Dukes Great British Bake Off (world book day)
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Dear Dukes Education Parents
Welcome to our first Dukes Difference newsletter for all Dukes Education parents.
I founded Dukes Education in 2015 with a clear purpose, to give young people the foundations for an extraordinary life through education. As a parent, I know the challenge of balancing work and family life and how precious family time is. Our aim in this newsletter is to showcase the opportunities for young people and families that come with being part of the Dukes family, and what makes us extraordinary.
From unique experiences for families through the Dukes Club, to first-class university admissions consultancy with Dukes Plus, our commitment to sustainability, to interschool sporting events – it all adds up to what we call the Dukes Difference. We believe that Dukes is different, here, we show how.
When I visit our settings, I enjoy hearing from children and colleagues and this newsletter is also an invitation to you to get in touch so I can hear directly from you, our parents. If you have questions, please send us a message.
Warm wishes
Aatif Hassan
Founder & Chairman
Dukes Education
Dukes Foundation harnesses the powerful and uniting spirit of Dukes Education to ‘lead with heart’. We support charitable or voluntary organisations serving communities in the UK and across the globe that aim to make the world a better place to live. We partner with organisations that work to advance the Foundation’s overall mission and strategic goals with commitments to mental health, education, our planet and children’s healthcare.
We are also embarking on a groundbreaking initiative to become the largest provider of transformational bursaries in the UK. We aim to raise investment to support young people from low-income backgrounds by enabling them to access the extraordinary opportunities Dukes schools and colleges offer.
We welcome parents who’d like to get involved in helping us to achieve our ambition to transform lives, whether it be through joining our board, campaign committee or signposting the Foundation to mutually beneficial partnerships. If this is of interest, please contact Dukes Foundation’s CEO Glen Fendley at glen.fendley@dukeseducation.com.
A Youth Advisory Board has been elected to ensure that pupil voice is at the heart of all we do and that these young people can hold us to account.
We were delighted to receive such wonderful feedback on the Dukes Festival of Arts. We are pleased to announce that the special event raised £40k from ticket sales and Dukes Education matching donations made on the night. This will now fund an arts bursary as part of our bursary campaign.
Dukes Club was created to bring together Dukes’ extraordinary community of families, staff and alumni and uses the power of the collective to offer elevated, unique experiences and expert advice in areas that matter to you the most.
We know how important family time is, so we want to create special opportunities for families to learn new things and experience magical moments together.
To join the club, sign up here
Coming up this term….
Following the success of last year’s Bear Grylls Survival Academy, it will return again this year – this time with a new Three Peaks Challenge! Learn new skills and make memories together with your children.
Bear Grylls Survival Academy have recreated some of the unique scenarios seen on Bear’s TV programs and will take you on an amazing survival journey. You will be introduced to extreme survival skills used not only by Bear himself in some of the most extreme and wild environments on the planet but also utilised by some of the most inspirational adventurers of the last 200 years.
Children must be 8 or over and accompanied by an adult. £58 per person (plus booking fee)
Take part in your own bake off! Children and their grown-ups can join forces in this fun baking class in a bake off style tent. No experience needed. Just add fun and creativity.
All dietary requirements are provided for.
Subsidised rate of £49 per person plus booking fee.
Dukes Club is excited to bring you our first ever overseas trip with an exciting programme packed with fun experiences for all the family in the beautiful Swiss Alps.
Spend a week challenging yourselves with a mix of adventure sports and cultural exploration. Hike through breath-taking mountain trails, test your limits on our rock climbing and high ropes courses and learn essential bushcraft skills. We’ll also enjoy team-building games, water sports and excursions to explore the charm of nearby Swiss cities.
Orchard House School’s Parish Church St Michael and All Angel’s Church, Chiswick
This talk will cover key topics including:
Jenny Anderson is an author and an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade at The New York Times before pioneering coverage on the science of learning at Quartz. She contributes to TIME, The New York Times and The Atlantic, among other publications.
The New York Times recently published a piece from the author’s book titled Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results.
Oprah called it a ‘roadmap for rekindling young minds’.
Drew Barrymore called it “an absolute must-read…an invaluable resource I know I’ll keep returning to.”
The recent drama, Adolescence raised important and timely questions about the complexities of teenage relationships. In response, and as part of our commitment to supporting families in navigating these conversations at home, we welcomed an expert in the field, Alicia Drummond from the Wellbeing Hub for a parent webinar.
Join Candia Cave as she takes you on a tour of Jenny Saville, The Anatomy of Painting at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday 26 June, 3pm:
Candida is the Head of Fine Arts Continuing Education and founding Principal of Fine Arts College. She regularly lectures at the National Gallery, the V&A and the British Institute in Florence. She has led European study tours in Paris, Florence, Rome, Venice, Berlin, Vienna and Madrid. Candida studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, and completed her MA in History of Art at the University of Buckingham.
The Key Clinic specialises in helping people feel and perform at their best. Reflecting their longstanding relationship with Dukes Education, all Dukes school parents are offered a free 30-minute BioNutritional discovery call with a Practitioner.
Their BioTransform programme optimises mental and physical health, without medications, by targeting the root causes of symptoms. They support both children and adults with a wide range of concerns, such as anxiety, burnout, ADHD, mood swings, depression, fatigue, sleep issues, poor digestion, poor focus, skin problems, weight management, hormonal imbalance, high blood pressure.
To access this offer click here.
