Two multi-academy trusts with schools in London, the East of England and the South East are proposing to merge to create a 25-school trust with both primary and specialist provision.

The Compass Partnership of Schools, which has 13 primaries and one special school in Greenwich and Essex, is proposing to merge with Eko Trust, which has two special schools and eight primaries in London, Suffolk and Brighton.

Rowan Wood, a new all-through special free school in Greenwich, is due to open as part of Compass next academic year.

If the merger is approved by both trusts’ trustees and the Department for Education, the new MAT will be called The Compass Eko Partnership of Schools and will be jointly led by current CEOs John Camp and Rebekah Iiyambo (pictured).

The merger could take place in early 2026.

Trust merger ‘will help share best practice’

The trusts have already collaborated on school improvement initiatives and shared an HR operation.

They said the merger will enable them to expand professional development opportunities for staff and create a wider network for sharing best practice.

Ms Iiyambo, CEO of the Eko Trust, said: “Together we will be a strong organisation that safeguards what our schools already do so well and allows us to build on that.

“It will provide new opportunities to share best practice, expand networks, deepen knowledge and improve the educational experience for every child and young person.”

Mr Camp said the two trusts have enjoyed a long-standing relationship.

“We are really excited by the prospect of merging with Eko - the new organisation will give us resilience and strength, open up new opportunities for our staff and, most importantly, will mean we are best placed to give our pupils an ever-higher quality of education and care,” he said.

Susan Skidmore, chair of the board of trustees at Compass, said both trusts have “always looked ahead to ensure we are best placed to meet future challenges and opportunities”.

Both trusts have several schools in London, where schools are facing pressure from falling pupil rolls. The Education Policy Institute has predicted that primary pupil numbers in London will fall by another 52,000 by 2028.

Find our interactive map of England’s multi-academy trusts by clicking here, where you will also find links to all our MAT Tracker content

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