Dukes Plus
Beyond the classroom
Experiences Dukes is home to the UK's leading careers experiences, summer school and activity day camp providers.
Publications Essential reading for students applying to Oxford, Cambridge, or medical school.
University Applications Our curated collection of consultancies represent the best of Oxbridge, US, and Medicine application support.

Year: 15

The Institute of Education

The Institute of Education was founded in 1969 by Raymond Kearns and was established to provide exceptional maths tuition to Leaving Certificate students. Today The Institute is Ireland’s most successful private school with over 1,500 full-time students.  We also offer par-time and short courses for students attending other schools, over 7,000 students attend these courses every year.

 

Our school offers a unique learning environment. We provide a focused, flexible, and complete educational experience for our students that extends beyond academic achievement. Our school provides an environment where students can maximise their academic capabilities while also developing the confidence and maturity to thrive as they progress to their chosen universities and future careers.

Our school values are simple; Excellence, Respect, Independence, and Ambition.  These values underpin every aspect of our school.  As principal of The Institute of Education, my focus is on the students and their journey. The students are at the heart of every decision and my door is always open to the students, our teachers, and the school community. I am immensely proud of our students, the teaching team, and our support staff who working together make our school exceptional.

In 2023 we joined the Dukes Education family. We are proud to be a part of Dukes Education, a collection of truly outstanding schools with whom we share a passion for exceptional education.  Being part of the Dukes family will enrich the lives of our students, teachers, and our wider school community.

I look forward to welcoming you to our school.

 

Yvonne O’Toole

About
The Institute of Education

Over 50 Years of Excellence in Education

The Institute of Education is Ireland’s best known and most successful private school.  Located in Dublin, the school occupies an iconic campus in heart of historical Georgian Dublin. Our city campus offers a bright, contemporary, vibrant, and stimulating environment in which to learn.

Our students study for the Leaving Certificate exams; a State examination that is a recognised pathway to top universities in Ireland and throughout the world. Thousands of our school alumni have progressed to Ireland’s best universities to study the most prestigious of courses. Our students also progress to the top universities in the UK, Europe, and the US. Students have the flexibility to choose from a huge combination of subjects for the Leaving Certificate that best fits their strengths, interests, and University progression.

Excellence is in the DNA of our school; we never compromise on the quality of our tuition, and we encourage our students not to compromise on their ambitions. With a clear focus on results and exam success, we foster a can-do culture and provide additional tuition where required to support students. We ensure our students are equipped to achieve their absolute potential. The school has a team of Guidance and Career Counsellors supporting students as they select the appropriate universities and courses for further study. The school also provides a full programme of extracurricular activities, to ensure that students develop both academically and personally.

The Institute of Education is a unique learning environment. We ensure that all our students receive the very highest standards of tuition and are fully prepared for the world of the 21st Century.

12 - 18 YEARS
12- 18
Ages
12-18
79-85 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, Ireland

The Institute of Education

79-85 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, Ireland

Copperfield International School Verbier

In March 2020, Dr Hugh McCormick founded a college in London dedicated to helping students affected by the pandemic. Copperfield London supported many young people as they battled with the most unpredictable educational conditions.

In October 2020, Hugh moved to Switzerland to open a school in the Swiss Alps with British investor John Porter.
Like for so many who have now spent years in Verbier, one visit was persuasive enough: the challenge now was to recruit students, staff and find a campus.
By January 10 2021, Copperfield’s 12-strong team was ready to open its doors to 30 curious students and their families. 18 months later, we have 28 teaching staff with 211  years of teaching experience, 55 university degrees, and are expecting over 60 students in January 2023.

About
Copperfield International School Verbier

The world’s only ski-in, ski-out IB school!
  • We are an international school founded in 2021 to fulfill a vision of a world-class school in the Swiss Alps: an international community in a unique and inspiring setting.
  • We teach young people to live with both compassion and courage, developing the moral compass, strength of character and technical skill that they will need, whatever they wish to do.
  • Our school will always be student-centred. We start each day, each lesson and each interaction by asking ‘what is best for the student?’, and each of our decisions flow from that principle.
  • We offer all of this under three of the world’s best academic programmes for international schools: the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, A–Levels, the Cambridge IGCSE, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
3 - 18 YEARS
3 - 18
Ages
3 - 18
Rue de la Bérarde 10, Le Hameau 1936 Verbier, Switzerland

Copperfield International School Verbier

Rue de la Bérarde 10, Le Hameau 1936 Verbier Switzerland

Our parents say...

