Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

How long does Cognita Schools Limited take to pay its suppliers?

CRN 02313425 · Education · 4 statutory reports on record · period to 31 Aug 2019

37days

their reported average time to pay suppliers, latest period

Slower than mostvs a 31-day median across 6,185 recent filers

Self-reported figure from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.

Dated record. The latest report covers a period ending 31 Aug 2019 and the company hasn’t filed since (it may have dropped below the reporting threshold). Treat the figures as historical.

On the public register · Companies House

Company record

Status: Active
Type: Private Limited Company
Incorporated: 4 Nov 1988
Registered office: SEEBECK HOUSE ONE SEEBECK PLACE, MILTON KEYNES, MK5 8FR

5 outstanding charges — secured borrowing registered Accounts due 31 May 2026 — overdue

Open the full record at Companies House.

Terms vs reality

Stated terms: 14–45 days. Reported average: 37.

Stated terms14–45d

+23 days

Reported avg37d

At a glance

The key figures

14–45d

their stated terms

28%

invoices paid outside terms

-30d

faster over the window

±15d

variable pattern

Vs peers · latest reported averages

fasterslower

Slower than 90% of the 303 large companies reporting in education.

The pattern

Getting faster

Average days to pay across their last 4 statutory reports.

terms 14d

H1 2018H1 2018H1 2019H1 2019

Where their supplier invoices land · latest period

within 30 days 72% 31–60 days 18% 61+ days 10%

The read · computed from their figures

Cognita Schools Limited has filed 4 statutory payment periods (earliest H1 2018). Their latest report puts the average at 37 days against stated terms of 14–45 days.

The direction is faster: from 67 to 37 days over the window — about 30 days faster.

In the latest period 28% of invoices were paid outside their agreed terms, and 10% landed 61+ days out.

What they tell their suppliers

Offers e-invoicing

In their own words · from the filing

Standard payment terms

General payment terms are 30 days from invoice date or date of receipt of invoice if later, but will vary for up tp 45 days for large national accounts.

Dispute resolution

Cognita Schools Ltd aim to avoid payment disputes by agreeing upfront clear payment and contract arrangements. These are either specified in standard Cognita T&C , or where agreed, via the suppliers own terms and conditions as specified in the suppliers contract. The company's policy is to discuss and subsequent payment disputes on e timely basis, and where possible, seek a mutually acceptable resolution. Bearing this if fails we will seek legal advice.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

Period	Avg days	Outside terms	61+ days	Filed
H1 2019	37	28%	10%	7 Oct 2019
H1 2019	41	15%	15%	29 Mar 2019
H1 2018	42	43%	15%	28 Sept 2018
H1 2018	67	46%	39%	4 Apr 2018

Working-capital effect

What a 37-day cycle ties up

Illustrative. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 37-day vs a 14-day payment cycle.

≈ £14,500

of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 37-day cycle — about £9,100 more than the same account would carry at 14-day terms.

Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act lets a supplier charge statutory interest and fixed compensation on invoices paid past agreed terms. Work out what a late invoice is worth → Whether it applies depends on your contract — check with an adviser.

Quick answers

Are they getting slower or faster?

Their reported average has moved about 30 days faster over the window (67 → 37 days).

What's their typical pay point?

Their latest reports average around day 37, moving within about ±15 days. Treat that as a historical reference point, not a promise for a new invoice.

Can I see what this means for my invoices?

Run the live check — it re-reads their record and their live Companies House file, on the amount you invoice.

Stay ahead

Watch Cognita Schools Limited (free)

Their next payment report is due ≈ 28 Mar 2020. We watch their public record and email you when something changes — a new payment report, late filings, insolvency markers, new charges.

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How UK payment reporting works

What is a Payment Practices Report?

UK companies and LLPs above a size threshold — broadly, two of: turnover over £54m, balance sheet over £27m, or more than 250 employees — must report twice a year, under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, how quickly they actually pay suppliers: the average time to pay, the share of invoices paid in 30 days or fewer, 31 to 60 days and 61 days or longer, and their standard payment terms. Those thresholds apply to financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025; for earlier financial years they were £36m and £18m, with the same 250-employee test.

What does "paid outside agreed terms" mean?

The share of invoices paid later than the terms in the supplier contract. If terms are 30 days and an invoice is paid on day 45, it counts as paid outside terms, regardless of the headline average.

How often is this data updated?

Each report covers a six-month period and must be filed within 30 days of that period ending, so a company's record refreshes roughly twice a year. PaidLate re-reads the register as new reports are filed.

Is this official government data?

The underlying payment figures come from the company's own statutory filings on the gov.uk payment-practices service; company-status data comes from Companies House. PaidLate calculates trends, comparisons and summaries from those records. It does not use surveys or credit-agency scores.

How this is compiled. Built from official records only: Companies House and the gov.uk payment-practices service. The payment figures are self-reported — companies over the size threshold must file them by law and the board signs them off. No credit-agency data. The numbers are theirs; the plain-English read is ours. This is information compiled from public records under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — not a credit rating and not advice.

The 31-day comparison figure is the median across 6,185 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).

Report PL-02313425 · latest period to 31 Aug 2019

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