US student stranded at Somerset school credits lockdowns for exam success

A US student who was stranded in the UK for a year during the pandemic has credited that period as the catalyst for his excellent A-level results.

Finn Bennett, from Maine, achieved A, A and B in government and politics, business and economics A-levels.

The teenager said his experience at school and hard work during the pandemic supercharged his predicted GCSE grades during the Covid-19 pandemic from a 4 to a 9 – the highest grade possible.

The 18-year-old did not see his family for an entire year while attending Millfield School, in Somerset, as he could not fly home due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

I wasn’t that interested in business but my business teachers, Mr Owlett and Mrs Cox, really inspired me

He is celebrating his results at home in the US and has an academic scholarship to study at The University of Virginia where he hopes to major in finance and eventually pursue a career in investment banking.

Mr Bennett joined Millfield in September 2018 for Year 9.

In late 2020, thinking that pandemic lockdowns were over, he returned to Millfield to prepare for his GCSEs, having been managing the five-hour time difference between the UK and Maine since the first lockdown.

But as the lockdowns continued, he remained in the UK, staying in Millfield boarding house St Anne’s, which had been home to his father Guy 30 years earlier.

During the lockdown he stayed on site, took classes during the day, and bonded with fellow students still living at Millfield by playing various sports and games in the evenings.

It was during that time that Mr Bennett discovered his passion for business studies.

“I wasn’t that interested in business but my business teachers, Mr Owlett and Mrs Cox, really inspired me,” he said.

“I missed home at the time but being stuck in the UK ended up really helping my results – in many subjects I went from a grade 4 all the way up to a 9.”

He said that by boarding at Millfield he made close friends.

“The diversity of people who attend Millfield allows you to become friends with people you maybe wouldn’t come across if you attended a local day school,” he said.

“Being on campus all the time enables you to get more involved with opportunities and events going on around the school – in that way, Millfield is a great preparation for university as you get that all-rounded campus experience.

“When I first came to Millfield I was quite shy but the independence that boarding gives you really made me come out of my shell and embrace the opportunities on offer.”