Dukes Education empowers children to live extraordinary lives
David Goodhew Managing Director, Dukes Education Educationalists guide students to lead with their hearts with an emphasis on high performance, innovation and service.
Founded by Aatif Hassan in 2015, the Dukes Education family of schools has grown rapidly over the past several years. Today, the K-12 institution has about 40 schools in the UK and roughly 20 overseas. While these schools have different settings, they are united by a common thread—a passion to empower children to live extraordinary lives.
“Our approach focuses on leadership not just of others but of self,” says David Goodhew, one of the managing directors at Dukes Education. “For us, leadership is about high performance, innovation and adventure. We want our students to lead with their hearts, embracing service and cherishing humility.”
With most of its board members being educationalists, Dukes has a laser focus on best practices in teaching and learning. Therefore, it invests heavily in the professional development of all its staff through leadership training programs, building collaborative networks and access to coaching and mentoring. Research shows that investing in the quality of teaching significantly improves the outcomes for students. For example, Cardiff Sixth Form College is regularly ranked as one of the top schools in the world for “A” levels.
In terms of innovation, Dukes is researching and developing the use of AI to enhance teaching and improve students’ metacognition, as well as mastery of their learning.
The Dukes Young Leaders Award brings together all the leadership programs into one focused endeavor. Dukes schools also offer a whole suite of integrated services via “Dukes Plus,” which provides students with ample support, including work experience, internship opportunities, advice on access to competitive universities and activities that complement classroom learning, such as summer schools and holiday camps.
True to its commitment to serving others, the Dukes Foundation has the ambition to be the largest provider of transformational bursaries or scholarships in the UK by 2026.
“A good education should change your life,” Goodhew says. “Empowering children to lead extraordinary lives can change the world.”
