Gordonstoun: No Ordinary School: Sky TV programme shows how scholarships to the institution pave the way to high-flying careers

The scholarship can be a 'real life challenge', but the rewards speak for themselves

Gordonstoun was once dubbed “Colditz in kilts” by Prince Charles, one of its former pupils (Rex)

One student was worried that the braces on his teeth would set off the alarm system at the airport. Another asked whether the Oyster card he used to travel on London’s transport system would function in Scotland.

The two pupils were both from Urswick school, a Church of England comprehensive serving a disadvantaged area of Hackney, east London. They were about to embark on a trip to Gordonstoun, the private school that was dubbed “Colditz in kilts” by Prince Charles, one of its former pupils.

Each year the celebrated private school offers a scholarship to one or two students from Urswick. The scheme, which has been operating for 15 years, has met with remarkable success in getting students from a school once dubbed “the worst in Britain” by The Sun into elite Russell Group universities.

Shalise de Freitas and Alexandra Seliga are among Urswick scholars at Gordonstoun

The pioneering project will feature in a six-part documentary to be screened by Sky TV this week – Gordonstoun: No Ordinary School.

Richard Brown, head teacher at Urswick, uses the stories about the Oyster card and the brace to illustrate the fact that many of his pupils know little of life outside their inner-city upbringing.

Each year, up to 10 pupils are selected because of their academic achievements to go to Gordonstoun for the weekend – and the Scottish school selects one or two who will qualify for a scholarship.

Simon Reid, the principal at Gordonstoun, says he was initially concerned about what would happen to those who didn’t make the final cut. “Richard convinced me not to worry,” he said. “As a result of their weekend here and seeing the opportunities that are available, it raises their ambitions and confidence about the future as well.”

Richard Brown concurs. “It’s so different from being in an inner-city environment in Hackney,” he said. “It gives them a new perspective.”

Those who don’t win a scholarship can still go on into the sixth form at Urswick, and many go on to university.

When the deal was struck with Gordonstoun 15 years ago, Urswick was still known as the Hackney Free and Parochial School. Founded by the church in 1520, it was set up to help “12 poor boys” to learn to read. Since then it has had a chequered history, becoming one of a dozen schools singled out by David Blunkett, the Education Secretary in Tony Blair’s 1997 government, as needing immediate attention to improve.

Today, it is a thriving school with around 1,000 pupils and a fast- improving academic reputation. In 2008, only 20 per cent of its pupils gained five A* to C grades including maths and English – a result that would be well below this Government’s minimum target and require intervention. This year, 50 per cent of pupils reached that level.

The head teachers of both schools agree that the scholarship scheme is mutually beneficial. Mr Reid believes it helps Gordonstoun project an image of a diverse institution that offers education to top pupils from a range of backgrounds.

Former Urswick student Seun Araromi, now aged 29, was offered a scholarship a few days after attending the open day

It certainly works for the pupils, he says. Former Urswick students who won a scholarship include a university lecturer and a management consultant at Deloitte’s. Other former scholars are studying medicine at Nottingham, maths at Cambridge, and biochemical science at King’s College London.

Former Urswick student Seun Araromi, now aged 29, was offered a scholarship a few days after attending the open day. “The really tough part was saying goodbye to my mother. It really broke my heart seeing her walk back into the terminal.”

Gordonstoun left him little time to be homesick, however, piling on extracurricular activities including running the local fire service and playing rugby. “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but there were girls there, too,” said Dr Araromi. He recalls one particular moment when he was at a dance. “I had to decide whether to be the shy guy I’d always been or get on the dance floor and start a new chapter in my life. It was kind of my social blossoming.”

Dr Araromi went on to study mechanical engineering at university. He gained a PhD and is now a researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

Mr Brown admits the scholarship can be a “real life challenge”, but the rewards speak for themselves. “Some [students on scholarships] come back to Hackney – they may have siblings at Urswick,” he said. “They can help them to have a similar ambition.”

Gordonstoun: No Ordinary School is on Sky One at 8pm on Friday