Surrey


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-exterior-min.jpg" alt="Highfield and Brookham school Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32423" /></figure>



<p>Highfield and Brookham School is a non-selective, co-ed independent school in Liphook. Although its official address is in East Hampshire, it’s actually located in no less than three counties. The huge 175 acre grounds also encompass West Sussex and Surrey.</p>



<p>The co-ed pre-prep and&nbsp;nursery caters for kids aged 2-7 years old and feeds directly into the prep school, which caters for pupils aged 8-13, day pupils and boarders. Currently, Highfield and Brookham has 450 pupils with manageable class sizes averaging 16.</p>



<p>Despite the rural location, Highfield and Brookham is only about an hour’s trip into&nbsp;London and 30 minutes from Portsmouth and Guildford. Most day pupils live locally but the weekly boarding offer at the prep school is popular with London families.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FACILITIES</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/girl-playing-cricket-at-highfield-and-brookham-min.jpg" alt="Girl playing cricket at Highfield and Brookham school Hampshire" class="wp-image-32418" /></figure>



<p>How about space? 175 acres isn’t too shabby. No surprise then that they have their very own forest, 15 natural grass pitches, four tennis and netball courts, a squash court and cross-country course and a full-sized all-weather astro pitch.</p>



<p>There’s a purpose-built 20-metre indoor pool, sports hall and both the pre-prep and prep school have their own libraries. The pre-prep&nbsp;building, built in 1992, is a modern&nbsp;open-plan airy affair. Light, calm and uncluttered, Scandi-style wood fixtures and plants and classrooms feed into a central area where children sing enthusiastically by the piano.</p>



<p>The prep school vibe is more eclectic. A winding&nbsp;amalgam of old and new, modern buildings blend into the original&nbsp;Edwardian school building and headteachers’ house.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-music-min.jpg" alt="Music lesson at Highfield and Brookham School" class="wp-image-32427" /></figure>



<p>Classroom facilities include sound-proofed music practise rooms and a dedicated learning support block. The DT studio has a 3D printer. And there’s a medium-size theatre with removable tiered seating&nbsp;that’s done away with the traditional stage, allowing for greater flexibility.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-drama-min.jpg" alt="Theatre production at Highfield and Brookham School Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32422" /></figure>



<p>Sports and activities-wise,&nbsp;the school boasts their own 9-hole woodland golf course and a newly-built hockey pavilion with its own café. Highfield and Brookham sports teams are pretty competitive too.&nbsp;2024’s swimmers had an unbeaten run in recent inter-school swimming galas and other pupils came home with a clutch of medals in the IAPS National Athletics finals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LITTLIES</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-littlies-min.jpg" alt="Children outdoors at Highfield and Brookham School Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32426" /></figure>



<p>The nursery sits within the pre-prep building, taking littlies aged two upwards. Right from the off, all nursery pupils are welcomed with a handshake as they arrive at school. Making the most of the bucolic setting, the smallest wards are out once or twice a week in Forest School and there’s plenty of other outdoorsy opportunities to play like the mud kitchen and vegetable garden. The kids spend as much time learning outdoors as they do indoors. In fact, part of the pre-prep’s uniform is a pair of waterproof dungarees.</p>



<p>Starting them early in the onsite pool, there are weekly swimming lessons, along with Spanish, gymnastics and music. Fantastically calm and collected even in an unexpected fire alarm evacuation, I’m told mindfulness sessions (timetabled and in lessons) help maintain the peaceful vibe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ACADEMICS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-classroom-2-min.jpg" alt="Highfield and Brookham School pupils academics prep school Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32420" /></figure>



<p>Most pupils stay on until 13, with a small number switching to the likes of St Catherine’s, Bramley and Royal Grammar School, Guildford at Year 7. Despite being non-selective, scholarships to top senior schools are&nbsp;high. In 2024, just under 30% of leavers gained awards in sport, art, drama and academic all-rounders to the likes of Wellington, Marlborough and Charterhouse. All children who took common entrance exams in 2024 achieved 60% or higher and all secured a place at their first choice of senior school.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PASTORAL CARE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-littlies-2-min.jpg" alt="Wellbeing hub The Beehive Highfield and Brookham school Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32425" /></figure>



<p>All the teaching staff at Highfield and Brookham undertake Mental Health First Aid training with most having defined pastoral roles. There are lots of mindful activities to choose from, like walks, Lego and scrapbooking. The school employs a child phycologist but there’s also lots of emphasis on positive mental health as part of daily life. In 2023, the school cut the ribbon on a new wellbeing hub, The Beehive, a bright, comfy space where children can come to speak with an adult or calmly play games at breaktime.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BOARDING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-boarding-2.jpg" alt="Boys at Highfield and Brookham school in Hampshire playing table football fun in boarding house." class="wp-image-32448" /></figure>



<p>Although optional, boarding is popular at Highfield and Brookham. Around 100 students board in the main building with separate girls’ and boys’ dorms. Approximately 10% are international borders from a range of countries including Spain, Italy, France, Ukraine, Japan and China.</p>



<p>Just coming to the end of an extensive refurb, bedrooms are bright and clean with modern furniture, squishy carpets and&nbsp;personal touches dotted around. Dorm rooms are named for famous figures like Shakespeare, Captain Scott and Jane Austen and there’s a fiercely competitive house points competition for extra treats and privileges.</p>



<p>The school nurse is based here to deal with anything from homesickness to falling out of trees, along with a weekly GP visit. A weekly boarding option means not all children stay for the weekend but those that do enjoy regular outings and activities, from pizza in the woods to zorbing, movie nights and trips to the zoo. Special mention too from the kids about the delicious breakfast waffles.</p>



