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Bespoke finance training tailored to your school or trust

SAAF delivers school finance training built specifically for the education sector, covering everything from day-to-day processes to specialist finance software. 

Unlike generic finance training providers, SAAF's sessions are not built around a fixed qualification or set curriculum. As well as our scheduled sessions, we provide bespoke finance training that can be tailored for one-to-one or team settings, and delivered in the way that works best for your organisation.

You can request personalised training in any area of school and academy finance, from bringing a new business manager up to speed to building specific skills such as budget setting or VAT processing. Because sessions are built around your organisation's own processes and systems, staff leave able to apply what they have learned immediately, rather than adapting a generic course to fit.

Finance software training

We can provide training on all leading finance software used across the education sector, including IRIS Financials, IMP,  and FMS. Training can cover everything from getting new starters comfortable with day-to-day system use to more advanced functionality for experienced staff.
As the first and largest support partner of IRIS Financials across the education sector, our expert training covers both IRIS Version 6 and IRIS Version 7, including specialised upgrade training. 

Looking for bespoke training?

Our training can be tailored to your needs

Common training sessions include:
  • Introduction to school or academy finance
  • Budget setting
  • Processing VAT
  • Sales ledger
  • Schools financial value standard (SFVS)
  • Schools resource management self-assessment (SRMSA)
  • Responsibilities of a school business manager
  • Finance software

Why choose SAAF for your school finance training

We support the full education sector, not just schools: academies, multi-academy trusts, and maintained schools all use our training and support services. Because we are not tied to a single finance system, our training reflects genuine sector expertise rather than a single software vendor's approach.


School business managers and finance teams who have attended our sessions describe them as well structured, clear and practical, with content pitched at the right level whether staff are new to school finance or experienced professionals preparing for their first year-end.

Training feedback

It was very well structured and covered a lot of points in a short space.

Assistant Business Manager, Lytham St Annes High School

Detailed, informative, concise and succinct. Presenter is clearly exceedingly knowledgeable on the subject.

School Business Manager, Haydn Primary and Nursery School

Information was articulate and realistic. Timing was great too, not too waffly. Very clear and concise.

School Business Manager, Foxwood Academy

Well structured, excellent and relevant content. Good tips to take away.

Finance Manager, Shine Academies

The information was very clear and concise. The presentation was easy to follow and provided all necessary information. Questions I asked were also dealt with really well and provided all the information I needed. Thank you.

School Business Manager, St John the Baptist Primary School

As this is my first year-end and budget setting, I found the content of the course very helpful and informative.

School Business Manager, Westglade Primary School

On-demand training

Elevate your expertise with our on-demand training sessions tailored for finance and payroll professionals in the education sector. Our curated catalogue, created and delivered by industry experts, is crafted to support you in navigating the intricacies of this dynamic field.

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Featured case study

LIFE Education Trust

Discover how LIFE Education Trust partnered with SAAF to enhance financial management, streamline payroll, and boost efficiency.

Read now

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Contact us today to find out more about our bespoke training.
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