# Gordon's School

Gordon's School is a secondary school with academy status in West End near Woking, Surrey, England. It was founded as the Gordon Boys' Home in 1885. It is now one of the 36 state boarding schools in England. It converted to an academy on 1 January 2013. But controversy arose over the school charging £10,494 a year for day-pupil places. It has been argued that makes the state school selective, along with others which charge similar fees. Under the Education Act 1996 it is illegal for state schools to charge for admission or education provided within normal hours. In June 2022, Gordon's was judged Boarding School of the Year by the TES (Times Educational Supplement).

## History

The school was founded by public subscription in 1885 as the Gordon Boys' Home, as the National Memorial to General Gordon of Khartoum, an officer of the Corps of Royal Engineers, who had been killed in 1885. According to the school, the idea came from Queen Victoria, who was its first patron. However, in 1914 due to the first World War, the school was closed for the duration. It then reopened soon after, in early 1919.The reigning monarch of the United Kingdom has been a patron ever since. Its first commandant was Major General Henry Tyndall, CB, ex 2nd Punjab Infantry, and its first home was Fort Wallingford.
Gordon's began as a home for underprivileged boys, but it quickly became a boys' boarding school. In 1888, the Gordon Foundation was established as an independent charitable trust to administer the school. In 1990, the first girls were admitted. It converted from being a voluntary aided school to an academy 1 January 2013.

## Student body

Gordon's is now a co-educational Academy school, and the pupils are a mixture of full and weekly boarders (judged outstanding in all categories of boarding by Ofsted in 2024) and day students. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with national figures, but a higher proportion of pupils than is typical nationally have an education, health and care plan. The percentage of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average. The proportions of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups or speak English as an additional language are in line with national averages. Some two thirds of the pupils are day students. The school was subject to a Section 8 inspection in 2017 where it and its safeguarding procedures were judged to be outstanding.

## Facilities

There are over 40 acres (160,000 m$^2$) of playing fields complete with cricket nets and athletics track.

### Buildings

The central building on the south side of the Parade Ground is the Assembly Hall and Reception building that was completed in 1887, designed by William Butterfield, in a Gothic revival style. To the south of the original 1885 buildings is a Grade II listed building: the 1894 memorial school chapel built in memory of Prince Albert Victor, eldest son of Edward, Prince of Wales who had helped fundraise for the boys home. It has a 4 bay criciform pan and was designed by William Butterfield in Early English Gothic style.

## Curriculum

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the National Curriculum, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. Schools endeavour to get all students to achieve the English Baccalaureate (EBACC) qualification - this must include core subjects, a modern or ancient foreign language, and either History or Geography.

## Extra curricular

Gordon's School pipe band has around 30 bagpipers, 10 snare drummers, 6 tenor drummers and two bass drummers. The school marching band leads students along Whitehall London every January to the statue of General Gordon as part of the school's Memorial Weekend. As well as taking part in the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, members of the Pipes and Drums also play every year at the Menin Gate in the Last Post Ceremony and have performed for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
In 2017, the Pipes and Drums bandmaster, Cecil McCready, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for three counts of sexual assault with a child by a person in a position of trust. McCready, a retired Irish Guard, had worked at the school for 17 years before his arrest and led the band to perform for the Queen at Commonwealth Day in 2014.

## Notable alumni

* Hannah Russell (attended Gordon's School 2007-2012), British Paralympic silver medallist in 2012 Summer Paralympic Games and World Champion at 2013 IPC Swimming Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Double Gold medallist and world-record breaker in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics 2016.Gold medallist in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
* Daniel Gonzalez (spree killer) (attended 1991-1996), a former boarding pupil who murdered four victims and attempted to murder two others in September 2004; sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006, he cited horror films he had seen at a young age as inspiration for his crimes.
* Eboni Beckford-Chambers (attended Gordon's School from 2001–2004) England and Bath Netball Player, won a gold medal for England at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

## References and notes

* 1 2 3 "Gordon's School - GOV.UK". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
* ↑ https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50262458
* 1 2 "The state schools where parents are charged thousands in fees". the Guardian. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
* ↑ "Gordon's School: Join Us". Gordon's School Website.
* ↑ "Education Act 1996 Part VI". UK Legislation. 24 June 1996.
* ↑ "Gordon's School - History of Gordon's School". www.gordons.school. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
* ↑ "History". Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
* 1 2 3 "CASE STUDY 2019: GORDON's SCHOOL, SURREY". Diplomat Magazine. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
* ↑ "Ofsted Section 5". Ofsted. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
* 1 2 "Ofsted Section 8 2017". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2020. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright
* ↑ "Ofsted 2007". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
* ↑ Stuff, Good. "Assembly Hall and Reception, Gordon's School, Woking, Surrey". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
* ↑ Stuff, Good. "Gordon's School Chapel, Woking, Surrey". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
* ↑ Roberts, Nerys. "The school curriculum in England Parliamentary Briefing Paper" (PDF). parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
* ↑ Talbot, Charlotte (3 March 2017). "Music teacher jailed for sexual relations with pupil". SurreyLive. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
* ↑ "Ceremony, Gordon's School". Gordon's School. March 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
* ↑ Bird, Steve (17 March 2006). "Bright pupil and budding actor who took on role of a serial killer". The Times. Retrieved 21 August 2024.