The Howard Partnership Trust

What The Howard Partnership Trust does

The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) is a state-funded Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and exempt charitable trust registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 07597068). Founded in 2013 from a partnership of two secondary schools, THPT has grown to operate 13 schools across Surrey: five primary schools, four secondary schools, and three currently open special schools, with a fourth special school (Betchwood Vale Academy) in planning under the Department for Education's Free School programme. The trust delivers the full statutory curriculum from early years through Key Stage 5 (ages 2-19), including specialist SEND provision for complex social communication needs, autism and learning difficulties across Fox Grove, Linden Bridge and West Hill schools. Howard of Effingham School is the founding lead academy and the first "Outstanding" school in Surrey. Core technology is the partnership or "ecosystem" school-improvement model, in which shared resources, expertise and best practice flow between member schools; 92% of THPT schools are rated "Good" or better by Ofsted versus 53% before joining the trust.

Revenue is derived from government education funding flows administered by the Department for Education via the Education and Skills Funding Agency, including per-pupil allocations, pupil premium, SEND funding, and capital grants. Education is free at the point of delivery, with government-funded 15-hour and 30-hour nursery places accepted for early-years provision. THPT operates a centralised "Partnership Services" function covering finance, estates management, HR, IT, communications and governance for all member schools, with locations across Surrey including Lower Road, Effingham (KT24 5JR). Strategic partners include Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (Safe Havens mental-health crisis support), Peter Pan Playschool (nursery), and teacher-training routes via i2i Partnership and Surrey South Farnham SCITT.

Go-to-market is non-commercial and driven by catchment-area admissions, Ofsted ratings, and community reputation rather than active marketing. The trust's management team comprises a CEO (Louise Lee, joined 2023), COO/CFO, Executive Director of Education, and a network of Trust Leads and Heads of School with backgrounds spanning large MATs, corporate finance, and SEND specialism. Operating geographies are Southeast England only (Surrey and adjacent boroughs), with no disclosed international expansion; an exchange visit by Howard of Effingham's principal to schools in China is the only outward international signal in the data.

Name

The Howard Partnership Trust

Legal name

The Howard Partnership Trust

Website

https://www.thehowardpartnership.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Howard Partnership Trust is a state-funded Multi-Academy Trust operating 13 schools across Surrey, delivering primary, secondary and special education to children aged 2-19 under a partnership-based school-improvement ecosystem funded by the UK Department for Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust education
• Primary and secondary schools
• Special educational needs
• State-funded school improvement
• Teacher training partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

Effingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding (DfE): The trust operates as a state-funded Multi-Academy Trust receiving recurrent grant funding from the Department for Education (DfE) through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for each of its 13 schools. Funding covers per-pupil allocations, pupil premium, special educational needs funding, and capital grants.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Howard Partnership Trust operates a network of 13 state-funded primary, secondary and special academies across Surrey under a partnership-based 'eco-system' school-improvement model. It delivers free at-point-of-use education to pupils aged 2–19 and provides centralised partnership services (finance, estates, HR, IT, communications, governance) to its member schools. The trust also runs specialist SEND provision, teacher-training pathways, and an out-of-hours Safe Havens mental-health service in partnership with the NHS.

Product overview

The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating a network of 13 schools across Surrey: five primary schools, four secondary schools, and three currently open special schools (plus one in planning). The Trust operates on a partnership or 'eco-system' approach to school improvement where schools share strengths and resources. The schools include: Cuddington Community Primary School, Eastwick Infant and Junior Schools, Kenyngton Manor Primary School, Meadhurst Primary School, St Lawrence Primary School (primary phase); Howard of Effingham School, Oxted School, Thomas Knyvett College, Three Rivers Academy (secondary phase); and Fox Grove School, Linden Bridge School, West Hill School (special phase), with Betchwood Vale Academy in planning. The Trust provides Partnership Services around finance, estates management, HR, IT, communications and governance. Howard of Effingham School is the lead academy and founding school of the Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cuddington Community Primary School Small, friendly, one-class-entry all-through primary school on the edge of Worcester Park with a 'Jubilee Centre' specialist provision supporting children with communication and interaction needs; designated as a 'Centre of Excellence' with the Inclusion Quality Mark.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of schools rated 'Good' or better by Ofsted (up from 53% prior to joining the trust)
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• i2i PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Howard Partnership Trust partners with i2i Partnership for teacher training pathways. The i2i Partnership Website is referenced as a resource for prospective teachers considering training or gaining school experience within the trust.
• Surrey South Farnham SCITTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHPT partners with Surrey South Farnham SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) as an alternative pathway for teacher training. Prospective teachers can access this route alongside the i2i Partnership programme.
• Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafe Havens are provided by a partnership between The Howard Partnership Trust and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, funded by Surrey and north east Hampshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups. The Safe Havens provide out-of-hours mental health support to people experiencing emotional distress or crisis, operating from five town centre locations across Surrey and north east Hampshire.
• Peter Pan PlayschoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeter Pan Playschool, serving families of Great Bookham for over thirty years, is partnering with Eastwick Schools (part of THPT) to open 'Peter Pan at Eastwick' nursery on the Eastwick Junior School site from September. The partnership will provide much-needed nursery places in the local community, accepting 15-hour and 30-hour government-funded places.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oasis Community Learning: Oasis Community Learning is a UK multi-academy trust operating primary, secondary and special schools across multiple regions with a strong community and inclusion ethos similar to THPT. Comparable on a partnership-driven, mission-led academy trust model serving mixed-phase state-funded schools.
• L.E.A.D. Academy Trust: L.E.A.D. Academy Trust is a UK multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands and South East. Directly comparable to THPT on a partnership-based school-improvement model across primary and secondary phases.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Greenwood Academies Trust operates a network of primary, secondary and special schools across the East Midlands with a focus on inclusive education. Directly comparable to THPT on the multi-phase academy trust structure and inclusion-driven approach to school improvement.
• Polaris Academies Trust: Polaris Academies Trust is a UK multi-academy trust focused primarily on special and alternative provision for pupils with social, emotional and communication needs. Directly comparable to THPT on the SEND-led school-improvement model and special-school orientation.
• Reach Academy Trust: Reach Academy Trust is a medium-sized UK MAT running a small number of primary and secondary schools with a strong focus on disadvantage. Comparable to THPT on multi-phase state-funded academy provision and a similar scale of partnership-led model.
• Aurora Academies Trust: Aurora Academies Trust operates special and alternative-provision academies catering for pupils with autism and complex needs. Comparable to THPT on a SEND-led, partnership-driven academy model, particularly relevant on the Linden Bridge and Fox Grove provision.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: Harris Federation is one of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, running primary, secondary and special schools mainly across London and the South East. Overlaps with THPT in geography and phase mix but operates at meaningfully larger scale with a broader portfolio.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): AET is one of the largest UK academy trusts, running primary, secondary and special schools nationally with a focus on school improvement. Comparable to THPT on multi-phase academy operation but with a very different scale and a more developed proprietary central-services infrastructure.
• Ark Schools: Ark Schools is a national multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies across multiple English regions. Comparable to THPT as a multi-phase academy operator pursuing school improvement, though larger and with a less developed SEND phase.
• United Learning: United Learning is one of the UK's largest academy trusts, running primary, secondary and special schools nationwide. Comparable to THPT across phases, but is substantially larger, more geographically diversified and has a wider portfolio including independent schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/The-Howard-Partnership-Trust/61552057481711

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Howard Partnership Trust