Together we learn

Our Nursery

For many children, attending Nursery is the first time they spend significant time away from home. For that reason it is vital that the setting they attend makes them feel happy, secure and valued. Furthermore it is such an important time for your child to develop learning characteristics that will set them up for their educational journey ahead. It is where it all begins and a time of limitless exploration and growth. These early years are fundamental to embed learning habits and develop confidence.

We are an independent Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School in Liphook, situated in 175 acres of stunning grounds in the South Downs National Park on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Our vision is to teach children to collaborate, to be resourceful and to take charge of their own learning and to provide a welcoming environment in which to do so. We plan a curriculum that cultivates good habits and attitudes that will enable your child to become an eager and courageous learner. As your child progresses through the Nursery years, they will develop into a tenacious, imaginative and logical child who is self-aware, collaborative and inquisitive. The foundations of all of these traits are put in place from the moment your child walks through the Nursery door for the very first time. Above all, we aim to make your child’s time in Nursery a joyous experience. During their time with us their imagination will grow, their thoughts will become more complex and their understanding of the world around will unfold. The aim of our Nursery is to instil a love of learning that will set them up for the rest of their life.

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Core Education

Our Nursery timetable is predominantly led by the children’s interests and is made up of mainly child-led learning time as well as forest school. Our expert Nursery Practitioners curate a wide range of activities for your child to engage with to help them develop prime development areas:

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, social and emotional development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design

At Highfield and Brookham, we pride ourselves on our impressive breadth of curriculum, supplying your child with plenty of new skills to discover. Alongside your child’s core education, they will be taught by our specialist subject teachers in swimming, PE, gymnastics, music and Spanish.

Child-initiated

Here at Highfield and Brookham, we have a real passion for and belief in child-initiated learning based on extensive research on how young children learn best. Your child will make decisions about what they want to do, where they want to do it, and what resources they will need. Crucially, the teachers participate as play partners identifying learning opportunities and skilfully responding to the children rather than leading the activities. This is all made possible because of our high staff-to-child ratios. It’s only when your child starts to apply independently what they have learnt that we know they have truly understood and engaged with what they have been taught.

We love the nursery and could not be happier that we chose it for our children.

Outdoor Learning

There is a plethora of evidence in support of outdoor learning and at Highfield and Brookham we see the proof of this every single day. Each of our Nursery rooms has direct access to our wonderful Nursery garden, which is fully equipped with a giant sandpit, mud kitchen and vegetable patch. Your child’s imagination will know no bounds as they explore and discover wonderful new things inside and out. Come rain or shine your child will be able to decide to go outdoors whenever they like, and we know that the lure of splashing in puddles or making mud pies means that children want to go outside whatever the weather. This is why waterproofs and wellington boots are staples in the Nursery wardrobe. One of the most popular activities in the garden is growing vegetables. Your child will plant, water and care for a variety of vegetables in the Nursery garden and, best of all, they will also get to harvest the produce and cook it in their very own kitchen.

With 175 acres of beautiful grounds, outdoor learning at Highfield and Brookham really has no limits. Your child will relish their time in their dedicated space at forest school, which is just a stone’s throw from their classroom door. Here they are free to explore and roam in our wondrous woodland as they hunt for the most magical minibeasts, build the most extravagant dens and craft the most elaborate leaf crowns. We want to engender a love of wildlife and respect for the natural environment in your child.

Free Flow

Your child will enjoy the freedom of free flow across all three of our Nursery rooms for a large proportion of the day. This is where all the children come together and are given the independence to explore their environment. During this time the younger children learn from their older peers, enhancing their language development and communication. Simultaneously, the older children learn valuable skills such as empathy as they take on the position of role models for their younger classmates. This combination of dedicated and shared space is a key factor in your child’s personal, emotional and educational growth.

Open-ended Resources

Our Nursery is purposefully equipped with an exciting variety of open-ended resources for your child to discover. The classrooms are carefully kitted out with blocks, loose parts and modelling resources. A toy fire engine is always a fire engine, but a pile of bricks could be an aeroplane carrying an important guest, a rocket on the hunt for life on mars or even an underground tunnel leading to an undiscovered land. The only limitation is your child’s imagination.

