Our Pre-Prep
Childhood is a time for fun and discovery through a wealth of learning opportunities. Our Pre-Prep is a special and unique place. Our aim is to give children the best possible start to their educational pathway, where friendships are made, individual academic excellence is achieved and happy memories are created. 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. Children in our Pre-Prep develop their social, emotional and cognitive skills through play-based activities. Every day your child will have to opportunity to apply what they have learnt in the classroom to activities in their shared areas or out in our fabulous 175-acre grounds. These hands-on opportunities give your child’s learning meaning and a grounding in the real world.
Our Pre-Prep children visit forest school several times a week. It provides a stimulating and engaging environment that encourages exploration, creativity and curiosity. Through being outdoors your child will develop an appreciation for the environment. They will learn to understand the significant impact they can have on sustainability for themselves and future generations by learning about environmental issues and taking meaningful actions to reduce their carbon footprint. We are fortunate to have two libraries at school and one is reserved for exclusive use by our Pre-Prep children. It has been carefully curated to instil a love of books and reading in all our children and to help your child to discover the magic that books bring, inspiring them in every topic from expeditions and exercise to Fairtrade and faraway places. Storytime and our robust phonics programme will help your child to develop crucial skills such as communication and comprehension.
Alongside the core curriculum, in the Pre-Prep your child will enjoy weekly swimming lessons in additional to their games and PE lessons. They will develop a positive attitude toward exercise and will grow to understand that a healthy body means a healthy mind, helping your child gain insight on how they learn best. A Pre-Prep education is one to be cherished. It is a time to develop the foundations for a love of learning where challenges are seen as positive experiences and every activity is approached with a smile, laughter and a can-do attitude.
Seeing the pre-prep children jump into wellies and waterproof trousers in record time and charge out to break was fabulous.
What we’re up to…
It was wonderful to welcome families to our annual Prize Giving as we celebrated the year that’s been and recognised the incredible achievements of our pupils 👏 A HUGE thank you to @benedictallenexplorer for joining us as our guest speaker. We may not all be setting off into the rainforest, but his stories certainly inspired our children to embrace their own adventures ahead. The celebrations continued with musical medleys, a surprise performance from our teachers and the handover from our Year 8 to the new student leadership team – a lovely way end to the school year 💙 #IndependentSchool #Liphook #PrizeGiving #Achievements #TogetherWeGrow
Could this summer be the perfect time to help your child become more independent? ☀️ In our latest blog, Georgie Hunter, Head of Pre-Prep and EYFS, explores why the summer holidays don’t have to be about filling every moment. Instead, they can be an opportunity to step back, give children more responsibility and watch their confidence grow. Read more here ➡
We are delighted to share that our pupils have been awarded a record 29 scholarships to a wide range of leading senior schools. 👏 The scholarships recognise achievement across an impressive range of disciplines, including academic, art, music, drama, dance, design engineering, product design, performing arts and sport, reflecting the breadth of talent within this year’s cohort. Congratulations to all of our pupils on this fantastic achievement, and thank you to the staff who have supported them throughout their scholarship journeys. We wish them every success as they take their next steps. Read more and find out about this year’s record scholarship success. ➡
After an emotional farewell video (a true labour of love from Mr Backhouse!) it’s almost time to say goodbye to our Year 8s. Tomorrow we’ll celebrate all that they’ve achieved at Prize Giving, but today we’d simply like to thank them for being such a valued part of our school community. Wishing you every success and happiness in your exciting new journey ahead! ✨
The summer holidays are nearly here… ☀ From building dens and getting creative to scoring goals and learning new skills, there’s plenty to look forward to with our Holiday Activities this summer. Bushcraft, Crafting and Super Sports are all running throughout the holidays, with places filling fast. Book online ➡️ https://highfieldandbrookham.co.uk/school-plus/holiday-activity-clubs/
Last night, our Year 8 pupils took to the stage for the final performance of Shrek. It wasn’t the smoothest journey to Far, Far Away. A heatwave that delayed rehearsals, alongside a few other unexpected surprises, couldn’t stop our cast from putting on a fantastic show. A huge thank you to everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this production such a success. Our musicians, tech, and makeup teams all played an important part in bringing the swamp to life. And to Mrs Baird, thank you for your unwavering belief in every pupil, for sharing your passion for theatre with us all, and for somehow finding the most spectacular Dragon to complete the cast! Well done, Year 8. We don’t think anyone will be forgetting this trip to the swamp anytime soon! 💚
Last night our Year 8s took to the stage for their final performance of Shrek… and what a show it was! It wasn’t exactly the smoothest journey to Far, Far Away. A heatwave delaying rehearsals, along with a few other unexpected surprises, couldn’t stop our cast from bringing the swamp to life. A huge thank you to everyone behind the scenes who brought the show to life – our musicians, tech and makeup teams. And of course to Mrs Baird.. thank you for believing in every pupil, for sharing your love of theatre with us all, AND for somehow finding the most spectacular dragon to complete the cast! What a way to end the year. Well done Year 8 – we’ll be smiling about this one for a long time 💚 #IndependentSchool #ShrekTheMusical #SchoolProduction #PerformingArts #ResilientAdaptability
