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…
Last week our Year 4s headed to The D-Day Story in Portsmouth, the only UK museum dedicated to telling the events and stories behind D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. What they discovered was a powerful reminder of something we talk about a lot at Highfield: adapting and supporting others. Those who served had to do both, in the most extraordinary circumstances. As we pause tomorrow for Remembrance Day, we’ll be thinking of them all. ❤️
Who better to show you around Highfield than our pupils? Consider this a teaser! For the full tour experience, join us at our Open Morning on Friday 20 November. Come and explore our 175 acres and get to know our independent, family-owned school. We’d love to welcome you! 💛 🔗 Book via the link in the comments
Who better to show you around Highfield than our pupils? Consider this a teaser! For the full tour experience, join us at our Open Morning on Friday 20 November. Come and explore our 175 acres and get to know our independent, family-owned school. We’d love to welcome you! 💛 Book your place via the link in our bio. #independentschool #hampshireschools #schooltour #openmorning #liphook
We loved seeing our Highfield families together for our annual bonfire and fireworks evening in support of Highreach Holidays. 🎆 Each year, our pupils make something to go on the bonfire for our house competition, and this year things took a mythical turn! The children created creatures in their house colours, giving our grounds team a tough job picking a winner. A big cheer for Agincourt! Huge thanks to our grounds and maintenance teams for the weeks of preparation, and to our catering team for keeping us fuelled throughout the evening (those churros were delicious!). As always, thank you to our families for your generosity. It’s wonderful to see our community come together, and we can’t wait to share how much we’ve raised for Highreach at the end of the week! ✨ #independentschool #liphookschool #charityevent #bonfirenight #fireworks
It’s not just the sky that’s been lighting up at Highfield! 🎆🔥 Last week, the science team showed our pupils how different solutions can change the colour of a flame, and curiosity soon caught fire, with pupils dreaming up their own colour combinations! So when the fireworks lit up the sky on our Bonfire Night on Saturday, they knew a little more about the chemistry behind all that colour!
We couldn’t be prouder of our Year 8 pupil William 💛 A few weeks ago, he took on a demanding 21km challenge, completing a 14.7km run followed by a 6.3km swim and raising more than £1,000 for @charliespromisecharity. William was inspired after hearing Martin Cosser speak to Year 8 at Highfield about his son Charlie, who lost his life to knife crime. He chose to support the charity’s ‘21 for 21’ campaign, honouring Charlie’s memory and marking what would have been his 21st birthday. We think our Head, Mrs Cryer, sums it up perfectly: “For a young person to recognise another family’s pain and put so much effort into supporting their work speaks volumes about his character.” 🔗 Read more about William’s incredible achievement via the link in our bio. #highfieldschool #charliespromise #charityfundraising #pupilachievement #liphook
We couldn’t be prouder of our Year 8 pupil William 💛 A few weeks ago, he took on a demanding 21km challenge, completing a 14.7km run followed by a 6.3km swim and raising more than £1,000 for @charliespromise. William was inspired after hearing Martin Cosser speak to Year 8 at Highfield about his son Charlie, who lost his life to knife crime. He chose to support the charity’s ‘21 for 21’ campaign, honouring Charlie’s memory and marking what would have been his 21st birthday. We think our Head, Mrs Cryer, sums it up perfectly: “For a young person to recognise another family’s pain and put so much effort into supporting their work speaks volumes about his character.” Read more about William’s incredible achievement 👇
A little AC/DC in the Chapel? Go on then, Charlie! 🎸 Taking on Whole Lotta Rosie on guitar meant more than learning the piece. Charlie also had to create his own solo, planning how it would fit into the music and practising until he was ready to perform it. Plenty of preparation behind that moment in the spotlight! A huge well done to all our musicians who performed at Tuesday’s Year 4–6 concert. It was wonderful to hear such a range of music filling the Chapel! #independentschool #schoolconcert #youngmusicians #guitarplayer #liphookschool
A little AC/DC in the Chapel? Go on then, Charlie! 🎸 Taking on Whole Lotta Rosie on guitar meant more than learning the piece. Charlie also had to create his own solo, planning how it would fit into the music and practising until he was ready to perform it. Plenty of preparation behind that moment in the spotlight! A huge well done to all our musicians who performed at Tuesday’s Year 4–6 concert. It was wonderful to hear such a range of music filling the Chapel! #independentschool #schoolconcert #youngmusicians #guitarplayer #liphookschool
What’s the secret to a perfect corner? Planning! Year 5 have been making mitre joins in DT, where two pieces of wood have to meet at exactly 45°. That means measuring carefully (then double, triple and quadruple checking!) before cutting and sanding. And as they found out, there’s nothing more satisfying than when those two pieces finally fit together! #independentschool #liphookschool #planning #designtechnology #woodwork
