From 2–6 July, David Goodhew, Managing Director of Dukes Education and Trustee of the Dukes Foundation, will be “getting on his bike for bursaries”.
Over four days, David will cycle an ambitious 400km coast-to-coast across the UK with an equally ambitious goal: to raise £40,000 to fund a transformational bursary at Kneller Hall School which opens in September 2027.
This challenge is about far more than endurance. It is about providing access to the extraordinary education and opportunities that Dukes Education’s Kneller Hall will offer. Closing the disadvantage gap of talented young people from low-income backgrounds isn’t only life changing for the individual, but it advances social mobility, bringing wonderful diversity to classrooms and future boardrooms.
David has long been passionate about widening access to life-changing education through bursaries. The son of a postman and a cleaner; he went to a local comprehensive school and was the first member of his family to do A-levels or go to university. He knows that the education he received, especially at Oxford, changed his life and knows that Dukes can do the same for hundreds of children like him.
Through this ride, he is turning that lived experience and commitment into action. The funds raised will support a sixth form bursary place at Kneller Hall School, the new home of Radnor House Twickenham. Representing one of the most significant educational developments in southwest London for a generation, the world-class school will combine outstanding facilities with one of the largest areas of green space offered by any London day school.
Designed for pupils aged 4 to 18, the school will provide an education that blends academic ambition with creativity, character development and wellbeing. Purpose-built science laboratories, design and technology suites, performing arts spaces and exceptional sports facilities will sit within a remarkable historic campus, creating opportunities rarely found in London schools.
The bursary funded through this campaign will help ensure that access to this extraordinary educational environment is determined by talent and potential, not by family income. The need has never been greater. In Britain today, a child’s future remains too heavily influenced by their background. Learning gaps have widened, opportunities remain unevenly distributed, and too many talented young people are unable to access an education that will see them thrive.
Work by the Sutton Trust and the Education Policy Institute has highlighted an attainment gap of approximately eighteen months to two years between pupils from wealthy backgrounds and those from poor backgrounds; sadly this gap has worsened as a result of the pandemic. Yet research by the OECD shows that, when disadvantaged pupils have the chance to attend advantaged schools, the effect size is equivalent to two and half years of schooling.
Further research consistently demonstrates the transformative impact of bursaries. They improve academic outcomes, increase access to leading universities, broaden career opportunities and crucially create lasting social mobility. Importantly, they give young people confidence, aspiration, belonging and the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Every donation will help create that opportunity for a future Kneller Hall sixth form student. Donations will be match funded by Dukes Education through fee remissions, underscoring the commitment to transformational bursaries and belief that widening access and transforming young lives is a shared responsibility.
One bursary. One future transformed. A lifetime of impact.
