Co-curricular Breadth
At Highfield School we make rigorous academic foundations and genuine breadth in the arts and sport a reality, not a trade-off. We believe Highfield offers the best of both: a strong foundation in Maths, Science and English, building knowledge and skills that matter, alongside creativity and talent nurtured through Art, DT, Drama, Music and Sport with equal investment.
We make a genuine commitment to this. Your child will spend a significant part of their time at Highfield immersed in co-curricular life, taught by specialists who bring real expertise into the classroom: proficient sportsmen and women, professional musicians, practising fine artists, and a drama department built from professional actors. Parents see the difference: in our most recent whole-school survey, 95% agreed the school offers a well-rounded education.
We recognise that a child’s ability can be revealed across a whole range of different activities, not only in traditional academic subjects. Sport, Music, Drama, Art and DT are the foundation of our co-curricular programme, and each one gives pupils a genuine opportunity to find their niche, take ownership of their own development, and build new skills and abilities doing something they truly love. Enrichment is what prep school breadth is for, and we offer it in real depth.
Outstanding Sport
Sport at Highfield offers a genuine pathway. The same specialist coaches follow your child from their very first PE lesson in Nursery through to their final fixture in Year 8, building a depth of understanding that comes only from years of helping a child develop.
From the moment children join Nursery, sport is integral to school life. Our youngest children enjoy weekly PE, Gymnastics and Swimming, developing fundamental movement skills and physical literacy from the very start. As your child progresses, they build on these foundations and begin acquiring the more complex skills competitive sport demands. From Year 2, your child continues to be taught by our specialist sports coaches in a wider range of sports including Football, Rugby, Hockey, Netball, Cricket and Athletics. These are the same coaches who have known them since Nursery, giving them a genuine understanding of how each child learns and where they’re heading next.
Competitive fixtures begin in Year 3, and matches are central to the sporting week. We play more than 1,000 fixtures a year across 100 teams. Courageous learners are built on the sports field, where resilience, determination and perseverance shine through. Children learn to take defeat readily in hard-fought matches against rivals, and gain real confidence and self-esteem from good performances on the pitch. These skills transfer effortlessly into the classroom.
Our fantastic grounds include superb sporting facilities: 15 natural grass pitches, a full-sized floodlit astro pitch, four tennis and netball courts, a nine-hole golf course, a squash court and a cross-country course. Alongside games coaching, weekly PE lessons offer Swimming, Badminton, Gymnastics, Athletics, Basketball and Cross Country, with other sports such as golf, mountain biking and karate available through our extensive after-school clubs programme.
We recognise sport is about far more than competing. From Nursery, children learn how physical activity benefits both body and mind, and we offer a genuinely wide range of options for every child, whatever their ability or passion, encouraging a lifelong relationship with physical activity. Sport also gives children space away from academic pressure to learn about themselves and each other, developing teamwork, sportsmanship and humility along the way.
The results speak for themselves. Our boys’ 1st XI Football reached the IAPS National Finals for the first time in the school’s history; our girls’ 1st XI Cricket placed 3rd nationally; and our swim squad an unbeaten run of consecutive eight years. The success of our approach can also be measured in 27 sports scholarships awarded over the past five years to top senior schools including Cranleigh, Radley College, Marlborough College and Wellington College.
Top Drama and Music
Most schools offer creative arts. Highfield offers something harder to replicate: genuine professional experience, delivered by people who have actually lived it. Every drama teacher on staff is, or has been, a working professional actor with credits across screen, theatre, voiceover and motion capture. All children from Year 3 upwards are taught by a subject-specialist drama teacher in their weekly lesson, developing performance skills that build genuine confidence, self-esteem and the ability to adapt on their feet.
We stage a production for every single year group, every year, right from Nursery, with every pupil on stage or, for those who prefer to work behind the scenes, in roles such as lighting or sound technician, or stage and costume designer, ensuring every child is engaged in the production, whether or not the spotlight is where they want to be. The culmination is the Year 8 production: a two-hour, fully staged musical, complete with a professional lighting rig, microphones, full staging and a live band, assembled in just two weeks.
The results speak for themselves. The school holds Gold Medal status with the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival, a status held by only 89 schools nationwide, performing at professional venues including The New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth, G Live in Guildford, The Leatherhead Theatre, The Hawth in Crawley and The Haymarket in Basingstoke.
If performing is a real passion, your child can take extra-curricular LAMDA lessons with our three professional tutors, developing vocal clarity and performing skill. LAMDA has grown from 93 pupils in 2019 to 130 today, and our 2026 examinations achieved a 100% Distinction rate across every single entry.
It shows in where our pupils go next: 18 Drama or Performing Arts scholarships have been awarded to our pupils over the last five years, and former Highfield pupils have gone on to take leading roles in flagship senior school productions, including Scaramouche in We Will Rock You at Charterhouse and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at Lord Wandsworth College.
Every music lesson from Nursery to Year 8 is taught by a professional specialist. Children who learn their craft from people actively working in it absorb something no textbook can teach: that this is real, and that it is within reach.
Music is at the heart of our school, and your child will have countless opportunities to perform and enjoy it, whatever their taste or ability. Our ensembles span every age group and almost every conceivable form: a Year 1 to 3 Choir, Year 4 and 5 Choir, Year 5 to 8 Rock Choir, an auditioned Chapel Choir for Years 6 to 8, rock bands from Year 4 upwards, Flute Choir, three Recorder Ensembles, a String Ensemble, Cello Ensemble, Wind Band and, something very special for a prep school, a full Orchestra.
