About Us

1801 – Foundation as Britain’s first state-funded school 

Initially founded by Royal Warrant as the Royal Military Asylum, the school was built on land purchased principally from the Cadogan Estate in Chelsea. On 19th June 1801, sufficient building had taken place for HRH Frederick Duke of York to lay the foundation stone. The trowel used resides in the School Museum. By 1810 the cost of building and fitting the establishment came to £104,000; the school’s original estate, Duke of York’s HQ, is now home to the Saachi Gallery. 

The school was initially intended to cater for 500 boys and girls who were orphans and children of Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the British Army. Students would be educated until the age of 14 at which point they would either join the army or find employment in a trade. The War Office funded the entire enterprise. The first student to enter on 29th August 1803 was John Evans, son of Cpl Evans of 81st Loyal Lincoln Regiment. By 1811 there were 934 boys and 471 girls. 

1803-1846: The Royal Military Asylum 

The Royal Military Asylum was run by retired Army officers with education overseen by the Chaplain. Teaching was basic and carried out by Serjeant Schoolmasters. Dr Bell’s Monitorial System was used by which a simple lesson in reading, writing or arithmetic was imparted to monitors. They repeated it to a group of up to 30 students in a room of over 100. Boys learned trades such as tailoring, shoemaking, gunnery and band. Girls did needlework and knitting, and were prepared for domestic service.  

The results of the Peninsular War increased the number of students, so branch establishments were opened in a converted cavalry barracks in Southampton in 1817, and a branch for infants in Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight.  

By 1830 a conscious decision was made to reduce the number of girls at the school. Social attitudes at the time helped to determine that educating only boys would be a better return on the Government’s investment, as they would join the Army. The last girl to leave was Harriet Males in 1846, aged 12. 

1846-1909: The Later Years in Chelsea 

Lessons continued three days a week, with trades, band or drum practice and drill occupying the other three. The Royal Military Asylum also educated student teachers for the newly formed Corps of Army Schoolmasters. The curriculum included industrial mechanics, fortification, singing and scripture. Army Schoolmaster training was moved to Aldershot in 1887. 

In 1857, the band was present in Hyde Park for the first Victoria Cross investiture, in the presence of Queen Victoria.  

By the 1870s an annual prizegiving, inspection and parade had become formalised into ‘Grand Day’, a tradition which continues today.    

In 1892, the school’s name was changed to The Duke of York’s Royal Military School. By 1896, The School Chronicle, ‘Sons of the Brave’ was started by the Chaplain, Revd G H Andrews. It provided a detailed look at daily life in the school. 

The Old Boys’ Association was founded in 1908 following a Reunion Luncheon held on Empire Day 1908 to celebrate a visit to the school by Edward VII.  

1909: Move to Dover 

Chelsea had become an increasingly unhealthy place as it was absorbed into the encroaching suburbs of London. The estate was also falling into disrepair. A new site was selected, ‘Lone Tree Hill,’ an army exercise area near the cliffs of Dover. 

The new school was built along the lines of a model village. It included housing for the Commandant, staff, 8 Boarding Houses, Admin and Classroom Blocks, Science Laboratories, Band Room, Post Office, Sanatorium, Rifle Range, Dining Hall & Clocktower, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, numerous workshops and a Parade Ground. The Chapel was the heart of the new community. The Chaplain, Revd G H Andrews, lead 167 boys and staff to occupy the new school on 16th July 1909.  

The school day included reveille, prayers, chores and breakfast by 08:00, then the first of three sessions of school lessons totalling four hours throughout the day.  The rest of the day was devoted to drill or each boy’s trade: tailoring, shoemaking, gunnery, signalling, band or drums.  

1914-1940: World War I & II Evacuations

In August 1914 the school was evacuated from Dover to the Hutton Poplar Training School in Essex. School routine was retained as far as possible for the duration of the war. The school returned to Dover in July 1919. 

In 1917 it was agreed that every boy should wear the badge of his father’s regiment on the left breast of his uniform. It became known as the Heart badge and is still worn today by every student on their ceremonial uniform. 

The school was again evacuated in June 1940. Boys were sent home while a temporary site in Cheltenham (now part of GCHQ) was found. The site quickly proved unsuitable. However, eventually the school took over a recently opened luxury hotel at Saunton Sands in Devon. While some boys remained at home, joined the Army or attended our sister school, Queen Victoria’s in Dunblane, the majority relocated to Devon in January 1941 where the school remained until its return to Dover in April 1946. 

Between the Wars: Remembrance & Education

By 1919, £1,200 had been raised by subscription towards the cost of The Old Boys’ War Memorial, which was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Connaught on 27th June 1922. Today, the cenotaph still plays a significant part in the school’s Remembrance Sunday parade. 

The foundation of the Army Education Corps in 1920 served to unify the military and educational sides of the school, with the curriculum modified to include organised hobbies and an extended programme of competitive sport. The military element of the school remained strong with musketry, gunnery, signalling and field exercises being taught. The band and drums were well known in Dover. It was common to see the boys in their khaki service dress, led by the band, marching through Dover on Saturday afternoons. 

Our sister school, The Royal Hibernian Military School, Dublin was founded in 1769. Following Irish independence in 1921, the school closed and was absorbed by The Duke of York’s Royal Military School in 1924. 

1946 onwards: A Modern-Day School 

Lt. General Nye was a pupil at the school from 1904-1914. During World War I he quickly rose through the ranks within the Leinster Regiment. He eventually became Vice Chief of The Imperial General Staff 1941-1946. Later, he served as High Commissioner both in India and Canada. He used his influence as a School Commissioner to modernise the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, making it more like a public school than an army unit whilst at the same time retaining its customs, outlook and atmosphere. 

In 1946, the school appointed its first professional teachers. By 1949 Army trades had ceased to be taught and the curriculum became more academic. 

In 1956, the School Chronicle ‘Sons of the Brave’ was renamed ‘The Yorkist’ and was predominately a student-led publication. By 1965, the Khaki military working dress was replaced by a civilian-style school uniform. 

The 90s: Tri-Service & Co-Education 

In 1992, the school became a Ministry of Defence agency. As a result, the school was able to expand its intake to include boys from all three services. The school’s Combined Cadet Force expanded to include Navy and RAF sections. 

In 1994, after 148 years of boys only education, girls were re-admitted into the school. The former Sanatorium was converted to provide boarding accommodation for 52 girls joining in Years 7, 9, 10 & 12 and was renamed Alanbrooke House. As the number of girls increased, Marlborough, Wolfe and Clive Houses were taken over as girls’ boarding accommodation. 

The 2010s – Academisation & Estate Development 

In 2010, The Duke of York’s Royal Military School became a state-funded, co-educational boarding academy for 11-18-year-olds. The Board of Commissioners, mostly senior serving and retired military officers was replaced with a broadly civilian Board of Governors, now known as Trustees. The school is still fortunate to have Trustees from across the three services and is sponsored by the MOD.  

Work on purpose-built accommodation for Sixth Form students was completed in 2009 and first occupied in 2010, with the name ‘Centenary House’ reflecting the centenary of the school’s move to Dover. Two further wings were later added to accommodate an increasing number of sixth form students.  

A £24.9 million refurbishment project was launched following a Ministry of Defence grant in 2012. By September 2014, the school opened new boarding accommodation, refurbished senior houses, two new specialist teaching blocks, a new sports hall, and Olympic-standard athletics arena.