B AND C EDUCATIONAL LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04467411 · ltd · incorporated 2002-06-21
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£-392
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Primary education
Sector: Education
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -75% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
60 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £392
Net assets shrinking
Down £464 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 75% YoY
Cash YoY
-75%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£729
↓ 75% YoY
Net Worth
-£392
↓ 644% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-386 | £220 |
| Cash | £729 | £2.9k |
| Net assets | £-392 | £72 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-07-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2016-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-19➕BOWDEN, Desmond John, Dr appointeddirector
- 2015-11-19📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2015-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2002-07-10➕BOWDEN, Desmond John appointedsecretary
- 2002-07-10➕COPELAND, Pamela Anne appointeddirector
- 2002-06-24➖HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-06-24➖HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-06-21🏢Company incorporatedAs B AND C EDUCATIONAL LIMITED
- 2002-06-21➕HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-06-21➕HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Pamela Anne Copeland Individual · British · DOB 12/1957 · age 69 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Desmond John Bowden Individual · British · DOB 02/1947 · age 79 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Education & training · CO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST WITH EDUCATION LIMITED→ 13940733 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABILITY USING SPORT C.I.C.→ 12280276 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADS-DRIVING LTD→ 11973350 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ANDREAS-CARTER (EDUCATION) LIMITED→ 04107915 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| APEX EVENT SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 16151448 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUTISM ANGLIA→ 03407778 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| BABY SQUIDS COLCHESTER LTD→ 14695988 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BB COLCHESTER AND TENDRING LTD→ 16646914 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BE A BETTER BIKER LTD→ 07168349 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| BE THE CHANGE GENERATION C.I.C.→ 09316847 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| BE TRAINED ESSEX LTD→ 15239535 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BEE UN LIMITED→ 16528137 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2002-06-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC85200 — Primary education
Registered office
Maitlands
Distillery Lane
Colchester
CO2 8EZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-05
Last: 2025-06-21
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
BOWDEN, Desmond John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-07-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOWDEN, Desmond John, Dr→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2015-11-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COPELAND, Pamela Anne→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 2002-07-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-06-21 · resigned 2002-06-24
HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-06-21 · resigned 2002-06-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (60 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-25