Will Jordan
1 Series four
GAG pooling: Driving fairness, resilience, and strategic impact
With rising costs and tightening budgets, some trusts are exploring GAG pooling as a way to build financial resilience and ensure equity across their academies. In this session, trust leaders will share their respective approaches – from equalising pension rates and centralising services, to using pooled reserves to support vulnerable schools and invest in shared priorities. We’ll discuss practical insights into how it works for them, the benefits it has the potential to unlock, and how to manage the cultural and leadership challenges along the way. Whether you are considering GAG pooling or looking to refine your existing approach, this session will help you think strategically and act confidently.
1 Breakout sessions: Series one
Benchmarking that goes deeper: What IMP’s 2026 Financial Benchmarking Report reveals about pay, people, and performance across the sector
This session shares the headline findings from IMP Software's 2026 MAT Financial Benchmarking Report, published in partnership with CST. Drawing on the budget assumptions of hundreds of trusts and thousands of schools, we will examine where the sector is heading on staffing ratios, school-level cost pressures, and the size and shape of central teams. We will go further this year with new analysis on CEO and CFO pay, benchmarked against trusts of similar size, location and school mix, giving trustees and executives hard data for a conversation that often relies on instinct. IMP Software's Co-founder and CEO Will Jordan will walk you through the trends shaping 2026, share what the strongest-performing trusts are doing differently, and equip you with questions to take back to your board. Ideal for CEOs, CFOs, COOs and trustees.
1 Workshop series two
From core to strategic: maximising the impact of the trust finance function
The finance function is evolving fast - no longer just about balancing the books, but about driving strategic decisions, shaping growth, and enabling value and growth. In this interactive session will present new research exploring the evolving role of the finance function within Trusts - from core transactional delivery to strategic enabler of value and growth. Drawing on IMP Software’s benchmarking data from trusts of varying sizes, the session will examine how financial service delivery is distributed across Trusts, the relationship between cost and value, and what defines a truly strategic finance function. Through discussion and peer reflection, leaders will consider how their function can maximise strategic impact and strengthen the overall value they bring to their Trusts.
1 Workshop series one
Real world ICFP: A CFO’s playbook for sustainable planning in uncertain times
This session will explore how Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning (ICFP) supports trusts to plan confidently through uncertainty. It will share the real challenges trusts are facing, the role of ICFP in long term sustainability, and practical approaches that leaders can take. Join us for an insight into Oasis Community Learning’s ICFP journey and open Q&A that will provide a balanced mix of insight, lived experience and practical guidance