Duke of York's Royal Military School

The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, more commonly called the Duke of York’s, is a co-educational Academy with military traditions in Dover, Kent. Since becoming an Academy in 2010, the school is now sponsored by the MOD, and accepts applications from any student wishing to board. Before 2010, only those students whose parents were serving or had served in the armed forces were eligible.With the transition to Academy status, the school became a state boarding academy and oversight transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Education.The Duke of York’s has many traditions and a rich history, which includes ceremonial parades and uniforms, a monitorial style of education modelled on the English public school system. This rich history includes a long line of notable alumni, known as Dukies, including senior generals, famous musicians, sportsmen, many leading academic scientists and clergymen and a long list of decorated armed forces personnel.HistoryFounded in 1803 by act of Royal Warrant dating from 1801, the school was until 1892 called the Royal Military Asylum. The school’s primary purpose was to educate the orphans of British servicemen killed in the Napoleonic Wars of 1793-1815. Between 1803 and 1909 the Royal Military Asylum was located at what is now known as the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea, London. The school was co-educational; making the Duke of York's the second co-educational boarding school in the United Kingdom. The first co-educational institution was the Royal Hibernian Military School in Dublin, which was relocated and merged with Duke of York's after Ireland declared independence. Today the Chelsea site is home to the Saatchi Gallery.