Boarding
Boarding at Highfield and Brookham is extremely popular but also completely optional. Our boarding provision has always been an integral part of the prep school and perhaps the continued popularity reflects how well we do it. Our flexible contemporary boarding provision means that if you are considering boarding for your child we are sure we can offer something that suits them. We offer everything from two nights per week to the ever-popular full boarding experience.
One of our many strengths is our diverse national and international community. We have always enjoyed a strong association with Armed Forces families and we are honoured to have been welcoming children from overseas for more than decade. Throughout our history we have been able provide outstanding pastoral care and the full boarding experience for children whose families may be abroad. The thriving boarding community means that no child will ever feel alone if their parents are out of the country. They are part of a large extended family who care for and support them every step of the way.
The approach to boarding is excellent and there’s a great balance of freedom and guidance.
Full boarding is the complete package offered to children in Year 4 to Year 8. It allows your child to experience the whole week, including weekends. Roughly a quarter of our boarders board full time, including international children, Forces children and local children who want to experience full boarding before senior school. Weekends are treasured by our boarders as they enjoy more of their favourite part of boarding – being with their friends.
Sundays offer a relaxed start with a ‘pyjama breakfast’ at 9am. Each weekend there is a either an on-site or off-site activity such as bowling in Guildford, going to the cinema in Portsmouth or fairground rides at Hollycombe. Our weekly boarders always have the option to book additional nights to join our full boarders for the most popular weekend activities – ice skating in Winchester being one of them.
Weekly boarding is available from Year 3 to Year 8. Approximately half of our boarders choose this option. As a weekly boarder your child will arrive at school on Monday morning and return home on Saturday, allowing them to experience the joys of being part of our thriving boarding family.
If your child doesn’t have school on a Saturday they are collected at 9am, if they do have Saturday School they will be collected at the end of the school day. We also value seeing our families at Sunday Chapel, which has been an important part of boarding for many years. We would love to invite your child to stay after Sunday Chapel and there will be no extra charge.
Flexi-boarding offers choice and flexibility. A minimum of one night a week is available for children in Year 3 to Year 5. A minimum of two nights per week for children in Year 6 and 7. And a minimum of three nights per week for children in Year 8. Flexi boarding allows children to continue to participate in commitments outside of school while still reaping all the benefits associated with boarding.
Families will be able to choose termly which set nights they would like their child to stay. Having set nights allows children to settle into their own unique routine and helps them relax into the joys of boarding.
Additional boarding gives children who aren’t full boarders the option to book extra nights in our Boarding House on a more flexible basis. As we do not ‘hot bed’, your child’s bed is always available to them on other nights when they need it, or simply when they want to stay for that extra special weekend activity. We all know how popular the Winchester Christmas Market is!
What we’re up to…
“I am absolutely convinced that having the right assessment model in place in your school will encourage a child-centred development and progress in their learning.” Our Deputy Head (Academic), Ian Nicholas, was invited to discuss project-based learning and assessment on The IAPS Podcast, exploring how we can help children become more independent and take greater ownership of their learning. Listen to the full episode below. Spotify 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ed3iAdfA Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eKqa4RR2
Ever wondered what makes a truly independent, family-owned school feel so different? 💛 Come and see for yourself at our Open Morning next month. Wander through our stunning 175 acres in the South Downs, say hello to our wonderful pupils and teachers, and get a real feel for life here. Whether your little one is 2 or 13, day or boarding, there’s a place for them here! 📅 Friday 20th November 🔗 Book your place via the link in our bio. One story. One purpose. One Highfield. #independentschool #highfieldschool #liphookschool #openmorning #hampshire
Half term already?! 🍂 What a whirlwind! Looking back on these busy weeks, our Head, Suzannah, has been reflecting on the moments that have stayed with her the most. Again and again, they came back to leadership: our pupils stepping up, from Reception children proudly giving tours of Early Years to Year 8s showing a visiting head around Highfield. #independentschool #highfieldschool #leadership #workingtogether #autumnterm Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Pre prep Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
Half term already?! 🍂 What a whirlwind! Looking back on these busy weeks, our Head, Suzannah, has been reflecting on the moments that have stayed with her the most. Again and again, they came back to leadership: our pupils stepping up, from Reception children proudly giving tours of Early Years to Year 8s showing a visiting head around Highfield. #independentschool #highfieldschool #leadership #workingtogether #autumnterm Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Pre prep Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
More than £12,000 raised for @liphook.foodbank in five years! Last week, we welcomed Glynis Blake, chair of trustees for the food bank, to our Harvest Festival assembly. She helped our children understand how their donations make a difference to the 80 local families the food bank supports. A BIG thank you to our school community for your continued generosity! 🔗We’ve written more about Glynis’s visit and our ongoing support for the food bank in our latest press release – link in bio. #independentschool #highfieldschool #leadership #outreach #schoolcommunity Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Pre prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
More than £12,000 raised for Liphook Food Bank in five years! Last week, we welcomed Glynis Blake, chair of trustees for the food bank, to our Harvest Festival assembly. She helped our children understand how their donations make a difference to the 80 local families the food bank supports. A BIG thank you to our school community for your continued generosity! We’ve written more about Glynis’s visit and our ongoing support for the food bank in our latest press release. 👇
A change of tactics for our U9 boys at last week’s tournament! ⚽ Our Director of Sport, Mr Bather, explains: “Our U9 boys had to rethink their tactics and move into different positions to support the team. They had to work out where they could be most useful, rather than just where they were used to playing. Although it wasn’t the result we’d hoped for, it was a pleasure to play against such strong teams. I’m very proud of how the boys came together and were willing to try something different for the team!” #independentschool #highfieldschool #problemsolving #teamtactics #prepschool #schoolsport Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
A change of tactics for our U9 boys at last week’s tournament! ⚽ Our Director of Sport, Mr Bather, explains: “Our U9 boys had to rethink their tactics and move into different positions to support the team. They had to work out where they could be most useful, rather than just where they were used to playing. Although it wasn’t the result we’d hoped for, it was a pleasure to play against such strong teams. I’m very proud of how the boys came together and were willing to try something different for the team!”
