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Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

Mercia Learning Trust pays suppliers in 23 days on average — 9 days past its stated terms

CRN 08119703 · Education · 17 statutory reports on record · period to 31 Aug 2026

23daysavg time to pay · H1 2026

Their H1 2026 filing puts the average 9 days past the 14-day term they state.

Faster than mostvs a 31-day median across 6,104 recent filers
Their stated terms
14 days
Paid outside agreed terms
15% of invoices
Paid after 61+ days
4%
Reporting period
1 Mar 2026 – 31 Aug 2026
Source
their gov.uk filing, filed 29 Sept 2026

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

Terms vs reality · their H1 2026 filing

Paid 9 days past their stated terms

The pattern · last 6 of 17 reports

Holding steady around 23 days

The read · computed from their figures

Mercia Learning Trust's H1 2026 filing puts their average at 23 days against stated terms of 14 days; 15% of invoices were paid outside agreed terms and 4% took 61 days or longer. Filed 29 Sept 2026.

The pattern is steady — their reported average moves within about ±9 days period to period.

On the latest reported averages: Faster than 59% of the 309 large companies reporting in education.

That is 17 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

Payment within 30 days

Dispute resolution

When a supplier contacts us regarding a payment, we promptly check our finance system to verify the status of the invoice and determine if it has been processed, is pending, or requires further action. If the invoice is approved and scheduled for payment, we provide the supplier with an estimated payment date, ensuring transparency and managing expectations. If the invoice is under dispute, the supplier would have already been contacted regarding the issue. However, if they follow up, we clearly explain the situation, outline any outstanding concerns, and confirm that payment will be withheld until the dispute is fully resolved. Throughout this process, we maintain open communication with the supplier to work toward a fair and timely resolution.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

PeriodAvg daysOutside terms61+ daysFiled
H1 20262315%4%29 Sept 2026
H1 20263621%2%30 Mar 2026
H1 2025189%1%8 Sept 2025
H1 20252315%3%13 Mar 2025
H1 20242114%2%1 Oct 2024
H1 20242211%2%5 Mar 2024
H1 20232010%1%5 Sept 2023
H1 20232316%2%13 Mar 2023
H1 20222111%1%5 Sept 2022
H1 20222722%5%15 Mar 2022
H1 20212319%4%10 Sept 2021
H1 20212314%2%9 Mar 2021
H1 20202733%4%7 Sept 2020
H1 20202112%2%12 Mar 2020
H1 20192116%2%2 Sept 2019
H1 20193025%7%4 Jul 2019
H1 2018137%1%29 Mar 2018

On the public register · Companies House

Company record

Status
Active
Type
PRI/LBG/NSC (Private, Limited by guarantee, no share capital, use of 'Limited' exemption)
Incorporated
26 Jun 2012
Registered office
79 GLEN ROAD, SHEFFIELD, S7 1RB
0 outstanding charges on the register Accounts due 31 May 2027

Open the full record at Companies House.

Illustrative · working-capital arithmetic

What a 23-day cycle ties up

A worked example, not a finding. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 23-day vs a 14-day payment cycle.

≈ £9,000
of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 23-day cycle — about £3,500 more than the same account would carry at 14-day terms.

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 · Mercia Learning Trust

Are they getting slower or faster?
Their reported average is steady — within about ±9 days period to period, around 23 days.
What's their typical pay point?
Their latest reports average around day 23, moving within about ±9 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.
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More large companies in education

Merchant Taylors' School · Methodist Independent Schools Trust · Maritime Academy Trust · Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership · Manor Multi Academy Trust · Millfield

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 6,104 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).

Report PL-08119703 · latest period to 31 Aug 2026

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