<p>For the smaller number of junior boarders (aged 7-9), there is a gorgeous cottage, the Junior Boarding House, housing up to 18 kids. The cottage is staffed by a husband-and-wife team who live on the ground floor. The Junior Boarding House has its own common room and an enclosed garden and outdoor play area.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">QUIRKS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-classroom-min.jpg" alt="Pupils at Highfield and Brookham school Liphook Hampshire" class="wp-image-32421" /></figure>



<p>Plenty! Highfield and Brookham has been privately owned since 1904, with the current owner the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Built in 1910 and restored and refurbished in 2023, the school has an atmospheric Chapel with stained glass windows used for assemblies, concerts and an annual Old Highfieldian and Boarders’ Carol Service. Outside, the brass bust of the school’s founder, Canon Mills is said to bring luck if you touch his head.</p>



<p>Unusually, children stay at pre-prep here until Year 3, a popular entry point into the school. As well as giving new and existing pupils the chance to take senior roles and responsibilities, teachers feel a year at pre-prep also helps ready newcomers for the move to the prep school. &nbsp;</p>



<p>The prep school also have their very own Keys Diploma programme, which recognises achievement in eight essential skills across the four areas of school life, academic lessons, sporting activities creative arts and extra-curricular and enrichment programmes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Each November, there’s a huge and popular bonfire party with the burning of weird and wonderful guys made in art classes. And while most public buildings and estates are moving towards energy efficiency, Highfield and Brookham school’s ambitious environmental programme already has the indoor pool heated by a wood-chip biomass boiler, with plans for the school to become carbon positive by 2030.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE HEAD</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/10/Highfield-Brookham-School-head-suzannah-cryer-min.jpg" alt="Suzannah Cryer Head Highfield and Brookham School" class="wp-image-32424" /></figure>



<p>Suzannah Cryer became Head in September 2022, taking the reins from Phillip Evitt who retired after 23 years. Previously Deputy Head at Thomas’s Prep School in Battersea, she was no stranger to Highfield and Brookham, having held roles as Head of Boarding and Head of Drama at the prep school.</p>



<p>Drawn back here by the opportunity, the location and the ‘happy, friendly environment’, she’s made it her mission to align the pre-prep and prep schools more closely, starting with a restructured leadership team. Looking beyond day-to-day academics and getting the pupils to their chosen next schools, she’s also creating a future skills-building programme.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WRAPAROUND CARE</h2>



<p>Breakfast club starts at 7.30am. There are loads of after school clubs with the option to stay on for a freshly-cooked supper until 6.30pm.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ISI REPORT</h2>



<p>The latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.isi.net/school/highfield-and-brookham-schools-6542">ISI Report</a>&nbsp;was in 2022. Highfield and Brookham was ranked Excellent in all areas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">MOBILE PHONE POLICY</h2>



<p>Children are not allowed to have mobile phones at school. International boarders are allowed access to their mobiles outside of school hours in order to call home.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TRANSPORT</h2>



<p>Given the rural location, most parents drive their kids to school on a daily or weekly. Large parking areas help keep queues to a minimum at drop-off and pick-up.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fees-amp-scholarships">FEES &amp; SCHOLARSHIPS</h2>



<p>Around average given the proximity to Surrey. Fees start at £4,775 per term for Reception to Year 2 rising to £6,425 per term for Year 3. Starting in Year 4 you can expect termly fees of £8,125 for day pupils and £10,263 for weekly boarders, increasing to £8,625 for day pupils in Years 5 and 6 (£10,763 weekly boarders) and £9,125, per term for Years 7 and 8, (£11,263 weekly boarders). Sibling discounts apply for day, weekly and full boarding fees, excluding Nursery. Highfield and Brookham has also announced a new&nbsp;<a href="https://highfieldandbrookham.co.uk/admissions/year-5-scholarships/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Year 5 Scholarship scheme</a>&nbsp;which includes subject specialist teaching and a 5% discount on fees and LAMDA, music and tennis lessons for successful applicants.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WORD ON THE GROUND</h2>



<p>The kids here all seem happy, motivated and positive. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for sports, especially football, rugby, hockey and tennis.&nbsp;Parents don’t need to be involved but many are, from the active PTA to walking the dog after drop off and socialising after sports games in the Pavilion café.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for:&nbsp;</strong>Giving kids the chance to be kids. Academic excellence is important but within an all-round nurturing environment. As well having the mountains of space to&nbsp;burn off energy and get grubby knees, there’s an emphasis on all of these being linked academically – and a strong track record when it comes to preparing pupils for some of the most prestigious schools in the country.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:&nbsp;</strong>Weekly boarding makes this an attractive prospect for London families but the rural location won’t suit everyone. A small number do move on to seniors at 11 but taking common entrance exams at 13+ is the norm.</p>



<p><strong>Dare to disagree?!</strong>&nbsp;Don’t take my word for it! Take a look for yourself at the&nbsp;<a href="https://highfieldandbrookham.co.uk/book-a-visit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">next open event on Saturday 28 September 2024</a>&nbsp;or contact the school to book a 1-1 tour.</p>



<p><em>Highfield and Brookham School, Highfield Lane, Liphook, GU30 7LQ. Tel.&nbsp;01428 728 000.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.highfieldschool.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">highfieldschool.org.uk</a></em></p>


Highfield and Brookham Schools, Liphook

You may also like