Dukes Education chooses 8billionideas to support the rollout of the Dukes Diploma across its schools

Group-wide agreement pairs a school group expanding across the UK, Europe and North America with the future-skills company behind The Critical Curriculum

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dukes Education, the London-based family of independent schools, nurseries, colleges and education consultancy services, has chosen 8billionideas as a partner to help its schools bring the Dukes Diploma – the group’s own answer to what every young person should leave school with – to life.

The group-wide framework agreement brings together two organisations that have long made the same case: grades alone are no longer enough. Young people also need to think critically, lead with character and make a difference in the world they are entering.

8billionideas is the global education company behind The Critical Curriculum and the teaching and learning partner for the International GCSE Global Skills Projects, developed by OxfordAQA.

The agreement gives every Dukes Education school access to its programmes on agreed group terms. It does not commit any individual school to take up a programme – each school chooses the provision that best fits its pupils.

Founded in 2015, Dukes Education has grown quickly. It now has around 27 schools in the UK and Ireland and 28 across 10 European countries, opened its first school in North America this year and has further expansion planned.

At the heart of the partnership is the Dukes Diploma – the group’s own framework for the skills and character it wants every student to leave school with. It is built around four areas: Character, Critical Thinking, Digital Wisdom and Serving Global Society.

The Diploma is being piloted in Dukes Education schools in the UK and Ireland this academic year, ahead of a full rollout across the group, including its schools in Europe, from September 2027.

Rather than a set curriculum, the Diploma acts as a framework around what Dukes Education schools already do well. 8billionideas will help schools identify and close any gaps between their current provision and what the Diploma asks of students, with early work focused on digital wisdom. The two organisations are also exploring how the Diploma could be assessed and evidenced as it moves towards full rollout.

The agreement gives Dukes Education schools access to the full range of 8billionideas’ provision. That includes six of the eight pillars of The Critical Curriculum, from Year 1 to Year 13, alongside teacher CPD, live and online experience days and showcases, The Internship and Startup School, and the International GCSE Global Skills Projects.

It applies to schools following British, American, IB and international curricula – reflecting the breadth of a group whose schools range from London preparatory schools and sixth form colleges to international schools across mainland Europe.

Professor Mark Bailey, Managing Director and Chair of the Global Education Advisory Board, Dukes Education, said: “The Dukes Diploma is about making sure every one of our students leaves with the character, judgement and skills to thrive – not just the grades. Our schools are rightly proud of what they already do, and the Diploma builds on that. 8billionideas shares our belief in what education should be for and gives our schools a trusted partner to draw on as the Diploma grows across the group.”

David Harkin, CEO and Co-Founder, 8billionideas, added: “Dukes Education is one of the most progressive school groups in education today, and it has been making the same argument we have for years – that young people need far more than exam grades to thrive. It has grown remarkably quickly without losing sight of the kind of exceptional young people its schools send out into the world.

“The Dukes Diploma is one of the most ambitious statements any school group has made about the purpose of education. We are proud to support it – adding programmes, expertise and experiences where schools want them, while respecting the distinct character of every Dukes Education school.”

Further information about 8billionideas and its programmes is available at www.8billionideas.com.

Jon Bramley
8billionideas
+44 7949 623963