Parents know that a child’s education does not consist solely of academics – young people need a well-rounded school experience.
And for any parents and carers of school-aged children trying to decide where their child will get that experience, the annual Robert Gordon’s College open morning is a must-attend.
On Saturday, November 5, families from Aberdeen and further afield can visit the school and learn about the curriculum, the many opportunities outside the classroom, the available help with fees and take a tour of the fantastic facilities. Staff will be on hand to answer questions, so families can meet the people they will entrust with their education.
Rooted in over 250 years of tradition, RGC is a school where the whole child is considered and education is not just an academic journey, but a journey of challenge and self-discovery. It offers the diversity of a big school, but with the community and support of a small one.
What distinguishes the school from others in the area is the belief of the whole community that each pupil’s potential is limitless and RGC helps them to discover themselves via choice from an unparalleled range of subjects and activities.
In the Junior School, specialist teaching begins from primary one with art, drama, French, music, science and PE. Meanwhile, Senior School pupils benefit from academic breadth, where S1-S4 choose eight subjects, S5 choose from 24 Highers and S6 choose from 32 Highers and 24 Advanced Highers.
This focus has yielded positive results for the school and its pupils. Junior School attendees exceed national literacy and numeracy rates and in the Senior School, fifth year results are at their highest – four out of every five grades are an A or B.
The tradition of academic success is further underlined by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, who commented that “learning and teaching is of high quality and there are examples of outstanding practice”. The inspectors also noted that “children and young people enjoy learning and respond very well to the caring ethos”.
This feeling is shared by the pupils. Isabelle, who is in primary seven, said: “The best part of the Junior School has been all the nice teachers. I felt I could trust them.”
The wide range of subjects in the curriculum goes hand-in-hand with extensive extracurricular opportunities – RGC offers over 90 clubs and societies for pupils to join – ranging from performing arts to sport and everything in between.
And to allow pupils to achieve the best, the school has invested £25 million in facilities since 2009. These include a 360-degree classroom layout in the Junior School to encourage active and collaborative learning, the creation of The Craig Centre for Performing Arts and The Wood Foundation Centre for Science and Technology, the on-site swimming pool and the 39-acre Countesswells Playing Fields, offering unrivalled sporting opportunity.
Eliza, a current RGC parent, said: “It’s a real collaborative relationship between the school and parents.
“That’s the way education should be embraced.”
The open morning will be held on Saturday, November 5, at 9.30am.