Kingham Hill School
Kingham Hill School
Kingham, England
Located in the stunning Cotswolds, Kingham Hill School is a haven for pupils who need a little extra support at school. The school boasts an excellent Special Educational Needs (SEN) department staffed by trained educators. But it also has plenty to offer high achievers: the mathematics department, in particular, is outstanding and has been delivering one success story after another for years!
The Details
The Academics
Kingham Hill School offers the full range of qualifications – GCSEs, A Levels and some BTECs. Academically, the school is not selective, which makes the 2024 results all the more impressive: 36 percent of GCSEs were graded 9 to 7, and 40 percent of A Levels earned an A or A*. This isn’t magic, but the result of a 1:10 teacher-pupil ratio, small classes and teachers who genuinely want their pupils to succeed.
Maths, economics and politics are among the pupils’ favourite subjects – and deliver strong results. The maths department is not only academically excellent but also outstanding in terms of personal support – the head of maths is known as a true inspiration.
A real flagship of the school is the SEN department. Six dedicated specialists bring a wealth of experience and empathy to supporting pupils with learning difficulties – individually, in groups, and never with a one-size-fits-all approach.
Languages Taught
French and Spanish.
The Boarding
Boarding at Kingham Hill is very much like a family: more than half of the pupils are full boarders, living on campus around the clock. Rooms are usually shared by two or three pupils, which often quickly becomes a small chosen family.
The seven boarding houses are bright, homely and manageable – with a maximum of 25 pupils per house, it is more boutique style than mass operation. This creates the close-knit community that many value at Kingham Hill.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
The school is known for excellent pastoral care – centred around its own ‘Equipped To Flourish’ (ETF) programme. This focuses on spiritual, moral, social and cultural education that truly makes a difference in everyday life.
Kingham Hill is a school with heart – rural, manageable and characterised by warmth, personal support and genuine community. The facilities are impressive: a £1.5 million library, a £4 million maths and science centre, a state-of-the-art sports complex – and its own farm with alpacas, goats and a therapy pony named Finn. Pupils can help out in the farm club or even choose animal management as a BTEC subject in the Sixth Form.
Sport is highly valued, with creative solutions for small year groups: partnerships with local clubs and a varied offering ranging from rugby and fencing to mountain biking. Creative support is strong – especially in design technology (including model aircraft and electric cars!) and performing arts, where 25 percent of pupils take part. The former sports hall is now a top equipped theatre with a dance studio.
Weaknesses
From time to time, we hear complaints that some boarding houses are more attractive than others. Our advice: make sure you see several houses!
Location
The school is nestled in the picturesque rolling hills of the Cotswolds. Just nearby is the charming village of Kingham, home to a local shop and post office. For more extensive shopping, towns like Chipping Norton, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Burford are only a few miles away, offering cafés and weekly markets.
Oxford - 1 hr by car
London Paddington - 1 hr 30 mins by train
Perfect for pupils with learning difficulties or those who generally need a little extra encouragement and support.
Take a look at similar schools
Clayesmore School
Sidcot School
Dover College
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