Kingham Hill was purpose built by the Christian philanthropist Charles Young in 1886. He put his faith into practice by establishing it as a place where boys with a boarding need could be educated and prepared for life. In the early days, the school was a virtually self-sufficient community. It had a farm, a wide range of workshops, a school building, a chapel, a sanatorium and various boarding houses. Young ensured that every Kingham boy learned their ‘letters’, gained a trade and could understand the Christian faith. On leaving they could progress to accommodation and opportunities in London or emigrate to a farm Young owned in Canada and make their life in the New World. The school became co-educational in 1992 when it welcomed its first intake of girls.
The Kingham Hill Trust, established by Young, administers the school and its sister foundation, Oak Hill Theological College in London.[1]
Kingham Hill School is a small coeducational boarding school and day school for children aged 11–18, set in 100 acres of grounds in the heart of the Cotswold countryside. The school was founded in 1886 and has around 370 pupils split into eleven houses, seven of which are boarding and four for day pupils.[2]
The school has a performing arts theatre, sports centre, leisure centre, with a swimming pool, sauna, fitness suite as well as a dance and drama studio, astroturf, squash court and tennis courts on site. These facilities are available for use by the local community at certain times. In addition to the sports pitches, the school's 100 acres of grounds include parkland, 30 acres of woodland and 8 acres of pasture housing the school's horses, sheep, alpacas, pigs, bees and goats. The school has recently invested in new facilities including a £4 million maths and science building built in 2015, a new library completed in 2016 and a new £6 million sports centre opened in January 2020.[3]
