Gordonstoun School: Welcoming students from near and far

As increasing numbers of young people from around the world look for top boarding schools to attend in the UK, Which School Advisor has put together an article that advises prospective international students on how to prepare for boarding. The article notes that many overseas students decide to make the most of boarding in the UK, especially at leading institutes like Scotland’s Gordonstoun School. In fact, international students make up 40% of boarding school residents across the UK.

That said, adjusting to an unfamiliar culture, different foods, and perhaps even a foreign language is a big step for any child. Therefore, it’s essential that boarding schools make special provisions for international students and create a welcoming environment. Here’s how Gordonstoun School makes every effort to help both its international students and its local students settle in.

Internationalism at Gordonstoun

Gordonstoun School welcomes a diverse student community of over 40 nationalities. One-third of students come from overseas, so international students are unlikely to feel alone while they settle in.

Internationalism is a core part of Gordonstoun’s ethos, and staff integrate this theme into the curriculum by teaching courses such as International and Spiritual Citizenship. The richness of different faiths, cultures, and backgrounds in the school community is a valued part of students’ education, and Gordonstoun prides itself on helping its students broaden their understanding of the world and connect with people from all walks of life.

Meanwhile, Gordonstoun’s inclusive house system helps students adapt to boarding life and make friends. Staff ensure that students mix with young people from a range of backgrounds in their houses. The school also offers an array of mixed-house activities so students can socialise with young people from all houses. Some of these extracurricular activities include a variety of sports, coastguard volunteering, and playing in a Scottish pipe band.

Gordonstoun’s deeply global worldview is further supported by its central role in the creation of the Round Square scheme, a worldwide collaboration of almost 200 schools. In line with Gordonstoun’s ethos of teaching internationalism and social consciousness alongside traditional academia, Round Square offers Gordonstoun staff and students the chance to attend international conferences and volunteer in a variety of projects overseas.

An International History

Gordonstoun boasts a rich international history: Dr. Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist, founded the school in 1934 after being imprisoned for opposing the Nazi party and fleeing to Moray, Scotland.

History threads throughout Gordonstoun’s estate, which dates back to the 13th century. The campus features “Round Square”, a distinctive, circular building; a war memorial; and the ancient Michael Kirk church, where new students attend a welcome service with their year groups. Cutting-edge facilities complement these historic buildings — notably a state-of-the-art theatre and modern sports centre with sports hall, fitness suite, swimming pool, squash courts, dance studio, climbing wall, performance gym, and analysis classrooms.

The school’s history also underscores its pioneering approach to education. Not only was Gordonstoun the first school to educate a British heir (Prince Charles) to the throne, but the school was one of the first in the UK to become entirely co-educational and to provide a summer school. Plus, Gordonstoun is the only British school to run a fire service.

Gordonstoun’s Summer School

The Which School Advisor article recommends that students who are preparing to attend boarding school join a summer school programme first. This way, new students can get a feel for their boarding school before officially starting and meet some of the students they will study with. This can be an especially valuable experience for international students, who can also use summer school as an opportunity to practise their written and spoken English language skills and familiarise themselves with life in the UK.

The Gordonstoun International Summer School is an ideal programme for students to ease themselves into boarding life. During the programme, staff help young people learn new skills, have fun, and discover the exciting adventures that boarding school has to offer. Gordonstoun also offers listening, speaking, reading, and writing tuition for summer school students who are learning English as a second language. Staff tailor this tuition to each international student’s level to help them get as comfortable as possible with English before starting their first academic term.

Meanwhile, fluent English speakers can select courses in subjects like literature and creative writing, Spanish, and computing. The summer school combines these academic opportunities with confidence-building clubs, including drama, photography, sports, arts, and adventure activities. Staff also take students on recreational trips to historic landmarks like Inverness Castle and Loch Ness (to search out the infamous monster).

International summer school alumni have been thrilled with the remarkable progress they have made in English during their programmes, not to mention the friends they have made and the new activities they have tried. The summer school programme may only be a few weeks long, but each student leaves prepared to make the most of their experience when they return as boarding students and with a full sense of what Gordonstoun has to offer.

Settling In at Gordonstoun

When new students arrive at Gordonstoun for their first academic term, they enjoy the school’s unique approach to welcoming students. Gordonstoun provides these students with their first adventure right away — a camping expedition on the school’s 200-acre woodland campus, which is walking distance from the rugged beaches of the Moray Firth and near the awe-inspiring Scottish Highlands. During this expedition, students explore the great British outdoors, put up tents, light fires, and bond with their fellow boarders.

Once back on campus, students continue to partake in an array of activities and opportunities, making them too busy to miss home. The school’s head of admissions even recalls one student who was afraid of the water until he found his love for sailing.

Gordonstoun encourages students to spend plenty of time in the fresh air. The campus boasts a range of outdoor facilities, including barbeque areas with fire pits, trampolines, and mountain bike trails to promote outdoor enjoyment. On top of this, the school encourages all students to complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which former student HRH Prince Philip developed with Dr. Hahn in 1956. The award is now an international initiative that young people around the world complete to build their confidence, resilience, and teamwork skills.

With so much exploring to do at Gordonstoun, students should bring suitable clothing ready for the unpredictable UK climate — extra socks are a must. Besides these essentials, previous students have suggested that new arrivals pack some homely items, such as their favourite mug and a selection of sauces and spices for their new friends to sample.

Aiming High

New arrivals at Gordonstoun may take comfort in the fact that they are not alone — thousands of students have already embarked upon the same journey and have gone on to achieve their ambitions.

Learn more about life at Gordonstoun School.

About Gordonstoun School

Gordonstoun’s motto is Plus est en vous (there is more in you). The school recognises that every child has incredible capabilities and that reaching their full potential requires an innovative teaching programme, delivered both in the classroom and outdoors. Education at Gordonstoun is about so much more than academia and preparing for exams. Students from all backgrounds receive the support, tuition, and coaching they need to build confidence and take their dreams into the real world, plus the skills to make these dreams a reality.