Robert Gordon's College, a private school attended by former Cabinet minister Michael Gove, is pursuing legal action against the Aberdeen Endowments Trust (AET) over proposed cuts to its bursary funding. The trust, which provides funds for free places at the 300-year-old institution, applied in September to redirect some of its funding towards state schools and local charities.
The college, where annual fees can reach £21,000, is challenging the trust's plans in court, according to a source close to the school. AET currently funds more than 30 pupils at Robert Gordon's College from families earning under £80,000.
Under the trust's proposals, the college's share of funding would decrease to 70 percent over the next five years, with a subsequent minimum of 49 percent thereafter. A spokesperson for the school stated that the trustees of AET are considering changes to governance and constitutional structures that would significantly reduce the college's ability to offer transformational bursaries to talented pupils who would otherwise be unable to attend. The governors of Robert Gordon's College are exploring all available avenues to protect the institution's rights and interests to continue widening access for learners in northeast Scotland.
Conversely, the charity's trustees argue that a reorganization would enable capital spending and broaden support to children and young people across northeast Scotland. A spokesman for AET emphasized the trust's commitment to distributing funds for educational opportunities across Aberdeen and expressed a desire to continue its relationship with Robert Gordon's College. The trust is adhering to the regulatory process with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and is unable to comment further until the outcome of its application is confirmed.
The OSCR confirmed that it is aware of ongoing court proceedings but cannot comment as it is not involved in the proceedings.
Michael Gove attended Robert Gordon's on a scholarship in the 1970s. The school's alumni also include the late oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, former Scotland captain Martin Buchan, and immunologist Ian Frazer, the inventor of the HPV vaccine.