The Benefits of Real-Time Reporting for Multi-Academy Trusts

Finance teams across Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are under more pressure than ever. Budgets are tight, reporting expectations keep rising, and central teams must support multiple schools at once, all with accuracy, consistency, and speed.

That’s where real-time reporting becomes a game-changer.

With XfE, trusts can access live financial information across every school, department, and funding stream, without waiting for spreadsheets, month-end pack uploads or manual consolidation. And for many MATs, this shift is transforming how they manage money day-to-day.

Here’s how real-time reporting makes a real difference.

Why real-time reporting matters for MATs

Traditional school finance models rely heavily on spreadsheets and manual updates. By the time each school submits its month-end figures, the information is often already out of date. This makes it harder for central teams to see issues early, support schools effectively, or give trustees the clear answers they expect.

Real-time reporting fixes that.
Instead of waiting for data, MATs can see the full picture instantly, as soon as transactions and journals are posted in Xero.

This gives finance teams three major wins:

• Faster decisions
• More accurate reporting
• Better collaboration across schools

The key benefits

1. You can see issues before they become problems

Real-time dashboards mean trusts don’t have to wait for month-end to spot:

• overspends
• budget pressures
• unexpected variances
• delays in creditors or income posting

If something looks off, central finance can act immediately, not weeks later when the damage is already done.

2. Trust-wide visibility in one place

With XfE, every school’s position updates live from Xero.
That means you can compare:

• schools
• departments
• funds
• projects

…without merging spreadsheets or chasing for updates.

For MAT leaders, that clarity is invaluable, especially when preparing for trustee meetings or supporting schools that need additional help.

3. Less time spent on consolidation

Traditional MAT reporting often involves:

• downloading data from each school
• checking for inconsistencies
• matching codes
• building consolidated packs by hand

XfE streamlines this by pulling everything into one system, with consistent charts and mapping. The time saved across a year is enormous.

4. Fewer errors and cleaner data

Manual reports introduce risk.
Real-time reporting reduces it.

With data feeding directly from Xero into XfE dashboards, trusts know they’re looking at the most accurate version of the numbers, not a spreadsheet from two weeks ago that’s already out of date.

5. In-system KPIs

XfE provides in-system KPIs, giving trusts live insight into:

• spending trends
• income patterns
• departmental performance
• variances
• key financial ratios

No exporting, no reformatting, everything is right there in the system, ready to use.

6. Better governance and stronger board reporting

Trustees increasingly expect:

• real-time financial clarity
• confident answers
• consistent reporting
• transparent audit trails

XfE gives MATs the tools to deliver this with ease.

Boards can get cleaner, more accurate data and finance teams spend less time preparing it.

Why this is the direction trusts are moving in

MATs are growing.
Budgets are tightening.
Governance expectations are increasing.

Real-time reporting helps trusts:

• stay agile
• stay compliant
• stay confident in their financial decision-making

And XfE provides this in a format built specifically for schools and trusts — using the familiar Xero foundation, backed by education-focused structure, reporting and support.

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👉 Book a 20-minute XfE walkthrough
See how real-time dashboards, in-system KPIs, and trust-wide reporting work in practice.

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