5 Gordonstoun boys are charged with ‘sex attack’ on male pupil
£40,000-a-year ‘royal’ school rocked by claims
A TEENAGE boy has allegedly been the victim of a sexual assault at a top private school.
Five other male pupils are accused of attacking the student at £40,000-a-year Gordonstoun, near Elgin, Moray, on November 11.
The school, which Prince Charles famously referred to as ‘Colditz in kilts’ because of its strict regime, confirmed the incident yesterday.
Details of the location of the alleged attack are not known but it is understood to be a ‘low level’ incident which did not leave the alleged victim seriously injured.
Detectives are preparing a report for prosecutors.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Five teenage boys have been charged in relation to an alleged assault in the Moray area.
‘A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal and children’s reporter.’
A spokesman for the school said: ‘Gordonstoun is a warm and supportive community where the safety and care of students is at the heart of everything we do.
‘If an incident is reported to us we always investigate thoroughly and take appropriate action, working with the relevant authorities and liaising sensitively with our
‘Highest standards of child protection’
pupils and their parents. We adhere to the highest standards of child protection and our commitment to providing outstanding pastoral care was reflected in the school’s most recent Care Inspectorate report.’
Gordonstoun has 600 boys and girls – both boarding and day pupils – with one term’s boarding fees costing up to £13,750.
Prince Charles, his father the Duke of Edinburgh and his younger brothers Andrew and Edward are all former pupils.
The motto of the school, which was founded in 1934 by German educationalist Dr Kurt Hahn, is ‘There is more in you’.
According to the Independent School Council, ‘as well as preparing students for exams, Gordonstoun prepares them for life’. It was named one of the most ‘pioneering’ schools in the country last year because of the outdoor curriculum which includes expeditions in the Highlands and sailing.
The school is named after the 150-acre estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century. The first female principal, Lisa Kerr, was appointed in 2016.
A study by the University of Edinburgh, which tracked more than 1,000 of Gordonstoun’s former pupils, found that the school’s educational approach had an ‘overwhelmingly positive influence on students’ personal growth and development’.
Some 94 per cent of ex-pupils said their school experiences helped them to grow personally, while 74 per cent felt they had helped their careers and 57 per cent believed they had enhanced their academic studies.
Prince Philip is a lifelong ambassador for Gordonstoun and credits much of his success to his time there as one of its first pupils. Earlier this year, the 98-year-old backed a new fund aimed at bringing students from ‘a wide variety of backgrounds’ to the school – covering their term fees with bursaries.
The Prince Philip Gordonstoun Foundation, launched at a reception hosted by the Princess Royal at St James’s Palace in May, offers ‘financial support to enable a diverse and inclusive school community’.
In the foreword to the launch document, the Duke of Edinburgh said: ‘Ever since its foundation, Gordonstoun has welcomed entrants from a wide variety of backgrounds.
‘I can say from experience that this is a great advantage to the whole school, as well as to all its individual members. Needless to say, this diversity cannot be achieved by pure chance.
‘I, therefore, warmly welcome the creation of this foundation, which, I hope, will ensure that the school can continue to attract entrants from the widest possible variety of backgrounds and nationalities.’
But Prince Charles has spoken of his dislike of the school, which he attended in the 1960s, and described his time there as like a ‘prison sentence’.
Netflix drama The Crown last year depicted the sensitive young royal struggling with cross-country runs, shabby dorms and hostile classmates.