PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED

Active
Company number 00872828Private limited companyIncorporated 1966

Key figures

£298,881,000
Net assets 2025

† PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.

Ratios

2025

Sector comparison

SIC 58110

Where the company stands among the 9,459 active companies whose first SIC code is 58110 (Book publishing).

Turnover£518,325,000
Higher than 99% · median £8,030 among 391 that publish turnover
Net assets£298,881,000
Higher than 99% · median £1,363
Total assets£564,006,000
Higher than 99% · median £9,958
Cash£3,601,000
Higher than 97% · median £9,010
Company age60.7 years
Older than 99% · median 5.7 years
Largest in this sector by net assets
  1. RELX PLC£2.4bn
  2. INFORMA UK LIMITED£977.5m
  3. WILEY HEYDEN LIMITED£581.8m
  4. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE LIMITED£411.9m
  5. EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING FINANCE (UK) LIMITED£342.9m
  6. SPRINGER NATURE PUBLISHERS HOLDINGS LIMITED£307.2m
  7. PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED£298.9m
  8. JOHN WILEY & SONS LIMITED£246.9m
  9. HACHETTE UK LIMITED£241.6m
  10. BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC£215.9m

Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 9,459. The line on each bar marks the median.

Summary: PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED

What kind of company is it?

PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED is a private limited company registered with Companies House under company number 00872828. It was incorporated on 3 Mar 1966. Its status is active. The registered office is in London (WC2R). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is book publishing (58110), human resources provision and management of human resources functions (78300), technical and vocational secondary education (85320), educational support services (85600).

How is the company doing financially?

The latest accounts in the database are for 2025 (period ending 31 Dec 2025); the company files audit-exempt subsidiary. Turnover was £518,325,000. Profit for the year was £29,410,000. Net assets were £298,881,000. Cash at bank and in hand was £3,601,000. Total assets were £564,006,000 and total liabilities £263,115,000.

How does it compare with similar companies?

Compared with 9,459 active companies whose first SIC code is 58110: By turnover it ranks higher than 99% of the 391 that publish turnover (median £8,030). By net assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £1,363). By total assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £9,958). By cash it ranks higher than 97% of them (median £9,010). It is older than 99% of them (median age 5.7 years).

Does it supply the public sector?

The company is named as a supplier in 61 public contract award notices from 30 public sector buyers since 2015. Contracts awarded to it alone have a combined published value of £582.1m. Its most frequent buyer is Department for Education (16 contracts). 12 of the awards are shared with other suppliers, typically framework agreements. It is recorded as the recipient of one central government grant worth £11.3k, from Department for Work and Pensions.

What do public registers and reports show?

HMRC lists it as an importer of goods, mainly printed matter, optical, medical and measuring instruments, electrical equipment. HMRC lists it as an exporter of goods, mainly printed matter, optical, medical and measuring instruments, machinery. In its latest payment practices report it took an average of 32 days to pay suppliers, and 6% of invoices were not paid within agreed terms. Its gender pay gap report for 2025/26 shows median hourly pay for women 6% lower than for men. It has modern slavery statements on the government registry for 4 years.

Who runs and controls the company?

One person with significant control is registered.

When are its next filings due?

The next accounts are due by 30 Sep 2027. The next confirmation statement is due by 3 Sep 2027.

Filed accounts2025
2025 †
Turnover518,325,000
Profit for the year29,410,000
Cash at bank and in hand3,601,000
Total assets564,006,000
Total liabilities263,115,000
Net assets / total equity298,881,000

A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.

Public contracts

61 contracts

PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED is named as a supplier in 61 public contract award notices from 30 public sector buyers since 2015. The 47 contracts awarded to it alone with a published value add up to £582.1m. 12 awards are shared with other suppliers and not counted in that total.

