Gordonstoun School

Gordonstoun is one of the leading full boarding schools in the UK.

Our buildings are set in a safe and beautiful 200 acre woodland campus, walking distance from the expansive beaches of the Moray Firth, and within easy reach of the stunning Scottish Highlands. This location means we can deliver a uniquely broad curriculum of indoor and outdoor learning which brings out the best in our pupils, both academically and personally. Our curriculum is based on the educational philosophy of the school’s founder, Dr Kurt Hahn, who believed students should develop their life skills at the same time as they reached their full academic potential. His ambition is summarised in the school’s motto : ‘Plus est en vous’ – ‘There is more in you’.

Our culturally diverse community of students from over forty nationalities includes over 500 girls and boys aged 4½ -18. The physical heart of the school is Gordonstoun House which is our administrative hub and a boarding house for senior boys. There are seven other boarding houses for students aged between 13 and 18 - three for girls and four for boys - and Aberlour House which is home to the Junior School. We offer a smooth transition from Junior to Senior School when pupils reach 13 .

The famous Round Square, home to a boys’ house, the Gordonstoun library and archives, also gives its name to the global organisation of schools which was founded by Dr Kurt Hahn from this building. The association shares our belief in preparing pupils for more than just exams and university by giving them the skills they need for life itself.

As we have expanded over the last 80 years these historic buildings are now complemented by a range of outstanding facilities . Recent additions include a state-of-the-art Sports Centre and a Performing Arts department which includes a studio theatre, drama rehearsal spaces and dance studios.

At Gordonstoun, we believe that a broader curriculum broadens not only minds but opportunities too. It is a belief that’s served both us and our students well for over 80 years and that has made Gordonstoun the world leader in character education. Our curriculum, which is unrivalled in breadth, helps every child to achieve their full potential.

Our motto is ‘Plus est en vous’, which - for those of you who don’t speak French yet – means ‘There is more in you'. The school’s founder, visionary German educationalist Dr Kurt Hahn, believed that young people flourish when their horizons are broadened beyond just their academic potential. He set out to develop the qualities of compassion, honesty, initiative, a thirst for adventure and a sense of service to others in them. His intention was not just to prepare his students for exams, but also for life.

This approach to character education is still achieved at Gordonstoun by combining inspiring classroom learning with an exciting and richly varied range of out of classroom learning experiences. All students take part in our world beating outdoor education and sail training programme, take part in team and individual sports, explore the performing arts, and participate in one of the School’s nine services to the community. These widely differing challenges instil a can-do attitude in our pupils and give them the ability to adapt to new situations quickly and confidently; skills which are essential in later life.

Our young people are also encouraged to take on roles of responsibility from their earliest years in the School and they rise to the challenge, developing an understanding and respect for the wider world.

Our students live in a close knit community that is one third Scottish, one third from the rest of the UK and one third from the rest of the world, so they live and work alongside others from over forty countries. Consequently our students are diverse in culture, faith, aptitude and background and we take pride in our global community and the opportunity it brings to develop a deep and accepting understanding of people from all walks of life and all nations.

Gordonstoun’s physical location in the North of Scotland is another thing that sets the school apart. We are located in a beautiful and safe, 200 acre woodland campus in the heart of the Moray countryside, just moments from the sea and the hills. Our peaceful location is quiet, yet accessible and we have great international transport links - we are only 31 miles from Inverness and 65 miles from Aberdeen airport.

Gordonstoun is one of the UK’s last remaining full boarding schools, co-educational for 4 ½ -18 years olds and dedicated to delivering an ethos which stretches, challenges, nurtures and develops every child in our care, so that they grow into all that they can be.