Avanti Schools Trust is a family of 12 faith and community schools, founded in 2008 when it opened the first state-funded Hindu school in UK history. Its distinctive vision is “inspire spiritually compassionate changemakers” and mission is to “reimagine the purpose of education”. Avanti has used IMP Planner since 2022 and IMP Purchasing from 2025. It will also become one of the first trusts to roll-out IMP Finance.
Bhavini Budhdev, Head of Finance at Avanti Schools Trust, recalled the Trust’s initial introduction to IMP Software. “We first came across IMP at the Schools & Academies Show,” she said. “I went specifically looking for a new budgeting and finance system, so we demoed a number of providers – some that incorporated payroll, others that focused purely on finance. What attracted us to IMP was its simplicity and the fact it was MAT-led. A lot of systems are designed for individual schools, but not specifically for multi-academy trusts. For us, consolidation and central oversight were key priorities. IMP clearly understood that. The demos were straightforward, the system felt intuitive, and the service really stood out. The honesty and openness during those early conversations made a big difference. That is what led us to choose IMP Planner for our budget system.”
Fast forward to 2025, and the launch of IMP Purchasing, Bhavini took the decision to switch from its existing provider as “we found there were nuances in the system that meant processes took longer than they needed to”. She commented:
“When we saw the demo of IMP Purchasing, what stood out was it is budget-led and how simple it looked for both end users and finance teams. It handled lots of the small but important details that make day-to-day processing easier. We implemented over the summer and went live in September. Internally, we took a staggered approach – starting with central and one school, so users could familiarise themselves with IMP’s support – which the system allowed us to do. Interestingly, the implementation forced us to rethink our budgeting approach. It made us ask: How detailed are our budgets? Is the information clear to end users? Are we structuring budgets in the most practical way? By January, we had fully switched off our previous purchasing portal and moved entirely to IMP.”
After six months of IMP Purchasing, the Trust has experienced a number of benefits. “Ease of use is definitely the biggest one,” Bhavini revealed. “End users find it simple and intuitive. Approvers can clearly see what needs action and feedback across the organisation has been very positive. From a finance perspective, invoice processing is far more straightforward. The Goods Received Note functionality has been a game changer. Previously, invoices would sit waiting and teams would spend time chasing approvals. Now we can process efficiently and follow up more effectively. It has also given us much better visibility – into spend, invoice volumes, and processing workload. That is valuable from a capacity-planning perspective. If someone says we are stretched, we now have data to evidence what is really happening.
“We have created ordering windows and punch-out Amazon has been popular. It is easy, but it also raises questions about value for money. The difference now is that we can quickly run a report and see exactly how much is being spent and challenge it where necessary.”
IMP Purchasing has helped to drive accurate forecasting, improve accountability, and bring real value to the Trust’s management accounts. “Budget-led purchasing forces planning,” Bhavini said. “Deficits often happen because spending is reactive rather than planned. If something is not in the budget, the system makes that visible immediately. It prompts questions: Did we plan for this? Do we need a business case? Are we reallocating funding? Previously there was limited accountability. Now, the structure encourages it. We have recently set up a procurement function, and historically extracting clean spend data was difficult. With IMP, the data quality and structure should allow us to analyse spending far more effectively and look at economies of scale across the trust.”
Reflecting on Avanti Schools Trust’s past three years working with IMP Software (Planner and Purchasing) Bhavini cited “better forecasting and planning”, “simplified, more efficient purchasing processes, and “a rethink of how finance should operate across the trust” as the biggest impacts. “IMP Purchasing has made us reimagine finance – moving beyond simply producing P&Ls, towards providing meaningful visibility and strategic insight,” she continued. “Purchasing feedback has been very positive, and as we extend reporting access across the Trust, I expect that engagement to deepen. Ultimately, it is about giving budget holders ownership and insight that they did not have before.”
With IMP Finance going live in May 2026, Bhavini added: “We have been considering alternatives like Sage and iplicit, but when IMP announced Finance we decided to wait. Having everything integrated makes complete sense. I do not want multiple disconnected systems.”
Finally, Bhavini shared some perspectives on what it is like working with IMP Software as a partner. “The service is a major strength,” she stated. “Throughout implementation, no question ever felt like a burden – and we asked a lot of them. The team were patient and responsive. As the company has grown, that customer focus has remained. We are working with other providers where response times can be four or five days. That contrast makes you appreciate good service. For us, it is not just about whether the system works – it is about the overall customer journey. That is what builds trust.”
