Dukes Education was founded in February 2015. It is a privately owned family of outstanding mainstream independent nurseries, schools and colleges, as well as a provider of summer schools and a leading university application consultancy.

Our schools are all different, yet they’re united in offering outstanding teaching and learning, providing the strongest foundations for young people to help them lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. We have twelve nurseries, nine preparatory schools, four secondary schools and three boarding and day colleges, supporting over 6000 pupils with over 1600 staff, including a strong team of educationalists and administrative staff supporting our schools.

I grew up in South West London and now live in Chiswick. I attended St James Independent School for boys, where I am now a charitable governor. At the time, the school was based in Belgravia (walking distance from Eaton House Belgravia) and moved to Pope’s Villa in Twickenham, which is now the home of Radnor House Twickenham (part of Dukes!).

As a bright dyslexic who loved sport, debating, drama and many of the co-curricular activities, I value the unique needs of each of our pupils. I personally needed a rich, nurturing, supportive yet academically-challenging and values-based school. Fortunately for me, with the support of my father who brought me up and my wonderful schooling, I was given the confidence to succeed, however I clearly remember the obstacles that I faced. Experiences with the British Army, sport, charities and work in the City gave me the clarity of purpose and resources to allow me to set up Dukes Education (and our sister company, Cavendish Education, which specialises in schooling for dyslexia and autism). I am lucky enough to say that I love what I do. I love working with young people and I want them to be the very best versions of themselves. I feel both proud and privileged to be part of the work we are doing at Dukes Education.

David will join the board of governors as safeguarding governor. Born in West London, David attended a local comprehensive school and was the first member of his family to do A levels or go to university. He graduated from Oxford with a First in Classics. From 2012 – 2023 he was Head of Latymer Upper School.

David is committed to advancing social mobility through independent school bursary programmes, in conjunction with their partnership and outreach work. In 2017 he launched the Inspiring Minds campaign, which successfully completed its aim of raising £40m to offer 1 in 4 pupils a means-tested bursary.  In 2018, Latymer won 3 TES Awards, including ‘Independent School of the Year’; David was also a finalist in the ‘social mobility champion’ category of the UK Social Mobility Awards.

David has two sons who both attended Dukes schools; he chaired the Dukes Education Advisory Board prior to his appointment as Managing Director. He is a trustee of the Dukes Foundation, as well as a Fellow at Winchester College.

Jill Walker is Head at Maltman’s Green independent prep school for girls aged 2 to 11 years. This is her second Headship in a working life that has included an earlier career in healthcare before teaching in 5 schools in both the UK and overseas.

Jill has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management, is an ISI team inspector, has worked as a Safeguarding Lead and has served at committee level for IAPS. Jill is married with three grown up children.

Our values are the common thread that weaves through our family. They help us to steer through the daily challenges of the classroom and stick to what’s important. All our students, teachers, and parents are different, but sharing these values binds us together and makes us stronger.

We lead with heart.
No-one knows their school better than the Principal or Head who runs it. And no-one cares more about it than they do. So we make sure they lead on every decision, preserving the individual character and ethos of their schools. We look for leaders who are still children at heart; people who love the fun — as well as the fundamentals — of the classroom. These are the people who shaped the direction of Dukes from the very beginning, and continue to shape it to this day. And we do our very best to look after these people, because we know they’re the most important asset we have.

We’re a team.
Individually we can achieve amazing things, but together we’re extraordinary. So, while each of our schools is independent, they’re strengthened by being part of a family that shares resources and expertise. The best teams are made up of autonomous indidividuals. Our management structure has no more than four levels from our board of directors to the most junior members of our team. This means everyone knows where they fit in the bigger picture — and they have the freedom and flexibility to act quickly, and make decisions for their school.

We do it well.
We know that if we want to inspire excellence in young learners, then we need to achieve excellence in everything we do. One way we accomplish this is by working closely with regulatory authorities and inspection bodies to ensure everyone in the Dukes family delivers the highest possible standards. Additionally, the members of the Dukes Education Advisory Board come together regularly to discuss recent and future developments across the group. Their expert support and guidance not only helps us meet best-practice standards, it encourages us to set newer, higher standards for all.

We love learning.
We believe education should be exciting at any stage, whether you’re starting school, or you’re running one. So we’re driven to instil our lifelong love of learning in our students — through teaching inside the classroom and, outside, through our initiatives. We also provide extensive staff training, leadership and management programmes, so our teachers can continue their education too.

TEL: +44 (0) 203 696 5300
EMAIL: info@dukeseducation.com
WEBSITE: www.dukeseducation.com