Contracts per year
Main buyers30
Department for Education
16 contracts · £377.9m
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
7 contracts · £40.6m
Home Office
3 contracts · £30.7m
the Education Authority
3 contracts
ATAMIS LTD
2 contracts · £117m
Contracts
  1. PRO-081 2026_27 Clinical Assessment FormsLeeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust · £60,000 · 3 lots · runs until Aug 2027
  2. Exam Board Awarding BodyThe City of Liverpool College · £1,280,898 · runs until Aug 2027
  3. AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme – Subject-Matter Exemption - Research and Development‡Department for Science, Innovation & Technology · £300,000 · runs until Mar 2027
  4. High Level Skills Capacity Evaluation.2‡West Midlands Combined Authority · £141,067 · runs until Jan 2029
  5. SELT 2019 - ROW (PEL) - Contract Extension 2026‡Home Office · £23,866,386 · 2 lots · runs until Nov 2027
Show 56 more
  1. SELT 2019 - UK (PEL) - Contract Extension 2026‡Home Office · £6,804,493 · 2 lots · runs until Nov 2027
  2. Generation 2 Wave 3 T LevelsDepartment for Education · £23,885,436 · 5 lots · runs until Jul 2034
  3. ​Provision of Taxi and Private Hire Driver English Language Testing Services​‡Buckinghamshire Council · runs until Nov 2028
  4. Provision of an Online Educational Psychology Assessment Software and Licences‡The Education Authority NI · £468,900 · runs until Dec 2028
  5. Teaching and Learning Resources (including Assessment Materials)the Education Authority · shared by 15 suppliers, up to £36,000,000 in total · 3 lots · runs until Oct 2029
  6. Item Writing Services Framework for the Standards and Testing Agency‡Department for Education · shared by 3 suppliers · runs until Aug 2029
  7. Exam BoardsDUDLEY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY · shared by 4 suppliers, up to £6,000,000 in total · runs until Aug 2029
  8. Trialling and Sampling Framework 2025 - 2028 (2029) - Standards and Testing Agency‡Department for Education · shared by 5 suppliers, up to £18,000,000 in total · runs until Jul 2029
  9. Provision of Cognitive Assessments and Training - FY 2025-2026‡Bedford Borough Council · £25,000
  10. Exams Boards - Awarding BodyThe City of Liverpool College · shared by 2 suppliers, up to £2,251,002 in total
  11. TextbooksTHE OPEN UNIVERSITY · £143,754
  12. NHSE NE&Y End Point Assessment Organisation (Pearson)‡NHS England · £18,400
  13. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study‡Scottish Government · £947,848
  14. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 2: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Health and Science: Health T Level Technical QualificationInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £9,749,927 · runs until Jul 2034
  15. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 2: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Health and Science: Science T Level Technical QualificationInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £5,698,560 · runs until Jul 2034
  16. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 1: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Digital: Digital Business Services T Level Technical QualificationInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £3,257,056 · runs until Jul 2033
  17. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 1: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Digital: Digital Production, Design and Development T Level Technical Q…Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £5,396,080 · runs until Jul 2033
  18. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 1: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning T Level Technical Qualific…Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £3,694,945 · runs until Jul 2033
  19. T Levels Generation 2 Wave 1: Contract for the provision of services in relation to the Digital: Digital Support Services T Level Technical QualificationInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £4,319,493 · runs until Jul 2033
  20. The Provision of a Government Skills Campus Solution‡Crown Commercial Service · £7,000,000 · runs until Jun 2028
  21. Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2026 National Research Coordinator & National Study Centre for England. (con_25449)‡Department for Education · £1,595,098 · runs until Dec 2028
  22. Test Operations Service 2025 con_25418Department for Education · £85,501,644 · runs until Jan 2030
  23. Test Operations Services 2025 con_25418‡Department for Education · £128,410,451
  24. Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2026‡Scottish Government · £672,331
  25. Trade Mark LicenseUNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH · £40,000
  26. Digital Learning ResourcesUNIVERSITY OF SALFORD(THE) · £26,993
  27. T Levels Wave 5 MarketingInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education · £8,470,167
  28. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025: National Centre for England, Wales and Northern Ireland - con_19652‡Department for Education · £2,163,564 · runs until Dec 2027
  29. End Point Assessments‡Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions Ltd · £75,810
  30. UKRI CS22507 - Environmental Sustainability Learning PackageUK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED · £400,000
  31. Primary History‡OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY LIMITED · £269,328
  32. Educational Courses/Qualifications.UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH · £35,000
  33. T Level Wave 4- Legal, Finance and Accounting: Legal ServicesThe Institute for Apprenticeship & Technical Education · £3,442,457 · runs until Jul 2030
  34. ICT-21-023 Provision of Online Educational Psychology Assessment Software and Licences‡Education Authority NI · £216,100
  35. 701554501 - EPAO for Senior Health Care Support Worker Level 3 ApprenticeshipsMinistry of Defence · shared by 5 suppliers, up to £588,000 in total
  36. SELT 2019 - UK (PEL)- Concession Extension‡ATAMIS LTD · £90,000,000
  37. SELT 2019 - ROW (PEL) - Concession Extension‡ATAMIS LTD · £27,000,000
  38. Software‡NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY · £29,879
  39. IEA Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2023 - National Study Centre for England‡Department For Education · £1,253,528
  40. EDR-20-005 Text Books, Pupil Workbooks, Assessment Resources & Music Materials‡the Education Authority · shared by 14 suppliers, up to £35,527,610 in total · 3 lots
  41. TEXT BOOKS, PUPIL WORKBOOKS, ASSESSMENT RESOURCES AND MUSIC MATERIALS‡Education Authority NI · shared by 14 suppliers, up to £30,151,722 in total · 3 lots
  42. EDR-20-005 Text Books, Pupil Workbooks, Assessment Resources & Music Materials‡the Education Authority · shared by 18 suppliers, up to £40,202,296 in total
  43. IEA Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021, National Research Centre for EnglandDepartment For Education · £1,107,441
  44. HO UKVI Secure Testing Services (SELT)Home Office
  45. Provision of Online and Blended Learning‡City, University of London · £280,000
  46. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2021: National Centre for England, Wales and Northern IrelandDepartment For Education · £2,049,271
  47. Btec Qualification Registration‡UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD · £47,500
  48. T Levels Wave 1 - Lot 1 Education and Childcare Route/Lot 2 Construction/Lot 3 DigitalDepartment For Education · shared by 2 suppliers, up to £9,500,000 in total · 2 lots · runs until Sep 2028
  49. Digital Resource Creation Services - AWARD‡University of Reading · shared by 6 suppliers
  50. Trialling FrameworkDepartment For Education · shared by 4 suppliers, up to £40,100,000 in total
  51. Provision of Item Writing Services for Key Stage 2 Science‡Department For Education · £40,118
  52. NBS/006658NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY · £39,725
  53. IEA Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019, National Study Centre for England‡Department For Education · £1,217,183
  54. Services Agreement for the delivery of external marking services for Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests‡Department For Education · £130,597,314
  55. Provision of Item Writing Services for Key Stage 2 Science Call-off Contract‡Department For Education · £39,100
  56. NBS/005360‡NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY · £40,762

