Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

How long does Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd take to pay its suppliers?

CRN 08104111 · Education · 14 statutory reports on record · period to 31 Aug 2024

34days

their reported average time to pay suppliers, latest period

Around averagevs 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 2024 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: PRI/LTD BY GUAR/NSC (Private, limited by guarantee, no share capital)
Incorporated: 13 Jun 2012
Registered office: 3 GILMOUR CLOSE, LEICESTER, LE4 1EZ

0 outstanding charges on the register Accounts due 31 May 2027

Open the full record at Companies House.

Terms vs reality

Stated terms: 14–30 days. Reported average: 34.

Stated terms14–30d

+20 days

Reported avg34d

At a glance

The key figures

14–30d

their stated terms

invoices paid outside terms

+23d

slower over the window

±11d

variable pattern

Vs peers · latest reported averages

fasterslower

Slower than 84% of the 303 large companies reporting in education.

The pattern

Getting slower

Average days to pay across their last 6 statutory reports.

terms 14d

H1 2022H1 2022H1 2023H1 2023H1 2024H1 2024

Where their supplier invoices land · latest period

within 30 days 70% 31–60 days 24% 61+ days 6%

The read · computed from their figures

Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd has filed 14 statutory payment periods (earliest H1 2018). Their latest report puts the average at 34 days against stated terms of 14–30 days.

The direction is slower: from 11 to 34 days over the window — about 23 days slower.

In the latest period 8% of invoices were paid outside their agreed terms, and 6% landed 61+ days out.

In their own words · from the filing

Standard payment terms

The Trust operates a standard 30 days payment term unless otherwise agreed. Agreements outside of the standard term during the reportable period included: a. Payments made via direct debit whereby the payment date may be less than the agreed 30 days. b. Large capital projects whereby the payments terms will be agreed during the tender process and will be dependent on factors such as the source of funding for the project. Payments will be made by BACS unless otherwise agreed.

Dispute resolution

The Trust aims to avoid disputes with suppliers where possible. Where this is unavoidable, regular communication is maintained in order to resolve the dispute. Contact details relating to the supply are stated on the purchase order which should be used by the supplier to raise any concerns or complaints. A key Trust finance representative will maintain contact with the supplier with the aim of resolving the dispute and making payment within the standard 30 days payment terms however this may not always be possible depending on the nature of the dispute.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

Period	Avg days	Outside terms	61+ days	Filed
H1 2024	34	8%	6%	26 Sept 2024
H1 2024	12	10%	1%	5 Mar 2024
H1 2023	14	13%	0%	3 Oct 2023
H1 2023	13	14%	0%	23 Mar 2023
H1 2022	13	15%	0%	28 Sept 2022
H1 2022	11	14%	1%	23 Mar 2022
H1 2021	8	10%	1%	22 Sept 2021
H1 2021	9	10%	0%	24 Mar 2021
H1 2020	9	10%	0%	7 Sept 2020
H1 2020	14	19%	2%	5 Mar 2020
H1 2019	11	16%	1%	11 Sept 2019
H1 2019	12	15%	0%	5 Mar 2019
H1 2018	11	17%	1%	20 Sept 2018
H1 2018	11	18%	1%	21 Mar 2018

Working-capital effect

What a 34-day cycle ties up

Illustrative. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 34-day vs a 14-day payment cycle.

≈ £13,500

of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 34-day cycle — about £7,900 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 23 days slower over the window (11 → 34 days).

What's their typical pay point?

Their latest reports average around day 34, moving within about ±11 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 Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd (free)

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More large companies in education

Delta Academies Trust · Diverse Academies Trust · Dauntsey's School · Dixons Academies Charitable Trust Ltd · Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust · Djanogly Learning Trust

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-08104111 · latest period to 31 Aug 2024

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