It’s no exaggeration that everyone in the school knows each other’s names and faces. That’s special.”

11-16 YEARS

Northwood Senior

“Welcome To Northwood Senior – An Independent Co-Educational Secondary School For Ages 11 – 16 In South West London Offering A Transformational Education

I am delighted to be the first Head of Northwood Senior, Northwood Schools’ new co-educational secondary school for pupils aged 11- 16 which opened its doors in September 2020.

Education should be relevant, challenging, inclusive and above all stimulating – and at Northwood Senior, it is.  However, this is not at the expense of a child’s enjoyment of learning, nor does it involve anxiety or putting children under unrealistic pressure.

At Northwood Senior we focus on developing a life-long love of learning and self-growth. As a smaller school we can get to know every pupil really well so that we can nurture their strengths and equip them with the necessary skillset to tackle the future with confidence. Through a rigorous curriculum designed for the modern world, we can help pupils develop the higher order learning skills that will stand them in good stead for the future.  As a community with a culture of support, we provide not only excellent academics but a fully rounded learning experience in a smaller, more bespoke setting.”

“I am excited to be able to offer something truly different from the pressure-cooker environment that seems to be true of too many schools – particularly in London.

We have a beautiful building with easy transport links and a warm and welcoming community so if you are looking for a smaller, more inclusive school that can transform your child’s educational experience, please come and find out more about our approach to modern secondary education.

I look forward to meeting you.”

About
Northwood Senior

Northwood Senior is a new, dynamic, co-educational secondary school in South West London, offering a transformational education for pupils aged 11-16.

We are academically ambitious: Our pupils enjoy an education that is rounded, stimulating and healthy – both physically and mentally; an education where good grades and GCSE success is still important – along with healthy competition in sport, drama, music and the arts, but where the focus is on developing the self; building reflective, community-minded young adults who have a passion for learning and the skill set and confidence to tackle the exciting futures that await them.  Our modern and stimulating curriculum includes thematic studies, maths mastery, hands-on science, and cross-curricular learning, alongside well-being, community work and life-skills – plus plenty of Sport, Drama, Art, and DT. Our innovative approach creates more active engagement in lessons, the development of higher order thinking skills, strong teamwork, and motivated pupils who are better able to develop the real-world analytical and problem-solving skills that pays dividends in examinations and the workplaces of the future.

We are pastorally kind: As a smaller school, what matters to us most is building a community in which children can thrive.  We have a strong and supportive tutorial and house system to ensure that every pupil is well known by every member of staff.

Entry is via Head’s interview, digital data, and references from current school. We offer regular taster sessions and All-Rounder Scholarships for both Year 7 and Year 9 entry.

Exit is to the next step that’s right for each pupil – whether that’s college or school to do A Levels, B-tec or something else.

If you are looking for a smaller school that offers outstanding teaching, where every pupil is known well by every member of staff and which can help them develop the confidence and skills required for the challenges of modern life, please come and see us.  We look forward to meeting you.

Northwood Senior is an independent co-educational secondary school for ages 11 - 16 in South West London
11 - 16
Ages
11 - 16
Northwood Senior School
3 Garrad's Rd, London SW16 1JZ

Northwood Senior

3 Garrad's Rd, London SW16 1JZ

2 - 18 YEARS

Hampton Court House School

Hampton Court House is a place of magic, wonder and inspiration, where the children are at the heart of everything we do. As Head, I am unashamedly and unapologetically idealistic about the power of education to transform young people, and HCH is the perfect environment for this to happen. Walking through the gates at HCH transports our children to a special place where they can thrive and flourish, where they are respected and valued as independent and autonomous individuals, and where they are known and deeply cared for by every member of staff. Our children are empowered, enabled, and treasured.

