Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk
Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd paid suppliers in 34 days on average — 4 days past its stated terms
Their H1 2024 filing put the average 4 days past the 30-day term they state.
- Their stated terms
- 14–30 days
- Paid outside agreed terms
- 8% of invoices
- Paid after 61+ days
- 6%
- Reporting period
- 1 Mar 2024 – 31 Aug 2024
- Source
- their gov.uk filing, filed 26 Sept 2024
Self-reported figures from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.
Terms vs reality · their H1 2024 filing
Paid 4 days past their stated terms
Where their invoices landed · share of all invoices
The pattern · last 6 of 14 reports
11 → 34 days — slower across the window
The read · computed from their figures
Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd's H1 2024 filing put their average at 34 days against stated terms of 14–30 days; 8% of invoices were paid outside agreed terms and 6% took 61 days or longer. Filed 26 Sept 2024.
The direction is slower: from 11 days in H1 2022 to 34 now — 23 days slower across their last 6 reports.
That is 14 statutory periods on record (earliest H1 2018) — a historical record, not a promise for a new invoice.
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 |
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
Illustrative · working-capital arithmetic
What a 34-day cycle ties up
A worked example, not a finding. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 34-day vs a 14-day payment cycle.
Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 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 · Discovery Schools Academies Trust Ltd
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How UK payment reporting works
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Is this official government data?
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 6,104 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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