Performance sits at the centre of it all. Children start gently, performing to peers and parents at our informal concerts, and progress to our termly concerts in Chapel or Theatre, our Jazz Café nights, and HighFest, our outdoor rock festival – a genuine highlight of the school year. Our Chapel Choir, directed by renowned choral director Robert Lewis, performs in our purpose-built chapel and tours Europe as part of our biennial choir tour. We also look outward, giving children the opportunity to perform on a professional stage alongside professional musicians such as the Royal Military School of Music, the Meridian Winds Concert Band and the Leconfield Singers.
In addition to timetabled lessons, your child can learn one of 12 instruments with our specialist peripatetic teachers, and formalise their progress through ABRSM exams, held twice a term. The proof is in the results: last year, every single child entered for a music scholarship was awarded one, continuing a track record that has seen Highfield pupils awarded with 12 music scholarships to top senior schools including Wellington College, Cranleigh, Bedales and Bryanston over the past five years.
Excellence in Art and DT
Creativity is highly valued at Highfield School. Our dedicated Art Studio and Design Technology workshops provide inspiring spaces where pupils can experiment, innovate and develop their skills under the guidance of specialist teachers.
Pupils are taught by specialist art teachers from Year 1, including practising artists whose professional experience brings additional depth and authenticity to every lesson. Their passion, expertise and understanding of the creative process help children develop confidence in their own artistic abilities, while gaining real insight into how artists work in the world beyond school.
Our progressive art curriculum introduces pupils to a rich variety of media, including painting, printmaking, drawing, textiles, sculpture, ceramics and mixed media. Inspired by artists across history and around the world, from Damien Hirst and Giuseppe Arcimboldo to Roy Lichtenstein and Picasso, pupils explore creative techniques while developing their own unique artistic voice. The department’s ethos is best captured by Picasso’s own observation: “Every child is an artist.” Our aim is to nurture that creativity and ensure every pupil leaves with the confidence to see themselves as a young artist.
Design Technology at Highfield is equally ambitious, combining creativity, engineering and STEM learning in a way that prepares pupils for the future. In our specialist DT workshop, children learn to think like designers, engineers and innovators, transforming ideas into reality through a carefully balanced combination of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. From Year 3 onwards, pupils enjoy weekly lessons with specialist teachers, blending time-honoured making skills such as woodworking, metalworking, textiles and hand-tool techniques with contemporary digital technologies including computer-aided design, coding, robotics, electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting.
Our scholarship success speaks volumes: 23 senior school scholarships to leading schools such as Rugby, Sherborne, Charterhouse, Cranleigh, Marlborough, Bryanston and Repton have been awarded to our pupils in Art, Design Technology or Design Engineering over the past five years.
Enrichment
At Highfield, enrichment is a carefully designed journey that helps pupils discover new interests, develop confidence, build character and acquire practical life skills that will stay with them long after they leave school.
Beginning in Year 3, pupils take part in a progressive programme of experiences that challenge them to step beyond their comfort zone, work collaboratively and develop greater independence. Each year has a distinct focus, ensuring that every child continues to grow academically, socially and emotionally as they move through the school.
In Year 3, pupils develop ‘Curiosity and Teamwork’ through practical challenges such as woodworking, creating useful items including stools and baskets while learning the value of collaboration, creativity and perseverance.
Year 4 focuses on ‘Determination’, encouraging children to build resilience and self-belief through outdoor challenges. Pupils learn how to use tools safely and responsibly before applying their skills in activities such as wood-splitting, developing confidence, focus and a sense of achievement.
In Year 5, pupils are encouraged to ‘Develop New Interests’ and embrace unfamiliar experiences. Through activities including cookery, sewing and a project exploring the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos, children broaden their cultural understanding, creativity and practical skills while discovering new passions.
Year 6 is centred on ‘Challenging Ourselves’. Our 175 acres of grounds allow us to run activities such as geocaching and orienteering, while debating and the Formula 1 STEM Challenge strengthen pupils’ problem-solving abilities, leadership skills and capacity to think critically under pressure.
In Year 7, the focus shifts to ‘Developing Our School’. Through the Tenner Challenge, pupils are given just £10 and are tasked to turn it into a fundraising initiative for one of our school charities, Highreach Holidays, developing entrepreneurial thinking, teamwork, financial awareness and social responsibility along the way.
As pupils prepare for life beyond Highfield in Year 8, enrichment becomes increasingly outward-facing. Through ‘Developing for the Future’, they volunteer with local organisations including The Peak Centre, a day centre for the elderly, Liphook Junior School and Hollywater School, a community special school, alongside RNLI lifesaving training and acting as role models to younger children in our Nursery. These experiences foster compassion, leadership, maturity and a genuine understanding of the impact they can have on others.
The benefits of enrichment extend far beyond the activities themselves. Pupils develop confidence, resilience, communication skills and emotional wellbeing, while strengthening their sense of responsibility to their community and the wider world. By the time they leave Highfield, they are not only academically prepared for the next stage of their education, but equipped with the character, values and life skills to thrive.
An excellent and very broad educational experience, combined with first-class pastoral care, great facilities in a wonderfully inspiring location.