Why Gordonstoun?

A broader curriculum that broadens minds.

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.

Plus Est En Vous - There Is More In You The Gordonstoun motto is as relevant today as it was when Kurt Hahn, founder of Gordonstoun, created it.

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.

Come and see for yourself!