TWO senior Beaconhurst pupils are in South Africa for a conference.

Rachel Hoskins and Katie Holdsworth, both 17, were chosen to represent the establishment at the Round Square International Conference in Cape Town to get their school a Global Status.

They are accompanied by depute head Dawn Haughton and will take part in talks, cultural events, workshops as well as community and adventure activities.

Mrs Haughton said: “We are delighted to have attained Global Status of Round Square International after demonstrating that Round Square IDEALS are fully embedded in our school ethos and daily life.

“Being a global member means we can access more opportunities for pupils – for example we can now attend international as well as European conferences.

“We can attend service projects all over the world and it gives us more potential to grow the exchange programme which a number of our pupils have already benefitted from.”

Round Square International is a renowned world-wide association of schools with 180 members across five continents.

They share the same goals and are dedicated to promoting social responsibility, experiential learning, environmental stewardship and international understanding among students.

Beaconhurst and Gordonstoun School in Moray, Prince Charles’ former school, are the only Scottish members of the organisation.

S6 pupils Rachel and Katie, who both live in Stirling, were excited about attending the Round Square conference and visiting South Africa for the first time.

Rachel, the school’s expressive arts prefect, said: “I was delighted to be picked to go because I love travelling and meeting new people.

“It’s a great opportunity as it’s the biggest conference you can attend with all 180 schools in Round Square going along.”

Katie, who is Round Square prefect, said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of people and finding out about all the different cultures.”