SAAF Education
SAAF Education is a UK-based business support services firm, founded in 2012, that delivers finance, payroll, HR, internal scrutiny, recruitment, and cloud back-office services to 1,000+ schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts from five regional offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNottingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SAAF Education does
SAAF Education is a UK-based, privately held business support services provider for the education sector, founded in 2012 and operating under two legal entities (Schools and Academies Finance Ltd and SAAF Supply Ltd). The company delivers finance, payroll, HR, internal scrutiny, supply/recruitment, training, and cloud back-office services to schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) across the UK, with a customer base of 1,000+ institutions. SAAF is headquartered in Nottingham with regional offices in Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, and London, and operates under the leadership of partners Andi Brown and Su Johal.
The firm's core product portfolio spans Finance & Technical Support, Payroll Bureau, HR Services, Supply & Recruitment, Internal Scrutiny, SAAF Cloud, IRIS Financials Support, Training, and the CFO Connect mentorship programme. SAAF is the first and largest UK Platinum partner of IRIS Financials, an education-specific finance system, and routes 500+ schools through this integration. Adjacent partnerships include ExpenseIn (expense management, from 2026), APSCo (compliance), Everything FM and CPC procurement frameworks, ISBL, Health Assured, and accreditations including Disability Confident and working toward ISO 27001.
SAAF earns revenue through a combination of professional services (consultancy, finance, HR, internal scrutiny), recurring/subscription-style billing (payroll bureau, SAAF Cloud), and transaction-linked fees (recruitment placements). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is heavily referral-driven (70% of new business acquired through referral), supported by framework listings and five regional offices. Operational KPIs claimed include a 98% helpdesk resolution rate within 3 hours and a 90% first-call resolution rate.
SAAF Education firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SAAF Education
- Legal name
- SAAF Finance Ltd and SAAF Supply Ltd
- Website
- https://saafeducation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SAAF Education is a UK-based business support services firm, founded in 2012, that delivers finance, payroll, HR, internal scrutiny, recruitment, and cloud back-office services to 1,000+ schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts from five regional offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SAAF Education industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Business Support Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC)
Keywords
Where SAAF Education is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nottingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
SAAF Education business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Finance Consultancy Services: Provides strategic, operational, and transactional finance support to schools, academies, and MATs. Includes finance helpdesk (8am-8pm, 7 days/week), consultancy days, system reviews, and fully outsourced finance services. Revenue generated through bespoke pricing models with discounts on blocks of days purchased.
- Payroll Bureau Services: Cost-effective payroll bureau for schools and trusts, handling payroll processing, pensions administration, and HR services. Clients can package payroll with education HR solutions for comprehensive support.
- Supply & Recruitment Services: Education recruitment agency placing teachers, support staff, and senior leadership in schools. Revenue generated through fixed margins on placements. No temp-to-perm fees. Supports day-to-day supply, long-term, and permanent recruitment needs.
- HR Advisory Services: HR advisory, administration, and compliance services for schools. Acts as extension to school HR teams, providing day-to-day and strategic support including Employee Assistance Programme through Health Assured partnership.
- Internal Scrutiny/Audit Services: Internal audit services for academy trusts ensuring internal controls and risk management procedures are effective. Testing covers month-end, payroll, purchases, capital contracts, income, charge cards, bank and cash, fixed assets, control accounts, ESFA returns, financial reporting, cyber security, and HR.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Finance Helpdesk Support - Custom pricing based on institution setup |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Consultancy Days - Block purchasing with discounts |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Supply & Recruitment - Fixed margins, no temp-to-perm fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
SAAF Education product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SAAF Education provides outsourced finance, payroll, HR, and supply & recruitment services to UK schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts. Core offerings include finance consultancy, helpdesk and technical software support (including platinum IRIS Financials), internal scrutiny/audit, payroll bureau and pensions, HR advisory, and teacher/support staff recruitment, complemented by the proprietary SAAF Cloud hosting solution and training programmes.
