A new academic year brings fresh budgets, new starters, and important deadlines. This month we're covering everything you need to hit the ground running - from the 2026 Academy Budget Forecast Return deadline to job code setup, upcoming workshops, and a customer story from Thorpe Hall School.
Academy Budget Forecast Return 2026: What's Changed and How to Prepare
The 2026 Budget Forecast Return (BFR) is open - and with the workbook arriving later than usual this year, the window to submit is shorter than ever. Here's what you need to know.
š Key Dates
BFR opened: 13 July 2026
DfE deadline: 24 September 2026
Recommended internal deadline: at least 2 weeks prior
What's New in 2026
ICT spend split between revenue and capital
New dedicated line for buildings repairs & maintenance
Pay award assumptions required in 3-year forecast
RAAC funding and expenditure reporting
New privacy notice sections
How to prepare
Confirm DfE Sign-in (DSI) access for everyone who needs it
Complete a clean month-end - post all accruals, prepayments and adjustments first
Reconcile figures against your finance system and last year's BFR
Agree pay, pupil number and funding assumptions with senior leadership and HR
Run the DfE validation checks before submission
Build in trustee/governor review time ahead of your internal deadline
Access Education Budgets is ready for the 2026 BFR. The BFR report has been updated to reflect the DfE's 2026 workbook, available in both single academy and consolidated MAT versions, with forecast years populated automatically from your published budget scenarios.
New Academic Year Tip: Set Up Your Job Codes
With new staff joining at the start of term, now is the perfect time to make sure your job types are correctly coded for salary, NI, and pension - and that those codes are applied to staff contracts.
Step 1: Code Your Job Types
Go to Academy/School menu ā Settings ā Job Types. Select the relevant staffing code, edit the job type, and assign salary, NI and pension account codes.
Save each line.
Step 2: Assign to Staff Contracts
On the Job Types screen, click Assign to Staff Contracts. Select the IE Section Code, choose your job type codes, and click Update to apply coding across all relevant contracts.
Need help understanding Code Job Types and how they work in Access Education Budgets? Our guide walks you through the different job types available and when to use them.
Upcoming Workshops: Build Confidence for the Year Ahead
Whether you're onboarding new starters or sharpening your own skills, our hands-on workshops are designed to help you get the most out of Access Education Budgets and Finance. Sessions coming up this September.
Budgets
Back to Basics / New Starters
Scenario planning, creating and locking scenarios, settings, data settings, budget planning and reporting.
š Wednesday 16 September 2026
10:00am ā 12:00pm Ā· 2 hours
Finance
Back to Basics / New Starters
Chart of accounts, drill down, purchase & sales ledger transactions, journals, month close down and reporting.
š Tuesday 15 September 2026
10:00am ā 1:00pm Ā· 3 hours
Ā£150 + VAT / 100 FlexPoints per person, per event. To register or find out more, contact the Customer Success Team.
Transforming Financial Planning with Access Education Budgets
Thorpe Hall School needed a budgeting solution that could simplify financial management while ensuring accuracy and compliance. Since implementing Access Education Budgets, the school has transformed how it plans, reports, and allocates resources.
ā Significant time savings through automation
ā Improved accuracy in financial reporting
ā Reduced human error with real-time updates
ā More strategic resource allocation
ā Streamlined compliance with built-in tools
Missed the Access Evo launch?
What an incredible launch! More than 1,000 people joined us live to discover the launch of Access Evo for Education, and now you can experience it on demand.
Missed the event? Or want to revisit the highlights? Catch up on the full session whenever it suits you and discover how Access Evo is set to transform the way schools, academies and trusts work, bringing powerful agentic AI into education.
Watch the on-demand event and see whatās possible with Access Evo.