather than trying to create it manually.

Watch the Full Testimonial

In our latest testimonial video, Luci Jones shares more about Cheshire Academies Trust’s move to XfE, the impact it has had on the trust and why the system has been “everything we hoped it would be and more.”

Watch the full testimonial

Is Your Trust Outgrowing Its Finance System?

If your trust is spending too much time creating data, relying on manual workarounds or struggling to get clear trust-level reporting, XfE can help.

Book a demo today to see how XfE could support your school or multi-academy trust.

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