History
Highfield School was founded in Southampton in 1892 by Mr EA Wells, the owner and first Headmaster. The school first opened as a boys’ prep with 18 pupils. In 1904, Mr William Mills became the owner and Headmaster and moved Highfield to its present 175-acre site in Liphook, on the Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey border.
The new purpose-built school opened in September 1907 with 32 boys, all boarders. The school grew steadily; a beautiful Chapel was added in 1910, with other buildings quickly following suit. Mr Mills, who was ordained in 1912 and later became an Honorary Canon of Portsmouth Cathedral, remained Headmaster until 1953. Under Canon Mills, the school grew to accommodate 120 boys and established an enviable reputation for academic and sporting excellence. Highfield pupils won many scholarships to the leading English public schools, including Eton, Winchester, Shrewsbury, Charterhouse, Rugby and Sherborne.
Canon Mills died in 1953 and was succeeded by his son, Peter. The school became co-educational in 1978 and also began to take day children into the junior part of the school. Peter Mills retired in 1979 to be succeeded by Old Highfieldian Robin Orr, who remained Headmaster until 1993. During his tenure, school numbers rose from around 120 to almost 170. Under Nigel Ramage, Mr Orr’s successor, the school began a considerable programme of refurbishment and building work. Mr Ramage was succeeded in 1999 by Phillip Evitt when the compulsory boarding requirement ended, although many children still choose to board to this day, with almost all boarding for at least part of their final two years. Phillip Evitt retired in 2022 and was succeeded by Mrs Suzannah Cryer, current Head of Highfield and Brookham.
Today, all departments have designated teaching rooms. New Science, Maths and Computing facilities were opened in September 2000. A new indoor swimming pool was opened at Easter 2005, and a new Music School in 2006. Today, Highfield is genuinely co-educational with equal numbers of girls and boys. In 1992, a new building, designed by Petersfield-based architect, Roger Hill Building Design, was built within the grounds of Highfield to house our Pre-Prep children.
Highfield and Brookham is owned by Mr William Mills, the grandson of the founder. Mr Mills is also Chairman of the Board of Directors. Today, Highfield and Brookham continues to enjoy an outstanding reputation as a top Pre-Prep and Prep school for children aged 2-13 that offers an excellent all-round education, and its long tradition of scholarship success continues.
What we’re up to…
A big day for Reception! 🏊♀️ Yesterday was their very first swimming lesson at Highfield, but first they had to master getting pool-ready. Which way round does a swimming costume go? And was it hat or goggles first? There was certainly lots to remember! Once in the water, they were off! We may just have some future swimming stars on our hands… 🌟 #IndependentSchool #BuildingConfidence #Reception #SchoolSwimming #YoungSwimmers
A big day at Highfield! 🏊 Our Reception children had their very first swimming lesson today. Before they even reached the pool, there was lots of independence involved, from working out which way round their swimming costumes went to remembering that swimming hats come before goggles! Once they were in the water, they all settled in quickly and made a fantastic start. We think there may be some future swimming stars among them! Well done, Reception – you embraced this new experience brilliantly! 🌟
🎭 Auditions are under way for Year 5’s production of Shakespeare Rocks! Our pupils stepped up to read for their chosen roles today, developing their confidence and bringing each character to life through voice and expression. We’re excited to see this one come together Year 5! #IndependentSchool #Year5 #PerformingArts #SchoolProduction #ConfidenceThroughDrama
What happens when you put a tomato plant in the Curiosity Cube? 🍅 Middle Nursery got straight to work investigating, sparking some wonderfully honest comments: “The seeds inside are squidgy” and “It is green and smells funny!” At this age, curiosity is where so much learning begins. Exploring what’s inside the cube helps our children develop their observation and language skills. It also gives them the confidence to express their ideas – no matter how squidgy the seeds or funny the smell! We wonder what will appear in the cube next… 🔍
🏆 We’re Mind Champions! We’re incredibly proud to have won the Mind Champion Award at the School House Awards 2026, recognising our commitment to supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing. A huge well done to our wonderful pastoral team and every member of staff who helps make wellbeing part of everyday life at Highfield. Read more via the link in our bio. #IndependentSchool #SchoolHouseAwards2026 #ChildWellbeing #MentalHealth
On Friday, our Year 8 pupils heard from Martin Cosser – Charlie’s dad and the founder of Charlie’s Promise, a charity working to fight and prevent knife crime through youth education and community engagement. At Highfield, we want our pupils to grow up with the confidence to make safe, positive choices, and to know it’s always ok to speak up and ask for help when they need it. Today was a brilliant example of that in action. Thank you Martin, for sharing such an important and powerful message with our pupils! 💙
This morning our Year 8 pupils heard from Martin Cosser – Charlie’s dad and the founder of @charliespromisecharity, a charity working to fight and prevent knife crime through youth education and community engagement. At Highfield, we want our pupils to grow up with the confidence to make safe, positive choices, and to know it’s always ok to speak up and ask for help when they need it. Today was a brilliant example of that in action. Thank you Martin, for sharing such an important and powerful message with our pupils! 💙 #HighfieldSchool #Safeguarding #KnifeCrimeAwareness #KeepingChildrenSafe #PositveChoices
🏆 We’re Mind Champions! We’re incredibly proud to have won the Mind Champion award at the School House Awards 2026, recognising our work to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Judge and child psychotherapist Emily Samuel praised “the emphasis Highfield School places not only on supporting children, but also parents and teachers. This is genuinely a whole-community approach to wellbeing.” A huge well done to our brilliant pastoral team and all our staff, who make wellbeing part of everyday life at Highfield. Read more 👇
Today, we have welcomed our children back through the doors, filling the school once again with the unmistakable energy of Highfield! With everyone together again, now feels like the perfect moment to share something very special: ONE, our new school film. A huge thanks to the exceptionally talented team @bobbicee @nathantheys @rojwhitelockphotography & @fin.bunce for bringing our story to life. 🎬 Discover the story behind ONE and watch the full film in our latest blog via the link in our bio.
