Facilities at The Doon School

The Doon School has continued to build and extend its commitment to enhancing its facilities. In 2012, it began working on a master plan for the whole of the school estate out to 2030 with specialist US-based architects and master planners, Cannon Design. The aim is to preserve the history and heritage of the school, maximize the use of space available in an environmentally responsible and sustainable fashion, and plan for new and refurbished facilities.

• Art and Media School: The Art and Media School was officially opened by Shri Kapil Sibal, the then Union Minister for Human Resource Development in October 2010 at the School’s platinum jubilee celebrations. This stunning 25,000 square foot building hosts an auditorium, a film studio, Apple Mac studio and plenty of other teaching spaces. There are also museum spaces, a trophy room and a reading room. The building has been designed to incorporate natural light and enough space to enable the boys as well as professional artists to be inspired by their surroundings. The Art and Media Centre hosts periodic full scale exhibitions of work in its two museum/gallery spaces, including dedicated photographic exhibitions. These exhibitions feature Board examination work completed by the boys, as well as exhibitions by visiting national and international artists.
• Auditorium: This superb facility provides the School with a 100-seater, acoustically engineered auditorium. It has proved to be very popular for small conferences, drama and debating events, visiting speakers and meetings.
• The Careers Information, Education and Guidance Department: This department is one of the most innovative and dynamic in School. The department has its own large and spacious office in the Art and Media Center and is complete with a library of hard copy and digital resources for boys and teachers to use for research. The resources available are substantial and regularly reviewed and updated. They enable boys to research courses, careers and universities and colleges in India and abroad. Both facilities are open throughout the term and in much of the school holidays to meet the requirements of the application processes of universities around the world.

• Dining Hall: Our Central Dining Hall, more popularly known as “the CDH”, is a modern, spacious and airy building. It provides the boys and staff with the three main meals of the day, as well as snacks during break in the morning and afternoon. There is a Mess Committee where boys and staff meet the Catering Manager to provide feedback and make suggestions, including the range and content of the menus.

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• Library: The Kilachand Library has been refurbished and re-stocked in recent years and the school is committed to ongoing investment in print books and digital technology such as Kindles and other e-book sources and resources. There is ample space for research and reading on the ground floor, and plenty of access to IT facilities on the second floor. WiFi connection enables the boys to access their laptops within the building. The library has been designed to provide the boys with a quiet and purposeful atmosphere for study and intellectually creative thought.Boys are able to use the library throughout the term and there are regular book fairs and meetings of the Library Council attended by boys and masters to discuss the development of our library resources, such as book requests, Kindles, newspapers and periodical publications, and reference material. There are also departmental libraries to support the work and resources of the Kilachand Library. The library is also home to the Founders’ Room and the Archives, with a full-time archivist.The Kilachand Library aims to do the following:
• Support the educational aims of the school by making the library central and integral to the independent learning processes within the school.
• Provide a service which will enable boys to become more responsible for their own learning and prepare for university by helping them develop their research and study skills.
• Enrich boys’ curricular experiences by providing appropriate resources. Knowledge of the curriculum enables staff to purchase relevant resources, and provide an environment that is conducive and will encourage divergent and reflective study.
• Provide an environment which encourages relaxation and private reading. Regularly changing displays and celebration of national book awards, presenting and highlighting new novels, literary works and latest developments, as well as personal recommendations, encourage pupils to read a varied range of material.
• Give boys a sense of ‘ownership’ of their Library. Suggestions by boys for resources are always welcomed. The Library Council meets regularly, with representation from boys and staff.
• Arrange workshops and talks by writers and illustrators which will inspire, enthuse and entertain boys.

• Multipurpose Hall: This facility was built to provide the school with a stage facility with attendant sports opportunities. It is well used for conferences, assemblies, visiting speakers, Board Examinations, debating, concerts and social events with neighboring girls’ schools, as well as for sports such as table tennis and badminton.

• Music School: This is an excellent facility for a growing and dynamic department. The Music School is home to both Hindustani Classical and Western music. Boys have access to individual music rooms, a music library and a recital room. Boys are able to study academic music and for the Trinity Board Music Examinations. Inter-house and inter-school competitions, in addition to a series of concerts, make the Music School one of the most popular school venues for the many boys with an interest in music. In celebration of its recent tenth anniversary, substantial investments were made in a wide range of instruments, both Indian and Western classical. The number of Trinity Board candidates has soared, with boys choosing to study music at the university level too.

• The Rose Bowl: The Rose Bowl is an iconic part of the school’s landscape and history. This amphitheater was originally built by the first cohorts of boys in the school in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 2009-11, the facility was completely re-built and is a stunning venue for plays, musicals, assemblies and prize-giving ceremonies. The acoustics are wonderful and the glorious backdrop provides the School with a wonderful space which really is unique.The Rose Bowl has been immortalized by the Old Boys, who chose to give this name to the main publication of The Doon School Old Boys Society (DSOBS).

• Sports Facilities

  Indoor facilities: The school has a gym and fitness room, squash courts, a sports pavilion alongside Main Field, as well as the use of the multipurpose hall for boxing and badminton.

  In 2014 a shooting range at The Doon School was established. Due to the increased interest from boys who are pistol shooting at inter-school, district, state, national and international level, and the school is now able to offer boys the chance to practice their sport in this facility within the school.

  Outdoor Facilities: The school has a 25-metre pool, acres of pitches and cricket net facilities as well as multiple new basketball and tennis courts with flood lights. Boys have the opportunity to play golf at a golf course a few hundred metres from the school gates.

• Science Department The school has well equipped facilities to teach the three separate sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as a science museum.
• Design and Technology The school has well equipped facilities to teach the boys the latest innovation in terms of technology and design within the science building.

• Wellness Centre The Wellness Centre is fully equipped with multiple beds, a full time residential doctor, a full time residential nurse and other support medical support. The boys are encouraged to drop in to the Wellness Centre to seek assistance as and when they need it. There is also a dental centre, a visiting physiotherapist and a nutritonist for the students’ overall well being. Counselling service for the boys is also provided by two school counsellors who teach the life skills curriculum based upon the UK SEAL programme. They also offer boys one- to- one counselling as and when it is needed. Comprehensive support is also offered to parents and staff in groups and in one- to- one sessions, as and when desired. The school also has visiting counsellors from overseas who vist two or three times a year and deal with specialised areas that need to be addressed.

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