UK Education Sector Crushes Payment Norms, But Some Suppliers Still Suffer

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 232
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 79.5/100
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100
• Education sector lead over UK average: 29.5 points
• Top Payer: THE GORSE ACADEMIES TRUST - 99.57/100
• Bottom Payer: OCS SECURITY LIMITED - 23.4/100

What Stands Out

The education sector's average PaymentCheck Score of 79.5 significantly outpaces the UK average of 50, suggesting a generally healthy payment culture, but the range between the best and worst payers is huge. While many trusts demonstrate near-perfect payment practices, some suppliers are clearly struggling with delayed or non-compliant invoice settlements within the sector.

Best Payers

1. THE GORSE ACADEMIES TRUST - 99.57/100
2. TRANSFORM TRUST - 99.4/100
3. LION ACADEMY TRUST - 99.26/100
4. PATHFINDER SCHOOLS - 98.8/100
5. LEVERHULME ACADEMY CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND COMMUNITY TRUST - 98.78/100

Worst Payers

1. OCS SECURITY LIMITED - 23.4/100
2. ERIKS INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LIMITED - 23.8/100
3. ARCO LIMITED - 33.8/100
4. HABERDASHERS' ASKE'S FEDERATION TRUST - 34.8/100
5. MOWBRAY EDUCATION TRUST LIMITED - 36.4/100

Regional Patterns

While most regions performed well, the small sample size makes drawing firm conclusions difficult, especially with Wales represented by a single company at 86.9. The South West (82.4 average across 21 companies), Yorkshire and The Humber (82.3 average across 28 companies), and North West (81.8 average across 13 companies) all demonstrated fairly consistent payment behaviors, as did the South East (81.2 average across 50 companies).

Use our late payment calculator to see how much you are owed on late invoices.

Despite the education sector's strong average PaymentCheck score of 79.5, the 76.17-point spread between THE GORSE ACADEMIES TRUST and OCS SECURITY LIMITED shows suppliers can't afford to be complacent and should check payment histories before agreeing to work.