3 minute read
The Kindergartens Nursery Schools
The Park SW2 and Pooh Corner W8 Kindergartens both achieved ‘Outstanding’ ratings in their Ofsted inspections in October and November 2022, continuing The Kindergartens record of all settings being awarded this highest recognition.
Pooh Corner SW7 Kindergarten received a beautiful new look this year, with all new resources and redecoration throughout, which has been received extremely well by existing and new families looking to join the setting.
The Kindergartens are planning to introduce some new propositions for parents in the coming months, responding to demand and feedback from families. A pipeline of further improvements at each setting is currently being worked on, as well as extended opening hours in selected nursery schools and greater flexibility of care to support working parents. We are also looking to increase the value here for parents with children’s food, inclusive extracurricular activities, and wraparound care being scoped to help elevate our offering.
This year will see us launch parent and baby clubs within selected nursery school catchments, extending the knowledge, advice and guidance that our registered families rely on, to the wider community. This initiative looks to ensure the nurseries remain active in their local neighbourhoods and benefit from friend and family recommendations.
Riverside Nursery Schools
Another hugely successful year for Riverside Nursery Schools has seen demand continue to increase for our year-round settings in particular. Ongoing investment into resources and environments is providing enhanced opportunities for learning and high satisfaction ratings from parents.
The teams have also had some fantastic results following Ofsted inspection in 2022, with Holly Road Twickenham Green achieving ‘Good’, and St Margarets Montessori being rated ‘Outstanding’.
We are excited to shortly be launching a suite of online resources to support families and extend the amazing teaching and learning from our nurseries, to home.
IT WAS A JOY TO CELEBRATE THE ANNUAL DUKES AWARDS IN-PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019.
This year there were over 200 nominations per category and the standard of finalists was exceptional. Hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain at Wembley Stadium, the ceremony celebrated the creativity, skill and tenacity on display across Dukes Education. Congratulations to all our winners and finalists.
1
2
3
INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES
EATON SQUARE PREP
PASTORAL CARE AWARD
JO PACHE
Broomfield House
CHARITABLE/COMMUNITY AWARD
ORCHARD HOUSE
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
ROCHESTER
INDEPENDENT COLLEGE 4
1,300 staff attended
Since launching in summer
2022, the Dukes Club has gone from strength to strength.
Now boasting over 2,700 members from all corners of the Dukes family the Club is a space for families and employees to learn, network, take advantage of exciting opportunities and amazing rewards, and make new friends.
2,700+ Dukes Club Members
4,500+ resource views
20+ businesses offering membership benefits
1,170 minutes of webinar content
232,000 words of expert advice
35 in-person activities, courses, workshops and events thedukesclub.com/ welcome-to-dukes
Among many activities, it hosted its first inaugural inperson event at Eaton Square Senior, helping parents navigate the minefield of senior school admissions; has launched the Little Purple Book, an exclusive directory showcasing businesses owned by or affiliated with Dukes parents; and offered personal tours of London art galleries – a firm favourite with parents and staff.
Have you joined the Club?
The Club is now holding regular weekly webinars covering topics from cradle to career, and everything in between, while the online resource library is bursting at the seams with expert advice – more than 232,800 words to be exact.
The year ahead is just as exciting with a trip to Everest base camp, a fun-filled charity golf day for the whole family and so much more.
You are warmly invited to join the Dukes Club and enjoy its exciting benefits. Visit our website to join our extraordinary community, or for more information.
The shortlisted finalists travelled to Sancton Wood School in Cambridge for a special Finals Day where they performed their poems aloud in front of an illustrious judging panel made up of Gyles Brandreth, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and award-winning poet and author Lucy Cuthew.
A number of local Cambridge schools and proud grandparents attended the event, too, and everyone who came enjoyed poetry workshops with both Lucy Cuthew and Joseph Coelho.
Three lucky winners from that day were chosen to perform their poems on live TV on Remembrance Day 11 November, on ITV’s This Morning alongside Gyles Brandreth.
Here are some photos from this year’s competition!