What a few days away for our Year 4 residential! There were climbs that looked a little too high, zip wires that took a bit of courage, canoe battles that got everyone soaked, water slides that ended with lots of laughter and a very competitive game of wellie boot throwing! As we return to school, we’re bringing back more than muddy clothes and tired legs. We’re bringing back children who have discovered a little more confidence in themselves 💛
Swipe through a few of our favourite moments from Year 3’s adventure at Sayers Croft. 🌿 We spend a lot of time talking about resilience, but it isn’t built in the classroom alone. Sometimes, it looks like taking one more step up a huge rock. Sometimes, it’s facing your fears on a zipline. Sometimes, it’s working together as a team and not giving up until everyone succeeds. Well done, Year 3, for embracing every challenge and showing what resilience really looks like! #IndependentSchool #ResidentialTrip #Resilience #SelfBelief #Adaptability
If you heard Japanese echoing through Highfield last week… now you know why! Our pupils put on a brilliant showcase for their families, demonstrating everything they’ve been learning with Sensei Matt. One of the many skills Karate Club teaches us is resilience. Some moves can take a little longer to master, but learning to adapt and keep going builds the confidence to take on new challenges, both on and off the mat 💪🏽 #IndependentSchool #Liphook #KarateClub #ResilientAdaptability #ConfidenceBuilding
Our Airfix Model Club put their latest creations on display last week, giving everyone the chance to admire the impressive models they had been working on. Led by Mr Baker, the club has helped our children develop the focus and attention to detail that every great model builder needs. Of course, not every build goes to plan, and that’s all part of it! A piece doesn’t always fit and sometimes one mysteriously disappears altogether, which usually means a change of plan. But every model is a reminder that great results come from patience and perseverance. We even had a surprise guest judge! Our Estates Manager, Mr Edwards, who served in the Army, stopped by to cast his expert eye over the models. Thank you, Mr Baker for sharing your passion and inspiring so many young model makers. 👏✈️
Who needs Glastonbury when you’ve got Highfest? 🎶 Watching our pupils step onto stage and perform in front of a crowd was a reminder of just how much courage live performance takes. We think the applause could probably be heard across our fields! Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and who came along to cheer on our performers. Until next year, Highfest 💙 #Highfest #IndependentSchool #YoungMusicians #SelfBelief
Who needs Glastonbury when you have HighFest?! ☀️🎶 Festival season came to Highfield & Brookham on Friday, with our pupils taking to the stage to share their music with our school community. It takes enormous courage to stand in front of a crowd and perform, and there is always that moment before the music begins when the nerves could easily take over. That is what made the encouragement from friends, together with the cheers from the audience, so special. It was a lovely reminder of what HighFest is all about! As the sun began to set, the school grounds took on a real festival feel. With ice creams in hand and music filling the air, it was the perfect way to round off the year. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and to everyone who came along to support our performers. We’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year. 💙
When life gives you a heatwave… bring out the water balloons! ☀️ Our cricket skills session got a splash of creativity yesterday, with staff adapting activities to keep everyone cool while still developing the children’s technique and ball control. It was great to see our staff modelling the very skills we’re encouraging our pupils to develop, showing that adapting and working together is something we all do 🤝🏽 #IndepedentSchool #Cricket #PE #Heatwave #Collaboration
A huge well done to our Year 4 pupils for their fantastic performance of Gladis Baker, Gladiator! 🎭 There were plenty of laughs as the Great Roman Bake Off came to life, with ambitious bakers, a demanding Emperor and more than a few baking disasters along the way! Despite this week’s warm weather, they took to the stage with enthusiasm and plenty of smiles, delivering a performance they should be incredibly proud of. It was a joy to watch them perform as an ensemble, with every child playing their part in keeping the story moving and making each other shine. A fantastic team effort Year 4! 👏
🎭 Outstanding LAMDA Success at Highfield and Brookham! We are delighted to celebrate another exceptional set of LAMDA examination results, with 91% of pupils achieving Distinction and the remaining 9% awarded High Merit. These results follow our remarkable 100% Distinction rate earlier this year and reflect the value of nurturing confident communicators from a young age. Congratulations to all our pupils on this fantastic achievement! Read more about the latest results and the impact of LAMDA at our school➡️
Throwing it back to last Thursday, when Year 2 swapped the classroom for the coast and became geographers for the day 🌊 Their first challenge was to build a line of sandcastles and see what the tide would do. They then explored the coastline, listened to the skylarks in the dunes and created beach art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy (swipe to see!) As they shared observations and worked things out collaboratively, they were doing what geographers do best: asking questions about the world around them!
