Top Scots boarding school sets up in Canada

A top Scottish boarding school popular with the Royal Family is to set up a campus in Canada.

Gordonstoun School in Moray is to open a campus in Nova Scotia. PIC: TSPL/Neil Hanna.

Gordonstoun, near Elgin in Moray, will open a school Nova Scotia.

A consortium led by Canadian businessman Edward Farren, with the support of local government, will build a 250- acre campus in Annapolis County.

Gordonstoun’s links to Nova Scotia date back hundreds of years. The main building within the school, Gordonstoun House, was originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon who was the first Baronet of Nova Scotia and granted 16,000 acres on the coast of Nova Scotia for the Barony of Nova Scotia in 1625.

Principal of Gordonstoun, Lisa Kerr, said: “This agreement will pave the way for more children to benefit from an education based on Gordonstoun’s unique ethos, which combines high academic achievement with exhilarating outdoor experiences and a strong commitment to service to the community.

“From our first meeting, we have been struck by how everyone involved in this exciting project shares our commitment to growing the reach and impact of Gordonstoun’s educational values.

“Edward Farren and other members of the project team have visited Gordonstoun many times and we were also delighted to welcome Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia, who was born in Annapolis County, to Gordonstoun.”

The Nova Scotia campus will centre around the philosophy of Kurt Hahn, the Gordonstoun founder and visionary educationalist.

Hahn believed that young people flourish when their horizons are broadened beyond their academic potential. He set out to develop qualities of compassion, honesty, initiative, adventure and a sense of service to others.

The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles are among past pupils of the Moray school.

Annapolis County Warden Timothy Habinski added: “Gordonstoun Nova Scotia promises to bring the world to our doorstep, and, in turn, to share the values of our County - compassion, volunteerism, creativity and persistence - with communities around the globe. That one of the most beautiful sites in Nova Scotia can be redeveloped for this project as a community anchor institution is a real cause for celebration.”

Edward Farren, Managing Director and CEO of E.A. Farren, Limited said: ”We are excited to know as project Developer and Operator of Gordonstoun Nova Scotia, that through its oceanfront campus, caring teachers, outstanding classroom education, and Gordonstoun broad curriculum of challenge and service, that Gordonstoun Nova Scotia will create in young lives the belief that “Plus Est En Vous – there is more is in you than you think” to develop fascinating lives for themselves, their families, and communities.”

It is planned that Gordonstoun Nova Scotia will open in the Autumn of 2021. Last year Gordonstoun announced a long-term multi-school agreement to open Gordonstoun Schools in China.