Bucharest’s Verita International School has become the first Romanian member of the UK-based Dukes Education network, in a partnership that channels tens of millions of euros into two new campuses and upgraded facilities, including the country’s first “green” school building. School founder Richard Joannides says the tie-up “takes the school to the next level” by widening access to international best practice and resources.
Beyond the headline investment, the deal promises a series of tangible gains for the school’s 650-plus pupils, connecting them to a network of more than 50 European schools and 20,000 students.
A taste of university life before graduation
One of the most immediate perks is guaranteed access to Dukes’ flagship summer schools, held on the campuses of Cambridge, Oxford, and Eton College. The short, residential courses replicate university-style teaching and bring together teenagers from across the network, providing Verita pupils with intensive academic English practice, exposure to specialist subjects, and an opportunity to benchmark themselves against international peers.
For many Romanian students, it is a low-risk window onto elite higher-education environments that might otherwise feel remote.
Expert guidance to navigate competitive admissions at top universities
Getting into world-ranked universities is increasingly technical, a reality Dukes has spent 25 years addressing. Through the partnership, Verita sixth-form students gain access to a team of veteran admissions counselors whose track record includes a 50 percent success rate for Oxford and Cambridge applicants, triple the general acceptance rate of around 17 percent.
Personal-statement workshops, mock interviews, and tailored course selection advice aim to demystify the process and help students present stronger, better-researched applications on both sides of the Atlantic.
Early career insight through counselling and internships
Academic results are only part of a competitive CV; employers increasingly prize work experience and self-awareness. Dukes’ careers office opens the door to internships at leading international organizations and to one-to-one guidance on subject choices and career pathways.
By linking classroom learning to real-world contexts, the service helps teenagers refine their study goals, build professional networks, and assemble more compelling resumes long before graduation.
A wider stage for sports, arts and community life
Membership of the 50-school network also brings extracurricular opportunities for Verita students, such as invitations to cross-border sports tournaments, Model UN conferences, and arts festivals. Families also join the Dukes Club, a 3,000-strong association that organizes field trips and expert-led webinars on personal and professional development. Such mixed-nationality gatherings cultivate cultural agility, teamwork, and public-speaking skills that standard classroom lessons rarely replicate.
Better teaching fueled by global professional development
The partnership’s benefits extend beyond students. Verita’s 80 teachers now have access to a pool of some 1,800 colleagues, nearly 50 annual training events, and bespoke leadership programmes. A biennial peer-review cycle under the Dukes Quality Assessment Framework is expected to feed best practice back into classrooms.
For students, that translates into fresher pedagogy, up-to-date content, and staff who are themselves lifelong learners.
Looking ahead
Construction of two energy-efficient campuses is set to start this year, marking the partnership’s tangible commitment to Romanian education.
For Romanian students, the Verita-Dukes alliance is more than a headline investment: it plugs Romanian learners into an international ecosystem that can open doors – academic, professional, and personal – well beyond their school years.
At the same time, for the pupils’ families, the partnership offers a local route to university pathways that once required relocating abroad.
*This is native content supported by Verita International School.
