It says that during this period, Aberlour had separate ownership and management. And safe. Scottish police have identified both the Essex and Kenya school where Jones taught, but have refused to name them to the Observer. Here's the lowdown. There was a fight arranged in the senior boot-room during break time and after that I was no longer a ‘homo’. And the other girls were her gang. Goodness, they are horrid. Gordonstoun turns back clock to a golden age of cold showers (but would Prince Charles agree?) “We got there, the banks of a loch, somewhere in the middle of nowhere and he said there weren’t enough tents. Windows were left open at night: in the winter, the children could wake up with snow on their blankets. It took a while, but eventually he woke his best friend, Michael. Eventually, John was told Derek Jones could not be brought to trial or offend again. When John returned to the school, Jones was gone, but things had changed. As the excited children got ready in their dormitories at Aberlour House, he supervised the packing. The schools shared a uniform, school song and the motto Kurt Hahn had devised: “Plus est en vous,” a contraction of a French phrase – there is more in you than you imagine. The response went on: “We want our students to take full advantage of all the opportunities available to them and they can only do that if they are happy.” That seems an admirable ambition – and a change of philosophy for Gordonstoun. I left the room, but I went back very quickly and the door was locked. I remember being cold, wearing a jumper. In the five years that he attended the school neither George Milford Haven nor Philip’s other British guardian Lord Louis Mountbatten visited him. For more on this story go to theguardian.com/society/series/boarding-school-abuse, This article was amended on 13 April 2015 to clarify the principle of corroboration in Scottish criminal law, ‘The assault changed me completely. Read another story from us: The Unhappy Royal Couple – Charles and Diana’s Loveless Marriage They were so certain it was all going to happen, that it was a done deal. Don’t miss these 23 rarely seen photos of the British royal family . It is located in Duffus to the north-west of Elgin. He first went to Hill House School in London, then to Cheam School – the oldest school in the country. Leaving the grounds for good, he said all the right things about his time spent at the school — how it taught him self-discipline and helped him grow as a person. The school grounds are set within a beautiful wooded campus a mile from the Moray Firth and eight miles from the nearby town of Elgin. She was, I realise now from what the police have told me, already in a relationship with him. The latest independent report into the school… made particular reference to ‘the extremely positive health promotion and child-protection procedures’ in place at Gordonstoun.”. Gordonstoun was a success, especially after Prince Philip of Greece, now the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived. Your accusations against the royals and paedophilia are untrue and have no factual basis. Kevin Lomas, a teacher at the senior school during Kate and John’s time was jailed in 2008 for sexual offences against young girls at a tutoring school he ran in Oxfordshire. Despite Philip’s achievements at Gordonstoun, he could not escape the fact that he was still very isolated. Gordonstoun’s physical location in the North of Scotland is another thing that sets the school apart. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Gordonstoun is renowned for its outdoor education programme. The group eventually involved more than 100 ex-pupils. He said that John must have imagined it, as a result of the pills. But by her last year at the junior school she was a prefect – a “colour bearer”, in Hahn’s militaristic system. If nothing had happened, then surely Jones wouldn’t mind them getting the films developed. Gordonstoun has been described as ‘outstanding’ and ‘sector leading’ by inspectors in 2019. Years before the rise of Walter White, the future meth overlord’s sleazy lawyer, Saul Goodman, is still plain old Jimmy McGill, a striving every-dude trying to catch a break. He used to say to me: ‘You’ll die before me.’ I’ve no idea what he meant.”. Now, Kate can begin to understand the root of Jane’s antagonism. When she was 14 she had tried to tell him about X. Welcome to the official Facebook page for Gordonstoun. Gordonstoun School has remembered the Duke of Edinburgh as an “immensely strong character with a unique sense of fun” who would be sorely missed. Girls would sing a song in Kate’s hearing about “That night in the tent.” The rumours of what happened at the campsite spread. As an adult, you go… What?”, The exped set off in high excitement. During the 16 years Lomas worked at Gordonstoun he had a reputation for inappropriate sexual activity: he was known for his fumbling attempts to kiss the girl pupils – “with tongue”. Gordonstoun also has a notable fictional alumna - the heroine of Tomb Raider, Lara Croft. The school told police that it could not find a copy of the letter the Gordonstoun bursar, George Barr, sent to John’s father, promising Jones would not teach again, because paperwork had been lost. But, too often to be excused, Gordonstoun and its junior school appear to have let down the trust of parents and failed to respect the rights and needs of children. Gordonstoun’s remarkable location on a 200-acre woodland estate in the north of Scotland provides the background for its world beating outdoor education programme. A local policewoman was made her liaison officer and became an emotional support; one of the things she told her was that Jane had asked the police to pass on her thanks: “Getting X to justice was the best thing that ever happened to her.”, “When [the Procurator Fiscal’s office] rang me and said, ‘It’s all fallen apart,” I could not believe it. It was because one of the boys had to make a call to his parents. John eventually got on with his life and became a successful businessman. John’s parents say that they were encouraged not to seek a prosecution. Gordonstoun is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 4 ½ to 18 located in Moray, Scotland. Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland.It is named after the 150-acre (61 ha) estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. Gordonstoun was a success, especially after Prince Philip of Greece, now the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived. The show mentions, or at least alludes to, all these events without much embellishment. I was terrified. The stories told here are not the only ones to stain Aberlour House and Gordonstoun. A few weeks after the assault, John was driving with his mother. For nearly a year, Kate prepared herself for facing X in court. So they all knew it had happened. Nothing other than the lack of a corroborating witness, after Jane’s withdrawal, emerged that might have derailed the case coming to court. In England, also, John, Kate and others who suffered at the school would be able to bring civil compensation cases if their allegations were proven. Crucially, his faith in adults was gone. You go there for the other things they do, not the academics IMO & E. He would be barred.” He adds that this pledge was repeated in a letter from Gordonstoun’s then bursar, George Barr. What kind of a man takes a packet of condoms on a school camping trip?”, She didn’t confide in anyone. “There had naturally been a lot of gossip among the pupils. The school promised that in return for co-operation over not insisting on prosecution, it would ensure that Jones never taught again. Assaulted John in his final year, Kate is still dealing with X ’ s case extraordinary lapse men... Successful businessman the royal-wedding afterglow, Buckingham Palace still has a notable fictional alumna - the heroine of Tomb,... Jones had gone on to teach, that tells me someone at Gordonstoun, the,. 1 London Bridge Street, London, then surely Jones wouldn ’ t know what to it... Us two drinks each – half-pints or pints two, a few after. John in his bedsit in the winter, the bullying began was much! S trade ambassador and fourth in line released his report cards which reveal 'he was naughty but... Lara Croft younger, Charles was relentlessly bullied mountains, the children wake! 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