IMP Software named UK education industry leader 2025

IMP Software has been named UK Education Industry Company of the Year 2025 by The Assignment Report, which covers deals, fundraising and financial results across the education sector.

The award recognises the finance software supplier's growth in the multi-academy trust (MAT) market, where it sells budgeting, forecasting, reporting and purchasing tools. IMP says its products are used by more than 550 trusts across 6,000 schools.

The Assignment Report traced IMP Software's development from its founding in 2019 to a broader product line aimed at MAT finance teams. It highlighted IMP Planner as the company's main product, describing it as a budgeting, forecasting and reporting tool designed for the MAT operating model.

The report also noted later launches that expanded into integrated curriculum financial planning and procurement workflows. In 2023, IMP introduced IMP ICFP, described as a trust-led integrated curriculum financial planning tool. In March 2025, it launched IMP Finance, which it says focuses on purchasing processes and approval workflows.

Budget pressures

Schools and trusts remain under pressure as they manage staffing costs, inflation-linked increases and capital needs within tight funding settlements. As a result, finance and operations teams have placed more focus on tools that tighten budget control and improve visibility across academies.

The Assignment Report said the current environment has made resource allocation and agile financial management more important, and that IMP's products allow trusts to make decisions on resource allocation and financial planning at the same time.

IMP's platform spans core financial planning and adjacent processes, including budgeting, forecasting, reporting, ICFP and purchasing. It also promotes a "MAT-first" design built around how central trust teams oversee multiple schools.

The company has also increased headcount. The Assignment Report congratulated founders Will Jordan and Dave Hall and "their team of 120 staff" on the award.

Investment backdrop

IMP Software has operated as a bootstrapped business since launch, according to The Assignment Report. It also noted a "significant minority investment" from Partech Growth in September 2025.

The publication said the funding will allow IMP to more than double its R&D spend and evolve its product suite, with new solutions aimed at MATs, independent schools and further education colleges. Partech is headquartered in Paris and backs product-led technology companies.

Ed Tranham, editor and publisher of The Assignment Report, linked the award to IMP's pace of expansion and its fit with customer needs.

"I am pleased to announce that IMP Software, the provider of strategic financial management and planning software for multi-academy trusts, is The Assignment Report's UK Education Industry Company of the Year 2025. The company's rapid transition from a startup to a multi-million pound business has been driven by its founders delivering solutions with a strong product-market fit, that address the day-to-day pain points of education finance professionals, supported by best-in class customer support," said Ed Tranham, Editor and Publisher, The Assignment Report.

IMP also pointed to customer feedback, citing five-star Trustpilot reviews and saying it has strong customer advocacy among MAT finance teams.

Jordan said the award reflected both staff effort and customer relationships.

"This incredible recognition belongs to our amazing team whose hard work and innovation continues to drive us forward, and to our customers whose trust and support makes everything we do possible. Working with 550+ MATs and over 6,000 schools, we remain committed to standing behind every MAT finance team and provide the solutions they rely on to meet the unique challenges of running their Trusts," said Will Jordan, co-founder of IMP Software.

The Assignment Report describes itself as a source of education industry news and analysis for subscribers tracking the UK education market and other regions. It covers listed and private companies in education, including fundraising and deal activity.

IMP's next phase includes higher R&D spending following the Partech Growth investment, alongside planned product launches targeting education segments beyond MATs.