I O N

ED U C AT

: D U K E S

PH OTO

SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES & CHAMPIONS

LEADING WITH

THE HEART David Goodhew, managing director of the Dukes Foundation, explains why now is the perfect time to expand bursary provision diversit y of thought (e.g. Matthew Syed ’s Rebel Ideas). A soc io-econom ic a l ly diverse peer group, powered by bursaries, avoids the risk of children growing up in the monoculture of a ‘priv i leged bubble’ and equips them to collaborate with peers from a l l walks of l ife – a v ita l sk i l l for success in the

As a classicist, it would be remiss of me not to reflect on the Greek roots of the word ‘philanthropy’: Liddell and Scott ’s lexicon defines φιλανθρωπία as ‘ humanit y, benevolence, k indliness’. This is in harmony with one of our core Dukes values, namely t hat we le ad w it h hea r t . The Dukes Foundation is committed to supporting young people’s education, healthcare, mental health and wellbeing, as well as sustainabilit y and the planet. To date, the Foundation has put those words into action by supporting among others – a new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital, the British Asian Trust’s School Mental Health Project, Place2Be, London Youth and Poetr y Together.

David Goodhew

However, as Dukes approaches it s 10 t h a nn iver sa r y, I am e spec ia l ly inspired by our ambitious plans to become the leading provider of transformational bursaries in the UK. There are so many reasons why this is the right thing to do at the right time. Work by the Sutton Trust and the Education Policy Institute had a lready highlighted an attainment gap of approximately 18 months to t wo years bet ween pupils from wealthy backgrounds and those from poor backgrounds; sadly this gap has worsened as a re su lt of t he pandemic. Yet re sea rc h by the OECD shows that, when disadvantaged pupils have the chance to attend advantaged schools, the effect size is equivalent to t wo-anda-ha l f yea r s of sc hool ing.

‘ This is the right thing to do... we can wider world of the 21st centur y. In short, it ’s not just the recipients of bursaries who benefit from being in schools that offer them - ever yone benefits f rom being pa r t of a deeper and wider ta lent pool.

This is a lso the case for colleagues: those who choose to work in education, whether as teachers or support sta ff, frequently have a st rong soc ia l consc ience and are attracted by the opportunit y to work for an organisation that l ives their values. This is especially true for the current cohort of Gen-Z employees. The work of the Foundation, including what could become a sector-leading bursar y programme, will a l low Dukes to rec r u it a nd ret a i n more of t he most able and conscientious professiona ls in the education space.

The mission and purpose of Dukes is to ‘empower our children to l ive an extraordinar y l ife’. If we can find a way to widen access for as many children as possible, not only those who can a fford the fees, we will be able to make a posit ive d i fference to soc ia l mobi l it y in this countr y.

The UK has one of the lowest rates of social mobilit y in the developed world, which is not only a colossal waste of untapped potential but is a lso a brake on our economy and culture.

Another lesson from the pandemic is that, while instruction can be delivered remotely or online, education is a profoundly social experience. This is supported by the work of Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who has shown that there are evolutionar y and neurobiological rea sons why teena ger s a re ha rd-w i red to pay a s much (i f not more!) at tent ion to their peers as the adults in their l ife. If education is about learning l ife le s sons i n t he company of you r peer s , t hen who you r peer s a re i s a s impor ta nt as who your teachers are. Much work has been done on the benefits of find a way to widen access for as many children as possible, not only those who can afford the fees’

This is an issue I care deeply about myself. The son of a postman and a cleaner, I grew up in the tower block opposite Grenfell; I went to my local primar y school and state secondar y school. I was the fi rst member of my family to do A-le vel s or go to universit y. I know that the education I received, especially at Oxford, changed my l ife and I know that Dukes can do the same for hundreds of children l ike me ever y year.

Watch this space. 

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