Our Book Swap Day is just around the corner! 📚 This Thursday, children across the school will have the chance to choose a new book to take home and enjoy over the summer holidays. A huge thank you to Mrs Elmore and Mrs Byam-Cooke, who are helping to organise the swap and collect books throughout the week. Their support will help ensure that many stories are shared between children, giving each book the chance to inspire a new reader. If you missed it, revisit our blog on the importance of reading and why a love of books remains one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. ➡
👋 Say hello to the newest members of the Highfield and Brookham family. Joining us this September are Tom Gloster, our new Head of Boarding, and Ashleigh, our new Head of Girls’ Games, along with their two children and two much-loved spaniels, Bluebell and Snowdrop. We’ll be sharing more about the Gloster family in the coming weeks, including Tom’s vision for boarding and what they’re most looking forward to about life here. What do you think they’ll love most about being part of our community? 👇 #IndependentSchool #MeetTheTeam #BoardingSchool #Liphook #SchoolCommunity
Moving Up Day has arrived! From meeting new teachers and friends to exploring different classrooms, there was plenty of excitement as our children spent the day in their new year groups. Looking ahead to September, children reflected on the qualities, strengths and interests that make them who they are and the part they will play in their classes. It was also a pleasure to welcome new families and boarders to the Highfield community! Roll on September 🙌🏼 #MovingUpDay #NewBeginnings #IndependentSchool #GrowingTogether #Belonging
Warning: Year 3 Spanish food tasting may result in strong opinions, adventurous taste buds and lots of enthusiastic chatter! After spending the term learning how to express their likes and dislikes, our Year 3s put their language skills to the test with a selection of Spanish foods. A wonderful opportunity for them to bring their learning to life, exploring new flavours together and discussing their tastes and preferences, all while deepening their understanding of a different culture 🇪🇸
Warning: Year 3 Spanish food tasting may result in strong opinions, adventurous taste buds and lots of enthusiastic chatter! After spending the term learning how to express their likes and dislikes, our Year 3s put their language skills to the test with a selection of Spanish foods. A wonderful opportunity for them to bring their learning to life, exploring new flavours together and discussing their tastes and preferences, all while deepening their understanding of a different culture 🇪🇸
Nothing could stop our students this Sports Day! We loved seeing them so invested in each other’s success, celebrating achievements so enthusiastically and showing just how much they value one another! A wonderful reflection of the collaborative spirit that makes our school community special. Sports day 2026, over and out!🏅 #IndependentSchool #SportsDay #Collaboration #Leadership #TeamSpirit
Today we marked Windrush Day, recognising the contributions and lasting legacy of the Windrush generation. Our Year 5 children embraced the occasion by dressing in bright, vibrant colours, bringing a wonderful sense of joy across the school. We also enjoyed a fantastic Caribbean-inspired lunch, thoughtfully prepared by our catering team. Learning about the experiences and contributions of others helps our students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and an appreciation of the diverse communities they are part of. These opportunities encourage them to learn from others, an important skill in building strong communities and future leaders.
🎶 Happy World Music Day! 🎶 “You’re as good as the person next to you” is an ethos that shapes many of the musical experiences we offer at Highfield. There’s something special about making music alongside people who challenge and inspire you. That’s why we place such value on opportunities for our students to collaborate with other ensembles and professional musicians. Here’s a look back at our Family Film Music Concert at @stalbanshindhead, where the Highfield Orchestra joined Meridian Winds Concert Band for a performance of We Don’t Talk About Bruno, conducted by Marc Yarrow. #WorldMusicDay #WorldMusicDay2026 #FeteDelaMusique #MakeMusicDay #PrepSchool #MusicForAll