[3] With the number of teaching staff exceeding 100, there is a low student-teacher ratio compared to the average in the United Kingdom.

[5] The British Salem School of Gordonstoun was established in 1934 by Kurt Hahn, a German Jewish educationalist who, after being arbitrarily arrested after the Reichstag fire, fled Nazi Germany.

He was released and exiled to Britain in the same year through the influence of the Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, who was familiar with Hahn's work.

After the death in 1930 of Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet, his house at Gordonstoun was obtained by Kurt Hahn,[12] whose offer for the lease was accepted on 14 March 1934.

In 1941 by Hahn and Lawrence Holt with the support of the Blue Funnel Line, founded Outward Bound, based on the educational approach of Gordonstoun.

[20] It built dormitories on the estate, removing the need for maintaining a house in Altyre, Forres, many miles away from the main campus.

It arranged to admit poorer children from the surrounding areas, and to deepen the Outward Bound-type activities that were central to Hahn's system.

The introduction of the Moray Badge, from which the Duke of Edinburgh's Award was borrowed, expanded the types of physical challenges for students to conquer.

[29] However, unlike Herbart and Dewey, who were concerned with the cognitive benefits of out of classroom experiences, Hahn's ethos emphasises the emotional aspects of Herbartianism and Experiential learning.

[32] This is seen in the title "Guardian", denoting the head boy and girl, the adoption of a Greek trireme as the school's emblem, and a routine that could be described as Spartan.

Classics, and the Greek ideal that education aims to produce a complete person, intellectually, morally, physically and aesthetically had a profound influence on Hahn.

The school still practices periods of silence, intended to give the pupils the space to reflect and glean insights from their experiences.

The school no longer practices cold showers or punishment runs, although physical education and challenging outdoor activities are still an integral part of Gordonstoun's identity.

[39] Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip and his son King Charles III.

[24] Gordonstoun offers a series of grants, drawing on its investments and other funds, to support pupils who are unable to pay the full fees.

[48] However, the research by Beames et al. also found that most former pupils believe the school's emphasis on outdoor activities had a positive effect on their careers.

Gordonstoun designed the programme for GCSE students, and it combines revision in English, mathematics and science with periods of gentle exercise and restricted access to electronic devices.

Apart from these outdoor pitches, there is a large sports centre with facilities that include a rock climbing wall, a 25m swimming pool, a weights room, squash courts and an indoor activity hall for basketball, badminton and netball.

[59] They attend roughly fifty call-outs a year and so members have to be medically and physically fit, training to pass the practical test before becoming fire fighters.

[60] Pupils still train in cutters from the age of 13 upward at Hopeman Harbour to prepare for a voyage in the school's 80 ft (24 m) sailing vessel.

[60] They tend to be in close contact with the housemaster so that any issues requiring immediate attention can be dealt with as well as being able to relay any general ideas or concerns in the House Captains' Council which meet once every two weeks.

As well as this they are responsible for minor roles which would otherwise be taken up by teaching staff such as, maintaining the refectory and the library and for serving drinks behind the bar at the weekly socials in addition to organising major school wide events that take place throughout the year.

Speaking to the Times, the school confirmed that Kerr "contributed significantly" to the costs and that the renovations had "become urgent in order to reconfigure classrooms and increase cleaning regimes to comply with Covid regulations".

[78] In 2018, ex-teacher Andrew Keir was convicted of offences including indecent assault involving thirteen-year-old pupils at the school between 1988 and 1991.

Despite preconceptions that Gordonstoun was one of Britain's stricter boarding schools; Woodcock's documentary depicted a compassionate and liberal institution led at that time by the headteacher Mark Pyper.

Highlights included technologically literate students using a modified Walkman to trigger amplified toilet flushes during the daily sermon and a candid interview with the school's sailing instructor.

Hogan was the Warden of The Blue Funnel Line's sea school in Aberdyfi, which provided four-year character-building courses and practical training to young, prospective officers.

The scheme gave Moray's local children training by taking part in expeditions before completing a final project to earn the award.

Hahn approached the Duke of Edinburgh after World War II about the prospect of creating a national awards scheme based on the Moray Badge.

[88] In Britain, former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan voiced a need for a greater curricular emphasis on character building.