Food

We take food very seriously at Highfield and Brookham and your child will quickly find out why. We hire a fantastic Catering Team who keep your child’s energy at the optimum level so they can fully engage with everything that Nursery has to offer. At 10am your child will enjoy a morning snack on the carpet with their friends. This usually consists of fruit or a slice of our delicious homemade, reduced-sugar banana loaf.

Lunchbreak for our Nursery children is at 11.45am. The Tiny Bears, our very youngest children, enjoy lunch in their room, The Den, before settling down for a much-needed lunchtime nap. Our Little Bears and Big Bears don their gingham smocks and head across the courtyard to the main dining hall. Your child’s lunch is freshly prepared on site by our in-house chefs. Children are served at the table and always have the option to ask for more if they want it.

Mid-afternoon, children gather back on the carpet with the other Nursery children to enjoy a well-earned rest and snack. Cheese and crackers, sandwiches or breadsticks and humous are usually on offer to see them through to tea time.

Rooms

There are three specialist rooms in our Nursery – The Den, Woodlands and Meadows. The Den is home to our youngest cohort, Tiny Bears. This dedicated area, designed especially for our youngest children, allows your child to undertake age-appropriate activities which help them to develop independence, imagination and communication at a pace that is just right for them. Importantly, there is a dedicated space for your child to have their valuable daytime nap if they need it to ensure they are rejuvenated and ready for their afternoon adventures.

At the age of three, and when they are developmentally ready, your child will move up to either Meadows or Woodlands. Both rooms have a managed mix of our Little Bears and Big Bears so they can grow and learn together.

Logistics

Our Nursery is open for 35 weeks of the year. We welcome children from the age of two when they attend for a minimum of two mornings per week. As your child progresses into their final Nursery year, they will attend a minimum of three mornings per week, with lunch. This extended week helps with their readiness for the transition to Reception.

The morning sessions in Nursery run from 8.20am to 11.20am. You can choose for your child to stay for lunch, which the children take in our main dining hall at 11.45am. Collection is after lunch is at 12.20pm or 3.20pm if your child is staying for the full day.

Your child may attend on any days of the week where we have availability, and in any combination of morning, morning with lunch and full day sessions, up to full time, five days a week.

The Nursery Week

  • 7.30am Breakfast club (Optional £)
  • 8am Before-school care
  • 8.20am Doors open
  • 11.45am Lunch break
  • 3.20pm School day ends
  • 3.30pm After-school care (Optional £)
  • 4.30pm Picnic tea and play (Optional £)
  • 6.30pm Last pick up

Drop off

The doors to our Nursery are open for children at 8.20am. We know and completely understand that mornings can be busy for many families, with parents juggling school drop off, work and other commitments. It’s important that your child’s start to the day is calm and stress free to set them up for a successful say of learning. That’s why we offer an earlier 8am drop off option for those families who need it, at no extra charge.

Many of our families make use of our breakfast club, which opens for our Nursery children at 7.30am. Breakfast Club takes place in the main dining hall and your child will be spoilt for choice for what to have for breakfast. There is always a hot option such as beans on toast as well cereal, porridge, yoghurt, toast and fresh fruit. A truly hearty breakfast to kickstart them for their busy day in Nursery.

After School

The Nursery day draws to a close at 3.20pm. We have excellent after-school care provision that covers you if you need a later pick up.

As part of the after-school care programme, your child will have a fantastic choice of games and activities at their disposal. After-school care runs until 4.30pm.

For those families who need a later collection time we offer our ‘picnic tea and play’ session. A high tea will be served at 5pm with a selection of sandwiches, crudités, fromage frais and fruit on offer. Your child will be looked after until 6.30pm if required.

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What we’re up to

The shared area in pre-prep was a hive of activity today – and it all added up to a truly memorable lesson for Year 1. While some children got busy in the kitchen, expertly measuring, pouring and mixing to produce tasty apple and honey cookies, others brushed up on their maths by cleverly using different coloured paint to create number bonds, showed great dexterity and perseverance to make robots out of recycled materials, or let their imaginations run free with marker pens and a whiteboard. #TogetherWeGrow #Cookery #RecycledRobots #AppleAndHoneyCookies #ResourcefulChildren #Maths #NumberBonds #CoeducationalPrepSchool #SchoolsInHampshire