What’s the secret to a perfect corner? Planning! Year 5 have been making mitre joins in DT, where two pieces of wood have to meet at exactly 45°. That means measuring carefully (then double, triple and quadruple checking!) before cutting and sanding. And as they found out, there’s nothing more satisfying than when those two pieces finally fit together! #independentschool #liphookschool #planning #designtechnology #woodwork
Our chairs went off for half term… and never came back! When Year 2 returned to class yesterday, their chairs were nowhere to be seen. It looked like they were enjoying their holiday a little too much! So the children did the only sensible thing and wrote letters to persuade them to come home. They thought carefully about what might tempt a chair back to school and used some very convincing persuasive language. And this morning… the chairs were back! Clearly Year 2 know how to make a convincing argument! 🎉
Think. Plan. Try. Learn. Adjust. Retry. Improve. 💪 We talk a lot about planning at Highfield, both in the classroom and out on the sports field. Whatever the game, we encourage our children to set themselves goals and work out how to get there, even when a curveball or two comes their way! With a busy half term of fixtures ahead, there’s so much more learning and improving to come. Bring on the season! 💪🏀🏉 #independentschool #goalsetting #schoolsports #rugby #netball
Andddd we’re back! We hope all our families had a restful half term break. Our children have returned full of energy and ready for the busy weeks ahead. Just this morning, our Year 7s have been creating their own pop art! They started by drawing their outlines, then used markers to make their designs pop and will eventually finish with acrylic paint. Great planning in action: setting a goal and working out the steps to achieve it! With lots coming up this half term, it’s a skill they’ll certainly be putting to good use! 💪 #independentschool #backtoschool #settinggoals #lifeskills #popart
Andddd we’re back! We hope all our families had a restful half term break. Our children have returned full of energy and ready for the busy weeks ahead. Just this morning, our Year 7s have been creating their own pop art! They started by drawing their outlines, then used markers to make their designs pop and will eventually finish with acrylic paint. Great planning in action: setting a goal and working out the steps to achieve it! With lots coming up this half term, it’s a skill they’ll certainly be putting to good use! 💪 #independentschool #backtoschool #settinggoals #lifeskills #popart
Halloween has arrived at Highfield… 🎃 Our boarders got well and truly into the spooky spirit, showing off their pumpkin carving skills with some seriously creative designs! Swipe through to see some un-boo-liveable creations ➡️ #independentschool #boardingschool #boardinglife #creativedesign #pumpkincarving
Halloween has arrived at Highfield… 🎃 Our boarders got well and truly into the spooky spirit, showing off their pumpkin carving skills with some seriously creative designs! Swipe through to see some un-boo-liveable creations ➡️ #independentschool #boardingschool #boardinglife #creativedesign #pumpkincarving
Stallholder reveal: part two! 🎄 We promised more… and here they are! Say hello to the next wave of fabulous local businesses joining us for our Christmas Shopping Evening at Highfield. Coming along? Don’t forget to register for your free ticket via the link in our bio. @amyloucooks @adelesnaturalsoaps @naturally_ewe @ottoeditions @agapesophia_ @jagostribe @kim_walsh_handwoven @artby_annabarke @bluelobstercards @abceramics2024 @studionestandnook @littlebear.childrenswear @peacheskitchen26
There’s a particular sound a child makes when they find the right leaf. A little gasp. A “looook!” Then another, and another, until pockets at our Nature Crafting Holiday Club were bursting with leaves of all shapes and sizes. 🍂 Then came the magic! As the children looked closely at every curve and colour, pointy tips became ears, a pale edge a fluffy chin and suddenly a whole family of woodland creatures were looking back at them! A beautiful example of individuality. Don’t you just love them?
There’s a particular sound a child makes when they find the right leaf. A little gasp. A “looook!” Then another, and another, until pockets at our Nature Crafting Holiday Club were bursting with leaves of all shapes and sizes. 🍂 Then came the magic! As the children looked closely at every curve and colour, pointy tips became ears, a pale edge a fluffy chin and suddenly a whole family of woodland creatures were looking back at them! A beautiful example of individuality. Don’t you just love them? #independentschool #holidayclub #naturecraft #creativeart #halfterm
One of the missions today at our Football Holiday Club was a game called Battleships. Knock down all of your own cones as fast as you can to win! Our young players were getting so close, but those last few cones were tricky! They had to figure out a new angle, a different foot or a softer touch. That’s creativity! When Plan A doesn’t work, you invent Plan B… and sometimes Plan C, D, E and F! #independentschool #holidayactivityclub #halfterm #creativethinking #schoolholidays
One of the missions today at our Football Holiday Club was a game called Battleships. Knock down all of your own cones as fast as you can to win! Our young players were getting so close, but those last few cones were tricky! They had to figure out a new angle, a different foot or a softer touch. That’s creativity! When Plan A doesn’t work, you invent Plan B… and sometimes Plan C, D, E and F! #independentschool #holidayactivityclub #halfterm #creativethinking #schoolholidays