Residential
Reach Cambridge Summer School
Cambridge · Academic · 14–18 yrs
from £6,995
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Gordonstoun International Summer School
by Gordonstoun School Summer School
Duffus, United KingdomShow on map
Ages8–16 yrs
FocusAcademic
Language lessonsEnglish
SeasonJul – Aug
Gordonstoun School Summer School runs this residential academic camp in Duffus, United Kingdom. The camp welcomes children aged 8–16, with sports, languages, and arts & crafts on the programme. Typically open July to August — new dates coming soon. Sessions last 2–3 weeks. Activities run in English.
Residential academic camp in Duffus, United Kingdom
Gordonstoun offers an unforgettable summer experience with a two‑week Junior Programme (ages 8–11) and a three‑week Senior Programme (ages 11–16). Each programme blends inspiring study choices with a diverse mix of sport, drama, design, creative arts, cultural trips and relaxed social time — all set on our safe, stunning 200‑acre woodland campus by the sea. A standout highlight is our unique adventure residential - Junior students head to our Gordonstoun Adventure Campus in the Cairngorm mountains, while seniors explore the breathtaking West Coast of Scotland, two of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. Additionally, Gordonstoun recognises the sea as a unique classroom for character education. Our senior students will enjoy three days living on a tall ship with an experienced crew, sailing off the beautiful Scottish coast. Our junior students will enjoy sailing smaller ships on our stunning Scottish lochs. Our courses welcome both native English speakers and those learning English as a foreign language. Parents regularly tell us they’re amazed by the rapid growth in confidence, maturity and skills their children show — and the strong, lasting friendships they form in just a few short weeks.
What's Included
Choice of study options as part of the junior or senior programme
Broad activity programme of sports, drama, design and creative arts
Cultural visits
Social time and evening programme
Adventure residential (Gordonstoun Adventure Campus in the Cairngorms for juniors, the West Coast of Scotland for seniors)
Full use of the 200-acre woodland campus and its facilities
Students met and escorted to and from school by the Summer School team on arrival and departure days
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Ask a questionActivities
Special focus
Academic · Academic
The Summer School runs as two courses rather than one: a two-week junior programme and a three-week senior programme, each combining a choice of study options with a broad activity programme of sports, drama, design, creative arts, cultural visits and unhurried social time. Students pick their study strand and then move through activity sessions across the day, so a morning of learning can be followed by an afternoon on the water, on a pitch or in the art studio, and evenings by music, games and time with friends in the boarding houses. Courses are designed to work equally for native English speakers and for those learning English as a foreign language, and with more than sixty nationalities familiar to this campus, mixed international groups are the norm. Everything builds towards the adventure residential away from campus, the point where the fortnight's new skills and new friendships come together. Underpinning it all is Gordonstoun's philosophy of internationalism, challenge and learning through experience, summed up in the school motto Plus Est En Vous, and parents often notice the change in their child's confidence and maturity as much as any new skill.
Other included activities
Videos
Excursions & trips
Included in the programme
Travel - inside the Country
Reviews
P
Parent
Our daughter was happy from the first second onward.
May 2026
P
Parent
GISS is by far the best summer program in UK our family has experienced. I would highly praise the staffs and the entire program planning and organization. Remarkable jobs done. It is a very beneficial eye opening and learning time for the kids. Also fostered healthy friendships that would not exist otherwise.
Apr 2026
P
Parents
There really aren’t words to adequately describe the experience our daughter received at GISS. She learned and experienced so many things that will shape her for years to come. Thank you for caring for her during her time at your school. I hope she has the opportunity to return one day!
May 2026
P
Parent
My son enjoyed his summer program at GISS. He made a lot of friends, he enjoyed the activities, the adventure week and the overall experience of being away for the summer. He found Scotland beautiful! He came back more confident, more mature, more responsible and independent!
Apr 2026
Safety & Supervision
Staff to camper ratio1:3
Background-checked staff
Our health safety policy and procedures meet all legislative requirements. They are shared with staff in advance of Summer School, and there is a full briefing on health and safety measures during staff training.
Screen time policy
Students can bring their mobile phones with them, and will have short periods of time in the morning and evening to use their phones to contact home. During the day and at night students will leave their phones in charging cabinets in the boarding houses.
Accommodation & campus
Where your child sleeps
Bedrooms
Shared bedrooms
Bathrooms
Bathrooms shared between rooms
Our beautiful 200 acre woodland campus includes outstanding indoor and outdoor locations. From historic buildings to modern spaces, accommodation is in Gordonstoun’s various boarding houses and run by a committed pastoral team, ably supported by a 24-hour healthcare centre on campus. On-campus facilities include sector leading low carbon classrooms, a state of the art Sports Centre - complete with indoor climbing wall, tennis courts, astro turf pitches and squash courts, a purpose-built dedicated performing arts theatre and a full-sized swimming pool - to name a few.
Campus facilities
Dining Room
Classrooms
Soccer Court
Laundry
Computer room
Library
Volleyball Court
Games Room
Arts room
Golf course
Archery
Tennis Court
Basketball Court
Gym
Music room
Dance studio
Theater
Science room
Swimming Pool
Running track
Hockey Field
Fitness Center
Location & getting there
Gordonstoun School, Gordonstoun, Elgin IV30 5RF, United Kingdom
Map loads with your permission — it connects to Google Maps.
Getting your child there
Airport
Aberdeen
Pickup service · Our location is a huge part of who we are and how we deliver a character education. You’ll find us in a safe, very beautiful, 200-acre woodland campus in the North of Scotland, just moments from the sea and hills. Peaceful, yet accessible, with great international transport links, we are just 31 miles from Inverness and 65 miles from Aberdeen airport. For your peace of mind, our students are met and escorted to and from school by members of the Summer School team on our arrival and departure days. Our dedicated travel team are here to help and advise at any stage. We are available 24 hours a day throughout Summer School. We escort selected flights from London and will also meet students travelling into Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
By car
By car to campus
Families driving in come straight to the 200-acre woodland campus at Gordonstoun School, Elgin IV30 5RF, in the north of Scotland, moments from the sea and the hills, roughly 31 miles from Inverness and 65 miles from Aberdeen airport. On arrival and departure days members of the Summer School team are on hand to welcome students and see them off, and the dedicated travel team is available 24 hours a day throughout Summer School to advise on timings. · Gordonstoun School, Gordonstoun, Elgin IV30 5RF, United Kingdom
Airport
Glasgow
Pickup service · Students flying into Glasgow are met at the airport by the Summer School team and escorted north to campus, so no child travels the final leg alone. The travel team asks to be told flight details in advance and is contactable 24 hours a day throughout Summer School to confirm arrangements for both arrival and departure days.
Airport
Edinburgh
Pickup service · Edinburgh is the other Scottish gateway where the Summer School team meets arriving students and accompanies them to Gordonstoun. As with all arrivals, students are met and escorted to and from school on the published arrival and departure days, and the dedicated travel team can be reached at any hour during Summer School to help plan the journey.
Frequently asked questions
Run by Gordonstoun School Summer School
Since 1976
Profile managed by the campUpdated this month
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Jul – Aug
2027 dates not open yet