With our traditionally strong links to some of the best senior schools in the country, our children are regularly exposed to inspirational visitors who offer insightful and invaluable advice via talks, hands-on workshops and coaching sessions. Today, we welcomed Terry Gilmour, Head of Rugby at @marlboroughcollege who put our Year 5 and Year 8 boys through their paces while offering some top teaching tips to Mr Bather, our very own Director of Sport. #TogetherWeGrow #PrepSchoolRugby #ExpertSportsCoaching #SchoolsInHampshire #BoardingSchool

We are looking forward to tomorrow night’s Educating Outside London drinks reception and talk @beauforthousechelsea 6.30-8.30pm, and to meeting all of the parents attending. Our Head Suzannah Cryer will be there with experts and fellow Heads from @hanfordschool @ludgrove_school @downe_house @marlboroughcollege @radleycollegeoxon, to discuss the multiple benefits of educating outside London. Whether you are looking to move/relocate or want to learn about the numerous benefits of boarding and giving your children a country school education within easy reach of London – the schools’ teams will be there to answer your questions, to help you make an informed choice about your children’s future education. We have had an amazing response from parents, and if you are still interested to come along, please don’t hesitate to reach out and head to the link in our bio above to book. #educatingoutsidelondon #countryschoolbenefits #londonfamily #londonmums #londondads #londonparenting #londonparents #countryschooleducation #boardingschool #prepschool #liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

Today, we’ve been treated to another amazing cushion concert, where the children get the chance to perform in front of a small but select audience of parents and friends as they continue on their musical journey. Four pianists tackled Melody, Michael Head’s The Quiet Wood, Virginia Hall and North American anthem Take Me Out To The Ballgame while our three young vocalists gave assured renditions of The Owls, Castle On A Cloud from hit West End musical Les Misérables, and traditional American folk song Shenandoah. #TogetherWeGrow #CushionConcert #SchoolsInHampshire #Music #SchoolMusicConcert

As part of their termly focus on good health and wellbeing, Year 3 have been busy working on fruit and vegetable faces in art. Using a scoring technique and applying slip to make pieces secure on their ‘faces’ before they go in the kiln for firing, the children added clay bananas, blueberries, broccoli and tangerines to represent the facial features. #TogetherWeGrow #SchoolsInHampshire #FruitAndVegetables #Art #VisualArts

Given that outdoor learning and play helps children grow socially, helps them develop healthy ways of forming friendships, helps them respond to physical interaction and use their imaginations to entertain each other, it looks like our pre-prep youngsters have got @_place2be’s Children’s Mental Health Week off to the perfect start! #TogetherWeGrow #HampshireSchools #CoeducationalSchools #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek #OutdoorLearning

Our work on a project which fosters independent learning, critical thinking and academic excellence among our Year 8 children has earned a golden accolade from a leading exam board. ISEB #TogetherWeGrow #CoeducationalPrepSchool #HampshireSchools #IndependentSchool #BoardingSchool #CriticalThinking #AcademicExcellence

Joggers, football shirts, bling, onesies, hats, jewellery and trainers were all the rage as our children took full advantage of Break The Rules Day to raise money for Highreach, our ever-popular charity which provides week-long holidays for children with disabilities. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #BreakTheRulesDay

Coloured hair? Jewellery? Wearing hats in class? We don’t normally encourage our children to break the rules but we are prepared to make the odd exception, especially when all money raised is going to a good cause like our much-loved Highreach Holidays! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #HighreachHolidays

As part of their history topic on the Second World War, Year 4 were this week treated to a visit from Carole Coller, who held the children spellbound as she vividly recounted incredible tales of her life as an evacuee. She even brought in a framed painting which belonged to a member of her family and which was hung in the window of a regular meeting spot to indicate whether or not the intelligence services were in session. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #SecondWorldWar

Our Early Years children made a big beeline for our treasured woodland today; playing together and learning together on a beautiful bright winter’s today. And did they enjoy their time together in the great outdoors? That lovely smile would suggest that they very much did… #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

The Year 1 Choir has today been in fine voice under the expert direction of Mrs O’Brien ahead of next month’s spring concert, running through the lyrics of the catchy song Pirates and polishing up the associated hand gestures. Shiver me timbers, it’s going to be quite a spectacle! #TogetherWeGrow #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #SpringConcertRehearsal

There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing friends and classmates united by a common cause. That was the case today as our U11 girls displayed oodles of determination, passion, togetherness and good grace on the netball court against our friends from St. Edmund’s School, Surrey. Well played, girls! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Netball #Teamwork #TogetherWeCompete

