Governors

Dukes Education

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.

Why Dukes?

• We are genuinely passionate about developing young people. We get them involved and learn from what they say to help us define how to continue to innovate;
• We think long term. All of our decision making is shaped by a goal to build schools that are not just excelling now but are set up for an extraordinary future;
• We operate a decentralised structure, enabling our teams to be autonomous, this hugely empowers the Head and staff. We bring together schools that are diverse but all represent outstanding examples of teaching and learning. We pride ourselves on retaining the distinctive culture of each school whilst providing an outstanding level of support;
• We heavily invest in staff training and development through programmes created by our own Dukes team – probably more than any group I know. In addition, we provide plenty of opportunities for peer group support.

Chair of Governors – Aatif Hassan

Aatif’s Background

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.

Deputy Chairman – Professor Mark Bailey

Mark’s Background

Professor Mark Bailey has been a Managing Director of Dukes Education since 2020, having served on the Governing Bodies of three Dukes schools and been Chairman of the Dukes Education Advisory Board since 2017. Mark is on the Board of Directors for Dukes Education and is the lead governor for Eaton House Schools, working closely with Sarah Segrave.

He has split a career between schools and higher education. He was Headmaster of Leeds Grammar School, then High Master of St Paul’s School (2011-2020). He is a regular speaker on independent education. Mark has been a Fellow of one Oxford and two Cambridge colleges and is currently Professor of Late Medieval History at the University of East Anglia. He played rugby for Wasps and England before decimalisation.
His vast experience in education will greatly support the school governance as well as provide an incredible insight into day and boarding senior schools for our pupils.