Product overview
SAAF Education is a business support services provider for the UK education sector offering a portfolio of integrated services across finance, payroll, HR, and recruitment. The core offering consists of Finance & Technical Support Services (including Finance Helpdesk, Technical Software Support, Finance Consultancy, Internal Scrutiny, SAAF Cloud hosting, and IRIS Financials Support), Payroll & Pensions, HR Services, and Supply & Recruitment. These services are complemented by training solutions (Finance & Payroll Training, On-Demand Training), a Free Finance System Review tool, and the CFO Connect mentorship programme. The company operates as a multi-module platform supporting schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts with over 1,000 institutional clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SAAF Cloud: Cloud hosting solution for schools, academies and MATs that provides enhanced security, robust backup, and flexible access to finance software without provider restrictions.
- CFO Connect
Products and services
- Finance & Technical Support Services Comprehensive finance support service for schools, academies, and MATs covering strategic, operational, and transactional finance, including helpdesk, consultancy, software support, cloud hosting, and training tailored to MATs, single academies, and maintained schools.
- Internal Scrutiny
- Payroll & Pensions
- HR Services
- Supply & Recruitment
- SAAF Cloud
- IRIS Financials Support
- Finance & Payroll Training
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% resolution rate within 3 hours for helpdesk queries
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use SAAF Education
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SAAF Education technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature3 records
SAAF Education partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- ExpenseIn (an AccountsIQ company)corePartnership to deliver modern expense management solution to the UK education sector. Combines SAAF Education's sector expertise and existing network of over 1,000 schools with ExpenseIn's technology. Enables education establishments to automate and simplify expense processes, replace paper-based workflows, and gain real-time visibility across multiple decentralised locations.
- Everything FMcoreSAAF Education joined Everything FM framework as an approved supplier - a procurement solution designed to innovate public sector procurement. Enables schools to procure education and training contracts quickly and compliantly. Established by E2BN and operated by Place Group Limited with 20+ years supporting public sector.
- IRIS FinancialsflagshipPlatinum-accredited training and support partner of IRIS Financials. First and largest platinum-accredited support partner in the education sector. Supports over 500 schools with all versions of IRIS Financials including specialist upgrade training. Covers IRIS Version 6 and Version 7.
- APSCocoreAPSCo Compliance+ Accredited partner for supply and recruitment services. APSCo is the Association of Professional Staffing Companies, providing quality assurance for recruitment agencies.
- ISBLcoreInstitute of School Business Leaders partnership. Professional body for school business management professionals.
- CPCminorCPC (Construction Procurement Class) or similar procurement framework partnership.
- Children's UniversityminorChildren's University is a worldwide charity that works with children growing up in disadvantaged areas. SAAF supports Hull & East Yorkshire Children's University (HEYCU).
- Health AssuredminorEmployee Assistance Programme provider integrated into SAAF's HR Advisory service, providing 24/7 confidential support including professional counselling, legal and financial guidance, and critical incident support.
- Disability ConfidentminorDisability Confident employer scheme membership, demonstrating commitment to employing disabled people.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SAAF Education competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SAAF Education social profiles
Digital presenceSAAF Education compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
SAAF Education financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SAAF Education leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
SAAF Education subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
SAAF Education funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SAAF Education M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SAAF Education
What does SAAF Education do?
SAAF Education provides outsourced finance, payroll, HR, and supply & recruitment services to UK schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts. Core offerings include finance consultancy, helpdesk and technical software support (including platinum IRIS Financials), internal scrutiny/audit, payroll bureau and pensions, HR advisory, and teacher/support staff recruitment, complemented by the proprietary SAAF Cloud hosting solution and training programmes.
Is SAAF Education a public or private company?
SAAF Education is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was SAAF Education founded?
SAAF Education was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SAAF Education based?
SAAF Education is headquartered in Nottingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does SAAF Education make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Finance Consultancy Services are the primary driver. The others are payroll Bureau Services, supply & Recruitment Services, HR Advisory Services and internal Scrutiny/Audit Services.
Does SAAF Education have an API?
No public API is recorded for SAAF Education.
What industry is SAAF Education in?
SAAF Education's product category is Education Business Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJALAC, Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.