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A very English pupil, Bobby Burns – son of the Minister of State for Health – has the distinction of being the very first English pupil to leave Kingham Hill School with an American high school diploma. 

Bobby’s high school diploma will sit alongside his A-Level results, due later in the summer.  He joins three American pupils who also graduated from Kingham Hill’s groundbreaking American Studies Program.

The program was established in 2007 in response to an approach from the US Department of State, following the shock announcement of the closure of an American school on the outskirts of London. Kingham Hill appointed several American educators and created a program of study that made it possible for American pupils to transfer from an American curriculum school to a traditional English school and back again, without missing out or falling behind.

One exciting spin-off is that non-Americans can also access the American Studies program.  If carefully configured, courses offered through the program complement A-Level courses in such a way as to make an application by pupils of all nationalities to an American college as straightforward as an application to a British university.  Kingham Hill has a dedicated ‘guidance counselor’ who can offer expert advice on American colleges and the application process.

Kingham Hill School gained coveted New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation after a very rigorous and successful inspection early in 2010.  The Kingham Hill American Studies Program is the only program of its kind in the UK.

Headmaster Nick Seward says, “I’m delighted for Bobby – a great achievement for a real Kingham Hill character! The unique programme here allows A level pupils to keep their options open for higher education and university, which is ever more important in a global marketplace.”

Bobby – named after Bobby Kennedy, the famous US Senator – will take up a university place to study Politics at Bristol UWE in September.  However, further study in The States at some future point has not been ruled out.