Our ethos and vision focuses on sparking creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking through an exciting and progressive curriculum facilitated by passionate subject specialists who have chosen to teach because they love their subject and are lifelong learners in themselves, but also because they wish to share this knowledge with young people. As well as being a place that buzzes with scholarship and academic enquiry, we also celebrate experiential learning and all of the so-called ‘soft-skills’ learned through the performing and expressive arts, sport, and activities where our children can be challenged outside of their comfort zone, celebrated for their intrinsic passions and skills, and where they can learn so much about who they are and what makes them tick.

Most importantly, however, HCH prioritises the mental health and wellbeing of each and every member of our community; pastoral care is the golden thread that runs through everything we do. Our children are nourished and nurtured as we help them navigate their way through developing their sense of self. Our guiding principles are kindness, respect and compassion for others and this is reflected in our ‘inner curriculum’ based on empathy, emotional literacy, and emotional intelligence. We want our children to be happy, confident, and understand themselves, but also understand and care for those around them. It is this combination that will help them make the world a better place.

There are so many other attributes that make HCH such a special school, whether that is our French immersion programme and focus on languages, ballet provision, informal dress code, late Sixth Form start, or how all staff are referred to by their first name. Our beautiful buildings and garden provide our students with the physical space to run, play, imagine and enjoy the freedom and other wondrous aspects of being young. HCH is unique and distinct, and we are proud to be so because we know how motivating, inspiring and nurturing this is for the young people in our care and how it helps them achieve their highest potential.

I cannot wait to welcome you to the school so you can see the magic, vibrancy, and collective joy of HCH first-hand.

 

It is important to us that children enjoy being here and look forward to coming to school. We wish to lay the foundations of a lifelong love of learning.

We believe that children need some (guided) freedom in order to develop their own style with taste and discretion. Pupils and staff have mutual respect for each other. The staff, including the Principal, are addressed by their first names. Whilst there is a dress code, there is no uniform.

About
Hampton Court House School

Hampton Court House is an ‘all through’ school teaching pupils aged 2–18. Some students choose to move on after 11+ in Year 6 or through Common Entrance or Scholarship papers in Year 8. But most pupils elect to stay on to GCSE in Year 11 and A-levels in the sixth form.

 

The Nursery and Reception classes provide a highly stimulating and welcoming environment for children to learn through interaction with each other and adults. They learn through play with songs and games and through the enthusiasm of their teachers.

 

Children hear spoken French around them each day, which prepares them for the Lower Years (Years 1–4) which is a fully bilingual environment. After this, in Year 6, all pupils sit internal 11+ examinations, and 13+ examinations in Year 8 in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Latin. In the Upper Years, students will make their own decisions that will shape their future and can select specialisms from a wide range of subjects.

Hampton Court is a co-educational all-through school.
2 - 18
Ages
2-18
Hampton Court House School
Hampton Court Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9BS

Hampton Court House School

Hampton Court Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9BS

14-19 YEARS

Cardiff Sixth Form College

– A letter from the Principal

“Cardiff Sixth Form College is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence. Academic achievement, university placement, and skills for future career success are core elements of our provision. Developing critical, creative learners who can collaborate and communicate well, leads to the education of individuals fit for the future.

Founded as a small, private tutorial college in 2004, Cardiff Sixth Form College has quickly grown into the leading academic A-level school in the UK…”

Staff are experts; students are motivated and together; the results are inspiring. University placements are wide ranging and impressive, both in the UK and internationally.

In 2017, Cardiff Sixth Form College became a part of the Dukes Education family. We are proud to be a part of this family, contributing to and gaining from our relationship with the diverse range of other college family members, as well as the exceptional university preparation offered through Oxbridge Applications and A-List UK.”

About
Cardiff Sixth Form College

Cardiff Sixth Form College was founded in 2004 as a small, private tutorial college focusing on academic achievements. It has gained a name for itself as the Top Independent School in the UK, after catapulting to the top of the league tables in 2010, a position it has almost exclusively occupied ever since.

 

Its unique, ‘East-meets-West’ approach to education has developed from a careful study of the most successful teaching philosophies worldwide. The college integrates the rigour and discipline prized in Eastern education with the value placed on individual creativity and intellectual curiosity in the West.

