Michael Cooper-Davis
Partner
Saffron Academy Trust
Saffron Academy Trust (SAT) was established in 2011 with a single school and has since expanded to a group of nine. They’ve been a longstanding client of Price Bailey since their formation, and we’ve maintained a strong and collaborative relationship throughout their growth.
The Trust has a reputation for quality and innovation, and we currently provide a full suite of core compliance services to Saffron Academy Trust, including:
- statutory audit,
- regularity audit,
- accounts preparation,
- the academy accounts return, and
- the teachers’ pension scheme procedures.
We also provide budget forecast return (BFR) support for Saffron Academy Trust where we assist in the annual preparation and completion of the DfE BFR form.
Our VAT team has offered specialist VAT advice over the years, including guidance for the Teaching School Hub and conducting a general VAT review.
How have we supported Saffron Academy Trust?
Over the years, we’ve focused on delivering consistent and reliable service, with a stable team and clear communication. Our audit senior has worked on the engagement for several years running, building detailed knowledge of the Trust’s operations and systems.
The Chief Finance Officer at the Trust sometimes comes directly to us with technical queries or questions and our approach is to respond thoughtfully and quickly, even when issues fall outside the usual compliance scope. We aim to be accessible, helpful, and responsive throughout the year – not just at audit time.
P Wilson, Chief Finance Officer at Saffron Academy Trust said:
For the last 13 years Price Bailey have provided excellent professional guidance and audit services both to myself and the Trust. The audits are well planned, rigorous and thorough yet delivered with understanding and an appreciation of the challenges facing education today. I have always found their staff to be both courteous and diligent in the execution of their statutory audit duties and ancillary audit services. I highly recommend them.
Louis Hobart, Audit & Assurance Manager, Price Bailey:
Our relationship with Saffron Academy Trust is long-standing, open and collaborative. There’s a strong mutual understanding, and interactions are always professional but friendly. We’ve built a rhythm of working together that makes the process efficient and constructive. This is an enjoyable engagement – both in terms of the team dynamic and the strength of our working relationship.
