Improving the lives of others

A valuable mixture of modern ideas traditional values is embraced at Gordon’s school, as Headmaster Andrew Moss explains.

Gordon’s school is the national memorial to General Charles Gordon, a British war hero, philanthropist and martyr. It was built by public subscription more than 100 years ago at the insistence of Queen Victoria, who became the first in an unbroken line of Sovereign patrons.

Originally opened as a home for ‘necessitous boys’, today Gordon’s is a successful non-selective, co-educational, day and residential state boarding school, set in 50 acres of Surrey countryside. It is listed as one of the UK’s outstanding schools by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector and was recognised as Boarding School of the Year by the Times Educational Supplement in 2022.

While the school embraces modern Ideas, General Gordon’s legacy of traditional values remain – Improving the lives of others and championing those less advantaged. As a school we strive to be one of the finest in the world, not just for our achievements, but for the calibre of young people we develop –
the progress they make, the lives they lead and the difference they make to the lives of others.

Our sixth-form pupils achieve three or more A levels, with 86 per cent of entries graded A* to C. This puts the school in the top five per cent nationally for academic achievement at A levels. But we also have successes in drama, the arts, debating, public speaking, dance, sport and for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF).

The original Gordon Boys’ Home was run along military lines. This is continued today with marching, parades and Pipes and Drums. Dressed in their ceremonial Blues uniform, pupils parade around eight times a year. We are the only school permitted to march along Whitehall and pupils carry out this annual tradition in remembrance of General Gordon with pride.

Through preparation General Gordon’s life as a philanthropist, leader, scholar, adventurer and soldier is at the heart of our traditional character values of courtesy, integrity, diligence, enthusiasm and resilience. We strive for more than the best possible examination results – we also want to give our pupils a thorough preparation for life. The emphasis is on working as a team and

putting back. Each pupil is assigned a house and the interhouse competitions in sport, the arts, cooking, debating – even marching – are enthusiastically contested with everyone encouraged to have a go’.

Underpinning any participation is that high performance without good character is not true success. These Inter-house competitions, together with competitive sport against other schools and participation in DofE or CCF, take pupils out of their comfort zone. Taking part builds pupils’ confidence and allow them to develop new skills as well as leadership, perseverance, endurance, teamwork and problem-solving ability – all necessary qualities for adult life.

Around half the school’s residential boarders are from Service families, attracted by the location and the school’s understanding of military life. Military families are given priority for places and counsellors and tutors work to plug any gaps in their education. Residential boarders coming into the school aged 11 are housed together in a bespoke boarding house for a year before joining their senior boarding houses. Houseparents have considerable experience of caring for children from military familles and pupils from similar backgrounds.

All pupils benefit from an extended school day, with day pupils staying for supper and prep with boarders. Charges are kept to a minimum, with boarding fees from £7,865 a term, around £800 a term with the Continulty of Education Allowance. Bursarles and scholarships In sport and the arts are also available.

A Gordon’s education is not an ordinary education: it does not aspire to be. Gordon’s is a school at the leading edge of holistic education, combining legacy with leadership and service, high expectations and standards in an inspiring environment. We are not the standard education model and we do not want Gordonians to be standard citizens. We want them to earn their success through hard work. We champion success based not on privilege or advantage, but on how hard people work for themselves and others. Such people are more likely to make the world a better place and lead happier lives.