IMP Planner named Product of the Year at MAT Excellence Awards 2026
IMP Planner, the flagship budgeting, forecasting and reporting platform for multi-academy trusts (MATs) from Exeter-based IMP Software, has won the Product of the Year award at the prestigious national MAT Excellence Awards 2026.
The awards, which give school trusts and organisations supporting the MAT sector the opportunity to celebrate their achievements and recognise their impact on pupils, staff and the community, were held in London earlier this month.
Judges commended IMP’s “impressive” submission, stating that it is “having a demonstrable impact on the MAT sector”, as it helps “more than 500 trusts to become more efficient, more strategic and importantly helping them become financially sustainable”. IMP Planner has “achieved rapid growth, showing ability to scale across the sector” with a solution that is “powerful” and “needed as a MAT priority.”
Optimus Education, the organisers of the awards in partnership with the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) and Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), added:
“We are delighted to extend our heartfelt congratulations on this outstanding achievement at the MAT Excellence Awards. Congratulations to all at IMP Software on the award of Product of the Year to IMP Planner. We are honoured to celebrate your dedication and hard work.”
Will Jordan, Co-founder and CEO of IMP Software, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to win Product of the Year at the Optimus Education MAT Excellence Awards. A big thank you to our customers for your ideas, feedback and trust in the product. And to our team, thank you for going above and beyond for our customers every single day. IMP Planner would not be where it is today without you. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, especially our customer trusts who were nominated and won across other categories. We are proud to be part of such an incredible MAT finance community.”
The Product of the Year award submission highlighted how IMP Planner is the sector-leading budgeting, forecasting and reporting solution built specifically for multi-academy trusts. Trusted by more than 570 trusts and 6,500 schools, it provides real-time financial visibility, accurate multi-year modelling and streamlined workflows. Its MAT-first design improves governance, strengthens strategic planning and reduces workload, helping trusts operate sustainably and deliver the best outcomes for pupils.
The entry also presented evidence from a number of impact-led MAT customer case studies and testimonials. IMP Planner sits alongside IMP ICFP and IMP Purchasing: Finance in a unified platform supporting smarter finance in multi-academy trusts.
In other awards which took place in June, IMP Software was a finalist in the Education Company of the Year category at the School & Trust Leadership Awards, hosted by the Network for Education Excellence, and shortlisted for the Education Business of the Year category at the EducationInvestor Awards.