 

The outcome of this global approach is not only unparalleled results but a student body that goes on to win places at a clutch of the most prestigious universities in the world. 100% of students achieve A*-B and 94% A*-A.

Best private A-level college in the UK

Cardiff Sixth Form College has won the accolade of being placed at the top of the Education Advisers’ league tables for the eighth consecutive year, in two categories: Top Private Co-educational Boarding School, and Top Independent Sixth Form College.

Cardiff has also topped the independent schools league tables, published by The Sunday Telegraph and The Times, more often than any other school in the UK.

Cardiff Sixth Form College welcomes GCSE and A-Level students.
14-19
Ages
14-19
CARDIFF SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
1-3 Trinity Court, 21-27 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0AA
14-19
CARDIFF SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
89 Regent St, Cambridge CB2 1AW

Cardiff Sixth Form College

21-27 Newport Road, Cardiff CF24 0AA, UK

Cardiff Sixth Form College

89 Regent St, Cambridge

“The quality of the curriculum, teaching and learners’ achievements is excellent. Students receive an extremely good education in accordance with their objectives and the college’s aims…arrangements for the health, safety and welfare of students are excellent…the effectiveness of governance, leadership and management is excellent.”

ISI Inspection Report, 2016
2-18 YEARS

Eaton Square Schools

– A letter from the Principal

“I am delighted to have been given the opportunity of introducing you to Eaton Square School. Almost 40 years ago we opened our doors to our first class of boys and girls when we were situated in St. Peter’s Church, Eaton Square. Today we cover various sites in central London and have more than 600 students and yet the early vision for the school when it was founded remains as strong and true today as it always has been.

At Eaton Square we passionately believe that each and every child has the capacity to excel. All of the boys and girls are given the opportunity to flourish, be it in a single subject area or across the range of curriculum areas they are introduced to should they so wish. There are no barriers to the students being given the opportunity to do their very best within the warm, supportive and caring environment which encompasses the school…”

The concept of being able to join the school at two-and-a-half years old and to then flow through until GSCE and A-level is one which is not new but which is relatively rare in central London. This approach provides both parents and pupils with great stability and reassurance whilst allowing each individual to progress and develop at their own pace.

In 2018, Eaton Square became a part of the Dukes family and it is quite fitting that this union was made. The Dukes approach and philosophy is closely aligned to our own and the support which they have given, and continue to give, allows the school at all levels to grow and improve accordingly, whilst at no time affecting who we are.

Through Dukes, the last step of the educational journey will be made possible when in September 2020 we will open our doors once again to a new intake, but this time to those entering the sixth form. The sixth form will be housed in the same area as where the school began all of those years ago which has a sublime serendipity to it.

It has been an amazing journey for the school during the last 40 years and the future is no less exciting.”

About
Eaton Square Schools

Eaton Square Schools is a co-educational, all-through collection of schools in central London, educating children from the age of 2 to 18 years old.

 

Offering continuity of education during the important, formative years of a child’s life, the school is a vibrant, popular community where children learn not only the skills but also the values that will prepare them for the next stage of their life at senior school and beyond.

 

The education at Eaton Square has a traditional British foundation, but a modern and international outlook. Equal emphasis is placed on intellectual, artistic, aesthetic, physical, and musical pursuits. ln addition, teaching staff want children to learn moral and spiritual values that will make them happy and confident in themselves, without arrogance. The school celebrates the diverse skills and aptitudes of London pupils, and maximises the benefits of their learning from and interacting with each other.

Eaton Square has nurseries and schools for all ages.
2 - 18
Ages
2-11
EATON SQUARE NURSERY & PREP SCHOOL
55-57 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH
11-18
EATON SQUARE SENIOR SCHOOL
106 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NL

Eaton Square Schools

55-57 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH

Eaton Square Schools

106 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NL, UK

“Older pupils display an enthusiastic interest in the world around them and have an infectious attitude to their learning. They strongly appreciate the support they receive, and relish the opportunities to explore and research when provided the opportunity.”

ISI Inspection Report, 2016
Little Dukes

Eaton Square Nursery Schools

Eaton Square Nursery schools offer a seamless co-educational learning environment from early years onwards. Read more about our nurseries under Little Dukes.