The Key Support Services Limited
Registered name: THE KEY SUPPORT SERVICES LIMITED
Part of Permira VIII Investment Platform Limited groupThe Key Support Services Limited made £75.3m revenue and £3.1m profit in the year to 31 Aug 2025.
The Key Support Services Limited’s revenue grew 41% to £75.3m in the year to 31 Aug 2025, with £3.1m profit and 540 employees. The company is classified under “educational support services” and is based in London; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- London, London
- Age
- 13 yrs · since 2012
- Type
- Private Limited Company
Part of a group. The filing indicates this company sits within a group structure, so its results may depend on intra-group trading and it may be hard to replicate independently.
Key figures
Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Aug 2023 | 31 Aug 2024 | 31 Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £41.1m | £53.5m | £75.3m |
| Cost of sales | −£6.9m | −£9m | −£11.1m |
| Gross profit | £34.1m | £44.5m | £64.1m |
| Operating profit | −£552k | £5m | £9.8m |
| Profit before tax | −£3.4m | £983k | £5.8m |
| Profit after tax | −£2.4m | £454k | £3.1m |
| Profit (best available) | −£2.4m | £454k | £3.1m |
| Employees (average) | 366 | 419 | 540 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | −5.8% | 0.9% | 4.2% |
| Gross margin | 83.1% | 83.2% | 85.2% |
| Revenue per employee | £112k | £128k | £139k |
| Profit per employee | −£6.5k | £1.1k | £5.8k |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲30.3% | ▲40.7% |
| Profit growth | — | — | ▲588.3% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▲14.5% | ▲28.9% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data May 2025 | Accounts · bulk data May 2025 | Accounts · bulk data May 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 4.2%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 85.2%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £139k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £5.8k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- —
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- —
- Money owed by customers. Low = customers pay quickly.
Balance-sheet signals
Year-on-year changes in filed balance-sheet items. They can hint at momentum (or investment) but are not revenue or profit and must not be read as such.
- Net assets
- —
- Now —
- Cash at bank
- —
- Now —
- Headcount
- ▲29%
- Now 540
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Permira VIII Investment Platform Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- Eightplatform Xiv Limited75–100%
- Kant Topco Limited75–100%
- Kant Midco Limited75–100%
- Kant Midco 1 Limited75–100%
- Kant Bidco Limited75–100%
- Beagle Bidco Limited75–100%
- Darwin Acquisitions Limited75–100%
- The Key Support Services Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Subsidiaries (4)
- Schools Educational Software LtdRev. £4.1m · Profit £1.3m
- Histon House LtdRev. £4m · Profit £1.8m
- Arbor Education Partners Group LtdFigures not disclosed
- Fusion Education People Solutions LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Aug 2025 (profit £3.1m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published May 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.