Number of pupils: 410
Percentage of boarders: 90%
Percentage of international pupils: 35%
Av. class size: senior school - 11 / 6th Form - 8
Closest international airport: Aberdeen and Inverness Airports, both one hour away by car
Fees per term for 2023/24: £16,330
A-Levels, GCSEs and a few BTecs on offer.
Gordonstoun is non-selective, yet achieves consistently solid exam results, including a respectable 53% 9-7 grades at GCSEs and 31% A-grades at A-Levels in 2023. This is in no small part due to the good pupil-to-teacher ratio of 10:1, a good tutorial system as well as highly dedicated teachers and a very supportive learning environment.
The school's learning support provision is very good. Three full-time SEN teachers are available. One-on-one coaching and thorough learning support for dyslexia and dyscalcula are provided.
With regards to languages, Gordonstoun offers German, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek.
Nearly full-boarding with 90% of pupils living at school 7 days a week. 35% of pupils are international, thoughtfully distributed across nine cozy boarding houses. Most pupils share rooms with one to three other pupils.
Exeat weekends exist but are not compulsory.
Gordonstoun's very clear identity as a school that will challenge pupils in and outside the classroom is a definitive strength. We know few schools that live up to their credo (Gordonstoun's, freely translated is: "there is more in you") as consistently and passionately as Gordonstoun does!
Gordonstoun's many outdoors activities are excellent. Pupils go mountain-biking, sea canoeing, white-water kayaking, rock-climbing, caving and, of course, sailing. This trains pupils endurance and resilience and allows them to forge friendships for life.
Sports is very varied here with the classics rugby, cricket, hockey on offer, but also horse-riding, skiing, mountain biking, snowboarding, karate, aerobics, golf (five hole golf course!), swimming, indoor climbing and shooting.
The community spirit here is very strong, fostered by a nearly full boarding community, passionate, caring teachers and the Kurt Hahn'sche Round Square ethos. Part of this is also that pupils take personal and collective responsibility for the immediate and wider community.
Not for the academically ambitious (although we have had very academic kids here!), but Gordonstoun doesn't pretend to be an academic hothouse either.