How Joiin Made Xero Work at Scale

 

Delivered in partnership with Thorne Widgery, this project was  shortlisted for the 2025 Accounting Excellence Digital Transformation Award.

The Background

A School Business Support Manager working with 20 schools across a multi-academy set-up got in touch with the team at Thorne Widgery. With schools moving away from legacy finance systems, the challenge was to find a sustainable, flexible solution that could handle both individual school requirements and group-level oversight.

 

Xero offered the right fit for bookkeeping, but there was a problem: without a way to consolidate and reconcile 20 separate schools, it simply wouldn’t work.

 

That’s where Joiin and the team at Thorne Widgery came in, bringing their specialist Xero for Education team to guide the transition. With extensive experience in finance and operations, they provide the expertise to keep schools running smoothly.

The challenge

  • Legacy systems were too big and costly: Designed for Local Authorities and  not schools. Systems were clunky, slow, and licence fees became unaffordable once school numbers dropped.
  • Complex reporting needs: Each school has its own bank account, but group-level reporting and central fund reconciliations were essential.
  • Risk of imbalance: The central fund distributing schools’ budgets must remain in balance, as any mismatch risks non-compliance and audit issues.
  • Time pressure: Without consolidation, finance staff would need to log into 20 systems and run 20 separate reports – unworkable at year-end.

 

“Without Joiin, we would have had serious concerns as to whether Xero was the right product for us.”

The solution

The schools adopted Joiin as part of a best of breed finance tech stack, sitting alongside Xero, ApprovalMax, XfE and Crezco.

Together, this wider cloud ecosystem has replaced legacy systems and helped streamline financial processes.With guidance from the team at Thorne Widgery, the setup was smooth and sustainable.

Consolidation is now simple, with staff able to bring all school trial balances into one place with a single click. There’s also greater confidence at year end, as consolidated reports feed directly into group accounts, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

 Joiin provided the missing link that made Xero adoption viable, giving schools flexibility while still allowing central oversight.

“There’s no way we could go into 20 schools and run 20 reports. We just don’t have the time to do that. Joiin just made it possible.”

““We can now go back to schools and say, across the group this is how much you’re spending with these suppliers. Could you work together and leverage better prices?.”

– Thorne Widgery.

The benefits

  • Time saved: “There’s no way we could go into 20 schools and run 20 reports. We just don’t have the time to do that. Joiin just made it possible.”
  • Accuracy improved: Reconciliations are fast and reliable, with trial balances matching smoothly.
  • Cost saving: Moving away from legacy systems avoided spiralling licence fees and ensured each school only pays for what it uses.
  • Better procurement insight: Supplier analysis reports reveal total spend across schools.
  • Sustainability for maintained schools: Joiin provided the missing link that made Xero adoption viable, giving schools flexibility while still allowing central oversight.

The conclusion

For this group of schools, Joiin isn’t just a reporting add-on — it’s the reason Xero could be adopted successfully at scale.

“Joiin is absolutely brilliant. It saves us loads of time and brings all the data we need together at year-end.”

Delivered in partnership with Thorne Widgery, and shortlisted for the 2025 Accounting Excellence Digital Transformation Award, this project has set a new benchmark for school finance transformation.

See Joiin in action

Watch our on-demand demo today

Ready to streamline your month-end processes?

Start your free trial today and discover how Joiin can help your business.