Keys Academies Trust and Thomas Deacon Education Trust to merge

Keys Academies Trust, which comprises five academies, and Thomas Deacon Education Trust (TDET), which comprises seven academies, will come together as equal partners to create one single Multi Academy Trust. The merger is subject to final approval from the Department for Education.

With a similar ethos and approach, the two Trusts serve similar communities in and around Peterborough. It is hoped that staff across the new, larger Trust will collaborate with each other to share ideas and best practice.

The Trust will be called Deacon Keys Trust and a new CEO will be appointed to lead it. The legal process to merge the two Trusts is underway and it is hoped this will be completed at the start of 2027.

Claire Higgins MBE, Chair of Trustees of Keys Academies Trust, said: “As a trust based in Peterborough, it was important for us to find a partner which shared our values and educational approach and truly understood the needs of the communities we serve. In TDET, we believe we have found that and I am excited to see our pupils and staff reap the benefits of being part of Deacon Keys Trust.”

Mark Potter, Chair of Trustees at Thomas Deacon Education Trust, said: “Merging with Keys represents the natural next step for our Trust and we are excited about the opportunities this presents for our pupils and staff. Collaboration and partnership have always been at the heart of our approach and we are looking forward to working with and learning from Keys schools to enhance the educational experience of our pupils.

“In creating a new trust, it is important that the legacy of Thomas Deacon lives on and we will ensure that our ethos and values are closely aligned with those upon which our first school was founded over 300 years ago. Underpinned by the value of kindness, our Trust has sought to transform the life chances of children across Peterborough and the surrounding area and we look forward to continuing to do this in partnership with the Keys communities.”