Our neurodiversity series of webinars, conducted with Sarah Warley, Founder of The Key Clinic featured conversations on Dyspraxia, ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism and ASD type behaviours.
We commission specially curated articles on opportunities and experiences for you to enjoy as a family. See some ideas of fun things to do here:
Beyond the classroom, Dukes Plus can enhance schools’ extensive extracurricular offerings by connecting students with expertly curated, world-class educational services. From opening doors to expert university preparation and top-quality tutoring to immersive industry experiences and unforgettable summer schools and day camps, each child has access to rich experiences and greater opportunities that work alongside educational excellence to shape their futures.
As part of the Dukes Difference, Dukes Plus shares expertise with all Dukes school communities, supporting children and young people as well as staff and parents. Recent collaborations have included the Dukes Career School where around 1,000 students from across Dukes completed a unique 21st century skills focused programme; Dukes Art Competition in collaboration with Fine Arts College; 11+, GCSE and A-Level support and University expert courses on the key aptitude tests required for Oxbridge, Medicine and the US.
For more information visit Dukes Plus
Contact Dukes Plus Partnership Director, Katie Krais
Dukes Plus offers discounted services to Dukes Education schools and families. More information on each of our services and their discounts can be found in the tabs below.
US University specialist. Providing specialist support to international students since 2005.
20% on all services – Use discount code DPEF2P7R5AYB
The ‘Get into Medicine’ experts with millions of users. Trusted by over 50% of the Top 100 UK Schools.
20% on all services – Use discount code DPEF2P7R5AYBD
Established in 1999, the unequivocal leader in Oxbridge admissions. 20% of all applicants use OA.
20% on all services – Use discount code DPEF2P7R5AYBD
Bespoke private tutoring from 5+. Hand-picked tutors and proven results. 97.4% 11+ success rate.
20% on all tutoring Waiving of registration fee – Use discount code DPEF2P7R5AYBD
Get into Law. Award-winning resources. In official partnership with the Law Society of England and Wales.
20% on all services – Use discount code DPEF2P7R5AYBD
The UK’s number one multi-campus summer school at premier locations including Eton College, Oxford and Cambridge for students aged 6-17 years. 150+ nationalities attended.
25% on all courses – Use discount code DUKESplus25
World class immersive experiences in London. The first UCAS accredited summer school. 15 industries, 50,000+ students attended. Aged 15-18 years.
20% on all programmes – Use discount code DUKES20
Outstanding activity holiday childcare at renowned independent schools for children aged 4-14 years. Used by 17,000+ children each year.
10% on all events – Use discount code DPLUS10-25
Competition amongst schools, whether sporting or in other disciplines, has always been a mainstay of UK independent education and it is wonderful to see that this is also true of the schools within Dukes. The Spring Term saw boys and girls from a variety of schools competing in Swimming, Poetry, a Bake-Off writing competition, Cross Country, Netball and Hockey. The spirit, competitiveness and teamwork shown in all areas was impressive and we look forward to many more competitions to come.
At Dukes, we believe that the best education starts with the best educators. That is why we invest in exceptional training and professional development for our staff, ensuring they have the skills, knowledge, and inspiration to bring out the best in every child. Through our Dukes Learning & Development programme, teachers and school leaders engage in high-quality training, leadership development, and peer-to-peer learning, designed to keep them at the forefront of educational excellence. Whether it is enhancing subject expertise, developing innovative teaching strategies, or fostering a culture of lifelong learning, our commitment to professional growth means that the staff who guide your children are continually learning themselves—so they can inspire, nurture, and lead with confidence.
Sustainability has been integral to our journey. To us it means meeting our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Our commitments to energy efficiency and sustainable procurement supports our ambition to reach carbon net zero by 2050, as well as our aim to cultivate global citizens who are aware of their impact on the world and committed to making positive change. Acting as a responsible organisation, we recognise sustainability to be “a way of being”— woven into every aspect of our operations, curriculum, and culture – and believe our pupils deserve to inherit a world where imagination, hard work, and compassion flourish hand in hand with responsible stewardship of our planet.
As every good student of Latin knows, “Dukes” derives from the Latin verb “ducere” – “to lead”. Our approach focuses on leadership not just of others but of self, involving high performance, innovation and adventure. We want our students to lead with their hearts and embrace service. This is why the Dukes Young Leaders’ Award seeks to instil the dispositions of humility, honour, courage and compassion. As we look around the world today, whatever our differences, I think we can all agree that if more people had those dispositions – especially those in leadership positions – the world would be a better place.
This year it has been wonderful to see children of all ages throwing themselves whole-heartedly into the DYLA: a true education is about so much more than what happens in the classroom. It is about experiences gained and life lessons learned at the most formative time in our lives. We celebrate the achievements of all our Young Leaders this year and, although it is all about the experiences not the qualifications.
We have a variation of this for our younger students. The Little Learners programme embodies the importance of each child being their authentic selves, with learners of today becoming leaders of tomorrow. It is embedded in the nurseries curriculum and carries on for those continuing into Dukes Schools, to encourage children with personal discovery, self-reliance, courage, character building and responsibility, in an environment of social interactions, collaboration encouragement, reinforcement and teamwork in children and between children and adults.
Children in our nurseries progress through different stages; starting my journey, building my skills, celebrating my success, by building upon existing skills alongside learning new skills and characters. The children are set objectives in areas such as Humility, Courage, Happiness, Honour, Compassion and Curiosity, demonstrating service to others and their communities.