From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Notices marked ‡ do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.

Government grants

1 grant

PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED is recorded as the recipient of 1 central government grant, worth £11.3k.

Grant
  1. PEARSON EDUCATIONDepartment for Work and Pensions · £11,307 · Kickstart Scheme

From the Government Grants Register published by the Cabinet Office (financial years 2016/17 onwards, Open Government Licence v3.0). It covers grants from central government departments and their agencies where the register states the recipient's company number and the recipient name matches this company; grants from local authorities, lottery distributors and devolved governments are not included.

Statutory reporting

Payment practices1 Jan 2026 – 30 Jun 2026
Average time taken to pay invoices
32 days
Invoices not paid within agreed terms
6%
  • Within 30 days 93%
  • 31 to 60 days 5%
  • After 60 days 2%
Earlier periods (7)
Period ending
Days to pay
Within 30 days
Late
31 Dec 2025
29
94%
5%
30 Jun 2025
26
94%
8%
31 Dec 2024
27
93%
7%
30 Jun 2024
27
85%
15%
31 Dec 2023
23
95%
29%
30 Jun 2023
26
89%
11%
31 Dec 2022
26
96%
7%

View the latest report on GOV.UK

Gender pay gap2025/26
Median hourly pay
women 6% lower
Mean hourly pay
women 8% lower
Median bonus pay
women 8% lower
Employer size
1000 to 4999 employees
Lower pay quarter60% womenLower middle63% womenUpper middle62% womenUpper pay quarter53% women
Earlier years (8)
Year
Median hourly pay
Mean hourly pay
2024/25
women 4% lower
women 7.5% lower
2023/24
women 11% lower
women 11% lower
2022/23
women 6% lower
women 6% lower
2021/22
women 8% lower
women 9% lower
2020/21
women 8% lower
women 11% lower
2019/20
women 10% lower
women 13% lower
2018/19
women 9% lower
women 15% lower
2017/18
women 3% lower
women 8% lower

A positive gap means women's average hourly pay is lower than men's across the whole employer; it is not a comparison of pay for the same work. View on the Gender pay gap service

Modern slavery statements4
2026
Statement · summary on GOV.UK · group statement (PEARSON PLC)
2025
Statement · summary on GOV.UK · group statement (PEARSON PLC)
2024
Statement · summary on GOV.UK · group statement (PEARSON PLC)
Earlier years (1)
2021
Statement · summary on GOV.UK · group statement (PEARSON PLC)

Figures the company reported itself to the government's Check payment practices service, Gender pay gap service and Modern slavery statement registry (Open Government Licence v3.0). Only large companies and employers with 250 or more staff have to report, so most companies have nothing here.

Registers and licences

International trade‡

Listed by HMRC as an importer of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: printed matter, optical, medical and measuring instruments, electrical equipment, plastics and leather goods and bags.

Listed by HMRC as an exporter of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: printed matter, optical, medical and measuring instruments, machinery, electrical equipment and paper and paperboard.

From HMRC's monthly lists of importers and exporters. Traders can ask to be left off the lists, so absence does not mean a company does not trade.

Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Entries marked ‡ come from lists that do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name.

History

3 events
  1. Financial year 2025 endedAccounts: turnover £518.3m, net assets £298.9m
  2. Pearson Education Holdings Limited registered as a person with significant control
  3. Company incorporatedPrivate limited company

Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database. Former persons with significant control are not listed.