Looking for something to do this half term? Join us for two days of bushcraft! Over the two days, children will learn to build their own shelters, make simple crafts and try basic first aid. They’ll also be guided through making a fire and cooking over it. Book a place here 👉 https://highfieldschool.com/schoo…/holiday-activity-clubs/
How do you get food through a pair of tights? Ask Year 4! Our scientists have been exploring how food travels through the digestive system, using tights to stand in for the intestines. The challenge? Getting the food all the way through! So our problem-solvers put their heads together… – Would breaking the food into smaller pieces help? – What if we changed how we squeezed the tights? – Could adding water make a difference? Who knew digestion could take so much brainpower? With every attempt, they learned a little more about what helps food on its journey through our bodies. Messy? Definitely. Lots of thinking? Absolutely! 🙌
73 days until Christmas! 🎄 Too early? Our young artists don’t think so! Our annual Christmas card competition is underway, with children creating their own festive designs to turn into cards for family and friends. Turning an idea into a finished design takes some thought! It means working out how to bring what’s in your head onto the page and what will make your card eye-catching. Every pack ordered raises money for Highfield Highreach Holidays, helping our children see how something they create can make a difference to someone else. Now comes the tricky part… choosing the winning designs! 👀 #independentschool #problemsolving #creativedesign #christmascards #festive Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
October half term is almost here (we can’t quite believe it either)! If you’re looking for activities for your child during the break, we still have a few places available on our Holiday Clubs here at Highfield, with sessions to suit different ages and interests. 🔗Find out what’s on offer via the link in our bio.
Baby Bear needs a shelter… Reception to the rescue! 🐻🍂 Reception had the most magical day at Painshill Park last week, following a storytelling trail that led them right into Little Red Riding Hood’s woods before they bumped into the Three Little Pigs and, of course, Goldilocks! Then came a challenge: could they build a shelter for Baby Bear? They had to work out which materials would do the job, heading off in search of the “biggest, best leaves” and sticks big enough to build with! There was plenty to think about before Baby Bear could move in! Which sticks would make the strongest shelter? How could they keep the leaves in place? Would their shelter keep Baby Bear dry? Was there enough room for him inside? Well done to our little builders with their big ideas! ⭐
Our Head, Suzannah Cryer, has been thinking about something we probably all recognise: that feeling of wanting to know you’ve got the right answer! But problem-solving doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes there’s a clear answer. Other times, there isn’t one at all! And that’s the tricky bit, isn’t it? When you’re faced with something you haven’t done before, where do you even start? What if your first idea doesn’t work? It’s tempting to want someone to tell you what to do next, but there’s so much to be gained from having a go and working things out for yourself. At Highfield, we see this in all sorts of ways. It’s our Reception children figuring out how to build a shelter strong enough to keep Baby Bear dry. It’s Year 4 exploring digestion using a pair of tights in Science! And it’s our U9 footballers rethinking their tactics to help their team. As Suzannah explains, sometimes it’s how you get from A to Z that’s more interesting than the answer itself!