In honour of his amazing efforts with the bagpipes and the stirring address to the haggis on Burns Night and choreographing the intricate dance moves for the whole-school ceilidh, our delightful Year 1 children wanted to say a big ‘thank you’ to Year 6 form teacher and proud Scot Mr Gunn. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

A joyous Gaelic gathering in the form of a rousing ceilidh, led by our piper extraordinaire Mr Gunn, was a fitting finale to our brilliant Burns Night celebrations. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #BurnsNight #WholeSchoolCeilidh

Ahead of Wednesday’s worldwide celebrations, our prep school children today immersed themselves in the Chinese New Year. Year 5 welcomed their parents into the classroom and set about making colourful paper lanterns while Year 6 donned virtual reality headsets to learn the fascinating story of the ‘Great Race’, part of Chinese folklore which explains why the 12 animals in the zodiac were chosen, and the reason for their order. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #ChineseNewYear

Spectacular Dragon dances, Chinese cookery and oriental crafts were the order of the day as our Early Years children today began their Chinese New Year celebrations. We are delighted to have a number of Chinese pupils in school and this year marks the Year of the Snake. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

Are you a London-based parent? Would you like to find out about the benefits of educating outside London? If so, do join us for an informative drinks reception on Wednesday 5th February at @beauforthousechelsea. Our Head, Suzannah Cryer will be joined by expert speakers from @hanfordschool @ludgrove_school @downe_house @marlboroughcollege @radleycollegeoxon will lead discussions to help parents make an informed choice about their children’s education. Space is limited so don’t miss this opportunity to ask the experts! Head to the link in our bio to book. #educatingoutsidelondon #countryschoolbenefits #londonfamily #londonmums #londondads #londonparenting #londonparents #countryschooleducation #boardingschool #prepschool #liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

Our Burns Night celebrations have ended in spectacular style, with a whole-school ceilidh on the tennis court. From the youngest to the oldest, big smiles, laughter and camaraderie were the order of the day as the children danced the Virginia Reel, Military Two-Step and Strip The Willow accompanied by our expert piper, Mr Gunn. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #BurnsNight

Year 5 took a step back in time with a fascinating visit to the Weald & Downland Living Museum. Currently studying the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in history and settlements in geography, the children found the landmark near Chichester the perfect learning resource. They discovered how most Vikings lived on farms featuring a central longhouse, outbuildings, barns and workshops; that most were farmers, craftsmen or blacksmiths; that everything from grinding grain to making clothes was done by hand; and that the longhouses had wooden walls insulated by clay while the rooves were made of straw topped with layers of turf. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #History

Rehearsals have been continuing apace for Year 6 as they prepare for their upcoming performance of Pride Rocks. They will be joined on stage in March by Year 5 for what promises to be a powerful, dramatic and poignant production under the expert direction of Mrs Baird, our exceptional Head of Drama. Today, while working their way through the stirring script, the children established stage movement and positioning for each scene and developed the relationships between key characters. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #SpringTerm #PerformingArts #StagePlay #MusicalTheatre

“Psst, Highfield and Brookham’s next open morning is on Friday 14th March, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The booking link is in the bio. Pass it on…” #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #SpringTerm #OpenMorning

Our U10 girls have had a wonderful afternoon of competitive hockey, welcoming our friends from @aldroschool, @barrowhillsschool, @churchersjunior, @cranleighprepschool, @twyfordschool and @westbournehouseschool for a thrilling tournament on our superb Astro. All the girls warmed up the watching parents on a bitterly cold day with their excellent stick skills, fleet footwork, tenacious tackling and brave blocking in what was an excellent advert for prep school hockey. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #SpringTerm

Our boarders last night got a head start on the annual Burns Night celebrations. And what a celebration it was as the children enjoyed the traditional fare of haggis, neeps and tatties to mark the birthday of famed Scottish poet Robert Burns, who was born in 1759. To make the night extra special, our very own accomplished piper, Mr Gunn, one of several revered Scottish members of staff, piped in the haggis and read the Address to a Haggis, a stirring poem penned by Rabbie Burns. All that was left was to raise a toast with a glass or two of Irn-Bru! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #SpringTerm #BurnsNight

Our wonderful Scottish staff wearing their tartan for our Burns Night and “Highfield Games” celebration. #iloveboarding #multiculturalschool #burnsnight

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