Gordonstoun tries to soften its spartan image

THE SCHOOL that educated generations of royals, as well as the fictional cyber-hero Lara Croft, has opened its doors in an attempt to dispel its austere image of cold showers and long cross-country runs.

Gordonstoun - alma mater of the Prince of Wales and his brothers, and more recently Peter Phillips, son of the Princess Royal - wants to promote the blend of academic lessons, community service and outdoor adventure to a wider audience.

The school, on the Moray Firth, two hours north of Aberdeen, believes the royal connection works neither in or against its favour. But it has been dogged by the Prince of Wales's famous dislike of his schooldays, and his decision to send Prince William and Prince Harry to Eton.

Teachers were stung by its placing at the foot of the independent schools league when Scottish exam results were published in the autumn, prompting a rare opening of doors. On English league table measures, which differ from those in Sctoland, 95 per cent of students gained at least five good GCSEs in the summer. A-level students notched up an average point score of 17.3, roughly equivalent to three C grades.

Today the school, which was the inspiration for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, still prides itself on its sport, service to the community and activities such as seamanship, mountain rescue and firefighting for all 460 pupils. It has softened its traditionally macho image, but retains its belief that surviving in the Cairngorms or helping to crew a tall ship will instil virtues of self-confidence and reliance.

The school - fees pounds 14,000 a year; motto: Plus est en vous (there is more in you than you think) - has been co- educational since 1972. The boarders live in comfortable houses of about 55. Dormitories sleep four and have posters of the Teletubbies and Friends television characters on the wall. Students, who are aged from 13 to 18, must study dance and drama; music is enjoyed by many and the cold showers and 10-mile punishment runs are a thing of the past.

One-third of the pupils are from abroad, and many are from forces backgrounds. Numbers have held steady, but, as with many boarding schools, recruitment is not as easy as it once was.

Ironically for a school at the heart of the Establishment, it has a curriculum more progressive than would be permitted in a state sector bound by the national curriculum.

"We have not got a macho thing," said Mark Pyper, the headteacher. "If there is someone who is quiet, all the young people are equally valued regardless of what they do. I sometimes say to parents that half of people will love Gordonstoun and half of people will need Gordonstoun." He points out that despite Prince Charles's reservations in public, the Duchy of Cornwall funds a scholarship.

The school, founded in 1934 by Dr Kurt Hahn after he fled the Nazis, is set in a 17th- century estate, a mile from the sea and half an hour from the Cairngorms. Academic lessons finish at 2.35pm, and afternoons are spent on the sports field, or, for older pupils, taking part in the school's famous services. Students run a retained fire station and are called out to fight fires. Some are on call for mountain rescue duties, while others work as inshore lifeguards. All students learn to sail the school's yacht.