Today, we have welcomed our children back through the doors, filling the school once again with the unmistakable energy of Highfield! With everyone together again, now feels like the perfect moment to share something very special: ONE, our new school film. 🎬 Discover the story behind ONE and watch the full film in our latest blog.
We’re delighted to feature once again in this year’s Tatler Schools Guide! 👏 “As a truly independent, family-owned prep, Highfield puts its energy into understanding the aspirations of every single child.” A wonderful recognition of what makes Highfield so special. #HighfieldSchool #IndependentSchool #Liphook #TatlerSchoolsGuide2027 #TatlerSchools
Only a few more days until we welcome everyone back to Highfield! As we prepare to begin our next chapter as Highfield School, we’re also looking forward to opening our doors for our first Open Morning of the term. If you’re considering Highfield for your family, we’d love you to come and spend the morning with us. If you’re already part of our Highfield community and know someone who might love it here too, please spread the word and invite them along. 🔗Book your place via the link in our bio.
Ending the week on a high! We’re incredibly proud to be one of just five schools shortlisted in the Pastoral Care and Wellbeing category of the @talkeducation Awards for Innovation in Education 2026! 👏 To be recognised for something so central to who we are as a school, alongside others doing such important work in this area, is a wonderful honour. We’ll find out the result on Thursday 10 September, so until then, keep everything crossed for us. 🤞 Read more via the link in our bio. #HighfieldSchool #TalkEducation #TalkEducationAwards #PastoralCare #PupilWellbeing
Happy Friday, everyone! As we get everything ready to welcome our children and families back next week, we’re delighted to end the week on a high… Highfield School has been shortlisted in the Pastoral Care and Wellbeing category of the Talk Education Awards for Innovation in Education 2026! 👏 This recognition celebrates our whole-community approach to wellbeing and the care our staff show every day to ensure that every child is known and supported. We’re incredibly proud to be one of just five schools shortlisted in this category. The winners will be announced on Thursday 10 September. Keep everything crossed for us! 🤞
We’re in The Times! @thetimes 🗞️ Our Head of Pre-Prep and Early Years, Georgie Hunter, shares her expertise in a thoughtful piece about helping August-born children thrive in Reception, with Highfield parent Olivia Watkins also offering her perspective as a mum. As Georgie explains, what matters most is seeing the individual child, rather than making assumptions based on their birthday. Read more via the link in our bio
Over the past few weeks, we’ve loved sharing our next chapter as Highfield School with you. Alongside our new look, we’ve also been thinking carefully about how we share school life here. As the digital world evolves, we’re adapting our approach to sharing photographs and videos, with the privacy of the children in our care at its heart. This means we’re moving away from publishing clear, identifiable photos of children’s faces on our public digital channels. We know how much you love seeing your child in a school photograph. Those glimpses into their day matter, especially when they capture moments you can’t be there for. You’ll still see plenty of life at Highfield here, as we find creative ways to capture the moments that make our school so special. There is so much to share, and we’re looking forward to showing it to you through a slightly different lens. Please do take a few minutes to read our blog. This is an important change for our school community, and the article explains why we’re making it and what it means for the photographs you’ll see and receive.
We’re incredibly proud of our maths and sports teacher, @sumattingly, who has been representing South Africa at the Masters Hockey World Cup in Belgium! 🏑 Three World Cups and still loving the game she first played at school. Who better to inspire our next generation of hockey players here at Highfield? 🔗Read more about Su’s World Cup experience via the link in our bio.