| Gordonstoun School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Gordonstoun Road , , IV30 5RF Scotland | |
| Coordinates | 57°42′15″N 3°22′18″W / 57.704167°N 3.371667°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school Private boarding school |
| Motto | Plus est en vous (There is more in you) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Inter-denominational |
| Established | 1934 |
| Founder | Kurt Hahn |
| Local authority | Scottish Council for Independent Schools |
| Chairman of Governors | Catherine Eve Poole |
| Principal | Lisa Kerr |
| Chaplain | Christian Collett |
| Staff | ~120 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 518 |
| Houses | 8 boarding |
| Colour(s) | purple, white |
| Publication | The Gordonstoun Record |
| Former pupils | Old Gordonstounians |
| Website | gordonstoun |
Gordonstoun School (/ˈɡɔːrdənstən/ GOR-dən-stən) is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the 150-acre (60-hectare) estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is located in Duffus to the north-west of Elgin.[1] Pupils are accepted subject to an interview plus references and exam results.[2]
It was founded in 1934 as the British Salem School by German-Jewish educator Kurt Hahn based on the model of Schule Schloss Salem, that he had founded in Germany in 1919. Gordonstoun has an enrolment of around 500 full boarders as well as about 100 day pupils between the ages of 5 and 18.[3] With the number of teaching staff exceeding 100, there is a low student-teacher ratio compared to the average in the United Kingdom.[4] There are eight boarding houses (formerly nine prior to the closure of Altyre house in summer 2016) including two 17th-century buildings that were part of the original estate. The other houses have been built or modified since the school was established.
Gordonstoun has some notable alumni.[5] Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip and his son King Charles III.[6] Rock musician David Bowie sent his son Duncan Jones to Gordonstoun, and Jason Connery, son of actor Sir Sean Connery, also attended.[7][8] Due to Hahn's influence, the school has had a strong connection with Germany. It is part of the Round Square Conference of Schools, a group of more than 80 schools across the globe based on the teaching of Hahn, and named after the Round Square building at Gordonstoun, where the first conference took place in 1967. Around 30% of students attending Gordonstoun come from abroad.[9]
There were acknowledged cases of reported pupil abuse with no action taken in the 1970s and 1980s, for which the school much later apologised, commenting that at the time there had been "a completely unacceptable view that these were just things that happen".
Gordonstoun is included in The Schools Index as one of the 150 best private schools in the world and among top 30 senior schools in the UK.[10]
- ^ "Gordonstoun Manor History". 2004. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ "Gordonstoun Review". Good Schools Guide. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Which Schools: Gordonstoun Details". Which School Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ Graeme Paton (8 September 2009). "UK Class Sizes". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
- ^ "Gordonstoun: Employment". Gordonstoun. 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ "School merger for Gordonstoun". BBC News. 15 March 2002. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
- ^ Fox, Killean (18 July 2009). "Observer Profile: Duncan Jones: Creating his own space odyssey". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "'My father is NOT a tyrant,' says Sean Connery's son". London Evening Standard. 27 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Jocelin Young (1 October 1992). "Round Square: Who We Are". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
- ^ McNamee, Annie (6 April 2024). "These are UK's best private schools, according to a prestigious ranking". Time Out United Kingdom. Retrieved 11 April 2024.