Our Head, Suzannah Cryer, has been thinking about something we probably all recognise: that feeling of wanting to know you’ve got the right answer! But problem-solving doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes there’s a clear answer. Other times, there isn’t one at all! And that’s the tricky bit, isn’t it? When you’re faced with something you haven’t done before, where do you even start? What if your first idea doesn’t work? It’s tempting to want someone to tell you what to do next, but there’s so much to be gained from having a go and working things out for yourself. At Highfield, we see this in all sorts of ways. It’s our Reception children figuring out how to build a shelter strong enough to keep Baby Bear dry. It’s Year 4 exploring digestion using a pair of tights in Science! And it’s our U9 footballers rethinking their tactics to help their team. As Suzannah explains, sometimes it’s how you get from A to Z that’s more interesting than the answer itself! #independentschool #problemsolving #progress #criticalthinking #futureskills Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Nursery Liphook | Independent school Surrey | Pre prep school Hampshire | Highfield School
Our Year 8s have been busy preparing their canvases with diluted inks in different colours, ready for a mixed-media project exploring the theme of identity. 🎨 It’s a lovely example of how art encourages children to adapt. You might start with one idea in mind, but as colours blend and materials behave in unexpected ways, you have to think on your feet and try something different. And who knows? Sometimes those unexpected results turn out to be your favourite part of the finished piece! @olgahoughtonart #independentschool #highfieldschool #adaptability #creativelearning #prepschool Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
Things don’t always go to plan. So, what do you do next? At Highfield, we want our children to feel able to give things another go, even when it may feel difficult or be a struggle. Sometimes that means trying a different approach to reach their goal. We asked some of our Year 7s what adapting means to them… #independentschool #highfieldschool #adaptability #resilience #pupilvoice Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
Young musicians from St Bart’s, Beacon Hill, Camelsdale, Liphook Juniors and Highfield came together yesterday as one orchestra, rehearsing and performing alongside professional musicians from the Royal Military School of Music. 🎶 With music specially arranged for every child’s level, they spent the day in sectionals and rehearsals before performing The Traitors theme, March of the Toreadors and Pirates of the Caribbean. It was wonderful to see them adapt so quickly to playing alongside musicians from other schools, many of whom they had only just met. The progress they made in just one day was remarkable! It’s all part of a collaboration between Highfield and Haslemere Festival, which will culminate in the young musicians performing at a special Gala Concert at the Haslemere Festival next year. A HUGE thank you to our Director of Music, Jessica Harman, for bringing the day together, to Captain Ben James and the RMSM band, to our sectional leaders Matt Gunner, Helen Downham and Sarah Craven, and to everyone behind the scenes who made it such a success. 👏 #schoolorchestra #royalmilitaryschoolofmusic #youngmusicians #militarymusic #musiceducation
Young musicians from St Bart’s, Beacon Hill, Camelsdale, Liphook Juniors and Highfield came together yesterday as one orchestra, rehearsing and performing alongside professional musicians from the Royal Military School of Music. 🎶 With music specially arranged for every child’s level, they spent the day in sectionals and rehearsals before performing The Traitors theme, March of the Toreadors and Pirates of the Caribbean. It was wonderful to see them adapt so quickly to playing alongside musicians from other schools, many of whom they had only just met. The progress they made in just one day was remarkable! It’s all part of a collaboration between Highfield and @haslemerefest, which will culminate in the young musicians performing at a special Gala Concert at the Haslemere Festival next year. A HUGE thank you to our Director of Music, Jessica Harman, for bringing the day together, to Captain Ben James and the RMSM band, to our sectional leaders Matt Gunner, Helen Downham and Sarah Craven, and to everyone behind the scenes who made it such a success. 👏 #schoolorchestra #royalmilitaryschoolofmusic #youngmusicians #militarymusic #musiceducation #armymusic
It’s been a busy few weeks of sport, with football, hockey and netball fixtures all underway! ⚽🏑 We’ve loved watching our pupils rise to every challenge, whether that’s switching positions mid-match or picking themselves up after conceding a goal. A great example came when the girls U13s 1st team travelled to Bede’s for their IAPS qualifier. 1-0 down after 4 mins in their opening game, they regrouped and answered back with 3 goals to take the victory! They battled their way to the quarter final, where a draw against @edgeboroughschool went to shuffles, ending in a narrow 2-1 loss. Our footballers showed the same spirit at the 7-a-side tournament. After a semi-final defeat to @twyfordschool on penalties, they bounced back to win their play-off and finish 3rd out of 12 teams! 🥉 Win or lose, our teams keep showing what it means to adapt and keep going! #independentschool #highfieldschool #adaptability #teamspirit #resilience Independent school Liphook | Prep school Hampshire | Independent school Surrey | Highfield School
Year 5 stepped back in time at the Weald & Downland Living Museum! ⏳ Two themed workshops brought their Anglo-Saxon topic to life, with dressing up proving especially popular. They also tried knucklebones, a game of dexterity, skill and chance played with animal anklebones. Quite a change from today’s games! The children loved finding out what everyday life was like back then and imagining how they might have done things centuries ago. It’s such a great way for them to practise adapting, stepping into someone else’s shoes and thinking about how they’d manage with very different tools and routines. A skill that will serve them well in our ever-changing world!
October half term is almost here (we can’t quite believe it either)! If you’re looking for activities for your child during the break, we still have a few places available on our Holiday Clubs here at Highfield, with sessions to suit different ages and interests. Find out what’s on offer and book a place here 👉 https://highfieldschool.com/schoo…/holiday-activity-clubs/