The flat land in Barnhouse Lane, Uphill (now Hawkinge), on the hills overlooking Folkestone and the English Channel were used by the early aviators soon after 1900. The winds come straight off the sea and would have provided maximum lift for those flying machines made of spruce, mutton cloth and tubular metal. A Dutchman, Megone and local engineer, Victor Hunt, launched the "Mayfly" from the place where the school now stands.

In 1915, The Royal Flying Corps used the airfield as a landing ground and from there the Barnhouse Flying Field developed into RAF Hawkinge, a frontline base for refuelling and rearming fighters during the Second World War. When the Battle of Britain began in 1940, aerial battles involving Spitfires and Hurricanes over the area were commonplace. These aircraft are preserved in hangars at the Battle of Britain Museum in the village.

The site is, therefore, a memorial to England's "Finest Hour" and the school is named after the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.

The airfield stood empty when the RAF Station closed in 1961 but in 2001, planning permission for 2,500 houses was granted and the developers gave Kent County Council a parcel of land on which to build a school. The land had to be cleared of pipe bombs and the lengths of rusty metal pipes used for water hydrants during the war before the school could be built. A modular building of 3 classrooms was, therefore, provided for the first 90 pupils but the new building had outlined planning permission for up to 21 classes. The Churchill School opened on 10th September 2001.

In the Summer of 2002 our school building was completed and the children moved into their new classrooms.