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The Duke of York's Royal Military School

A co-educational boarding school for students aged 11-18

About Us

A Unique and Iconic School

In 1801, His Royal Highness Frederick Duke of York laid the foundation stone in Chelsea of what was to become The Duke of York's Royal Military School, a school for the children of military personnel which opened in 1803. Then in 1909, the school relocated to its present site in Dover, Kent and in 2010, we became the first full state boarding academy, opening our doors to any family wishing to choose this unique and iconic school for their child’s secondary education.

A £24.9 million refurbishment project in 2014 has delivered a new Sports Centre, high-quality accommodation, and teaching blocks, as well as a Performing Arts Centre.

Military Ethos and Heritage

Our military ethos and heritage is what stands us apart from any other school, helping our students to develop strong character and life skills. It’s what makes us the state boarding school of choice for families looking for a quality education for their child at a competitive price. While still educating many children from forces families, we remain at the forefront of educational excellence, preparing students from all backgrounds for the next steps in their young lives, driven by our six core values of courage, integrity, respect, commitment, loyalty and self-discipline.

Academic Achievement

We are a non-selective school, but we consistently perform significantly above the national average with our GCSE results. The progress our students make during their time at the School is a significant strength. Supervised prep, Saturday morning lessons, small classes and proactively encouraging each and every student to achieve the very best they can, ensures that we maintain a high academic standard.  We work to an independent school model; it is busy, dynamic and where Saturday morning school is part of our routine with sport, performance and activities in the afternoon.

An All-Round Education

Our aim is to provide an all-round education with an academic focus and our Dukies motto is ‘looking forward with confidence and looking back with pride’.  Our extensive co-curricular offer provides a wide range of opportunities that exposes Dukies to new possibilities. This results in setting Dukies apart when they leave us to tackle their next steps in life, well-equipped with the skills they will need to be successful.