For trusts and schools planning to move to a new finance system, the summer term marks a critical tipping point. The goal for many is clear: to go live by September, with the system fully embedded and staff confident in using it ahead of the new academic year. But with summer holidays, exam periods, and procurement deadlines fast approaching, that timeline can quickly slip out of reach if you don’t take action now.
Achieving the highly coveted September go-live isn’t easy. The start of the academic year brings with it a perfect storm of challenges, from onboarding new staff and handling budget resets, to the general chaos that September always seems to bring.
At ION, we’ve supported dozens of education-sector organisations through time-sensitive implementations. To help your organisation stay in control of your timeline and avoid the last-minute scramble in August, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to execute a seamless September finance system go-live. Let’s dive in...
Step 1: Get organised and start early
The earlier you start reviewing the market and speaking to potential providers, the more control you'll have over your project. Rushed decisions, especially those made under pressure during the busy summer period, often lead to compromises on functionality, user adoption, or long-term suitability.
Now is the time to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t with your current system. Where are your bottlenecks? Which tasks take up too much time? What new features or improvements are on your wish list?
Once you have that clarity, you can begin shortlisting suppliers, booking demos, and scoping out implementation timelines. Keep in mind that for a typical project, you’ll need several months for onboarding, data migration, training, and testing. The sooner you start those conversations, the more likely you are to find a partner who can meet your September deadline without cutting corners.
Step 2: Review your current contract and notice period
Before you get too far down the road with a new supplier, it’s vital to understand the terms of your current contract. It's not uncommon for trusts to be caught off guard by notice periods — some of which can be 90 days or more. Depending on your contract or your needs as an organisation, you may need to run your new and old systems in parallel for a short time to ensure a clean break.
It’s also worth checking what data you’ll be able to export, and in what format. Clean, accessible data is essential for a successful migration, and knowing your current system’s limitations in this area will help you prepare for any additional steps you may need to take. Clarifying these points early gives you a clear sense of your real go-live window and avoids unexpected costs or delays down the line.
Step 3: Choose a partner who specialises in education
Implementing a new finance system in a school, college, or MAT isn’t the same as doing it in a commercial organisation. The reporting requirements can be more complex, and the seasonal pressures more acute. That’s why it’s so important to work with a partner who genuinely understands the education sector.
A provider with deep sector knowledge will already be familiar with your reporting obligations, upcoming auditing requirements, and the practical challenges of training staff during the summer term. They’ll also have a well-tested approach to implementations that work backwards from the academic calendar, not just from the date of contract signing. For example, as Sage’s Industry Specialist Partner of the Year for education, at ION we offer tailored implementation plans designed around academic year timelines, and training that’s adapted to the varied needs of finance teams.
Step 4: Talk to other MATs and see the system in action
No one can tell you more about what it’s really like to go live with a new system than the people who’ve just done it. Speaking to peers who have already been through the process helps you understand not only the benefits but the challenges too, and how to avoid them.
You could ask your shortlisted providers if they can connect you with existing customers of a similar size or structure or reach out to your peers on forums. Many trusts are happy to share their experience, and a short conversation could save you weeks of research. Having said this, an even better option would be to attend in-person events where you can speak directly with users and see the system working in real time. At our Education Finance Roadshows, for example, guests have the chance to take part in live case study Q&As with MAT finance leaders who have recently implemented Sage Intacct for Education. You’ll hear honest, unfiltered feedback and get the opportunity to ask the questions that matter to you most.
Whether you’re looking to validate your shortlist or get buy-in from your leadership team, these events can offer valuable clarity — and help you avoid spending time on a system that may not be the right fit. Head to our Events page to see what in-person events we have coming up.
Step 5: Agree timelines and key milestones early
Once you've selected your partner, the next priority is agreeing on a clear project timeline. It’s not just about when the system will be installed, it’s about mapping out every stage of the journey: from data cleansing and migration, to configuration, testing, and user training.
Most successful projects include joint responsibility. Your implementation partner will manage the technical workstreams, but key activities such as preparing opening balances, or scheduling training sit with your internal team.
Having those milestones set out on a shared project plan, and visibly aligned with your school calendar, means everyone knows what’s expected and when. It also gives you a realistic picture of how much time and resource you’ll need to allocate internally, so you can plan around staff leave, exam periods, or year-end deadlines.
Step 6: Prepare your data early
One of the most common causes of delay during implementation is poor data quality. Duplicate suppliers, outdated transactions, and inconsistent coding can all add up to more manual intervention and a longer go-live process.
While your partner will guide you through the migration process and provide tools to validate and clean your data, the sooner you start preparing, the smoother things will go. Cleansing and sorting your data and preparing your opening balances in advance will save you and your partner a significant amount of time further down the line. This might include reviewing and consolidating your supplier list, closing off historic purchase orders, or agreeing a clean cut-off date for opening balances.
Trusts that tackle this early in the summer term are far more likely to complete their implementation comfortably, and with fewer headaches.
Step 7: Set your team up for success with realistic training
In the rush to meet a go-live deadline, training is often treated as an afterthought. But user confidence is one of the biggest indicators of a successful switch, and rushing training or trying to squeeze it in during the last week of August rarely ends well.
Instead, look for opportunities to deliver focused, role-specific training in bite-sized sessions across the summer term and early holiday weeks. For example, finance leads may need deep dives into reporting and reconciliation, while budget holders or SLT members may only need short sessions on dashboards and approvals.
When training is well-timed and tailored, your staff are far more likely to engage and you avoid a painful bedding-in period when the new academic year begins.
Start now and September success is well within reach
If you’re aiming to go live by the start of the new academic year, the window to act is now. The schools we’ve seen succeed are the ones who planned ahead, asked the right questions early, and partnered with a provider who truly understands the sector.
Whether you want a clear implementation timeline, a second opinion on your current system, or simply to see what’s possible with a modern cloud-based finance platform, we’re here to help.
Simply register for one of our free events or webinars or use the form below to reach out to our team to get the ball rolling. With ION, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from real customers, see the system in action, and leave with a practical plan tailored to your organisation. Remember that, when it comes to your finance system, being prepared isn't just better for you — it’s better for your staff, your schools, and your future growth.