Raising the Future
Education Conference – Tuesday 28th April – Liphook, Hampshire
The future of education is being shaped right now and it demands collaboration, courage, and fresh thinking across both education and business.
Our keynote speakers and panellists are leaders and innovators from across these sectors, united by a shared passion: ensuring that education evolves to meet the needs of tomorrow’s world. Together, they recognise that preparing children for an ever-changing future is not the responsibility of schools alone, but a collective endeavour involving educators, policymakers, employers, and society as a whole.
This conference offered a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights from experts at the forefront of educational change, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to connect with peers who are equally committed to shaping a better future for young people. Throughout the day, we heard thought-provoking perspectives, took part in live Q&A discussions with our panel, and explored the real opportunities, and challenges, facing the sector today.
Following the conference, a recording of the day including the panel discussion is available to purchase. You are also able to read the White Paper which has been submitted to the Department for Education. This was not just a day of listening, but a catalyst for action, collaboration and lasting impact. Look out for future details regarding Round Table events.
Our children will enter a world unlike today’s. Education must evolve.
Raising the Future is the catalyst to shape what comes next. The time to act is now.
Suzannah Cryer, Head of Highfield and Brookham School
Hosted by Lawrence Deju-Wiseman
Professor-in-the-field at the University of Connecticut.
| Keynote Speaker | Role | Focus |
| Evelyn Haywood | Director of Education, at Skills Builder Partnership | Shaping learners’ futures through essential skills: adapting to a changing policy landscape. |
| Darren Coxon | Co-founder and Executive Director, Kompass Education | Making Room for AI: Welcoming the cybernetic classmate into schools. |
| Panel Speakers and Specialist Contributors | Role | Focus |
| Suzannah Cryer | Head of Highfield and Brookham School | Evolution of education for tomorrow’s world. |
| Will Goldsmith | Head of Bedales School | The need for a change with the current GCSE format. |
| Sarah Clarke | COO, Media & Entertainment, ITV plc at ITV | What will employers of the future be looking for? |
| Hannah Oertel | Campaigner, Founder of Delay Smartphones | The impact of social media and smartphones on children. |
What we’re up to…
🗳️ Voting for the Tatler Schools Guide 2026 Awards is now open! We’re incredibly proud of the school we’ve built together and think Highfield is worth shouting about, but it’s always wonderful to hear that from you too! If you’d like to support Highfield, we’d be so grateful for your vote. Whether you’re part of our community or simply want to support us, everyone is welcome to vote 💙 Know someone who’d like to support us too? Please share this post with them. 🗓️ Voting closes on 29th August 2026, the winners announced in September. 🔗 Voting link in our bio. #TatlerSchoolAwards #IndependentSchool #SchoolCommunity
Houston, we have no problems… just lots of crating! 🚀 It would be easy to think crafting is just about the finished creation, but it’s the skills built along the way that really matter. Threading cord for macramé for example, builds hand-eye coordination and precision, the kind our children rely on in sport, DT and everyday tasks. Our holiday clubs are full of moments like this, skills that quietly build in the background! #IndependentSchool #Liphook #HolidayClubs #IndependentSkills #Crafting
Today at Bushcraft Holiday Club, the children learned how to weave their own survival keyrings. It took patience to master the technique, but by the end of the session they had made something genuinely useful. The paracord can replace a broken shoelace, help build a shelter or even secure a hammock! In a world where so much happens on a screen, there’s real value in knowing how to make something useful with your hands. #IndependentSchool #PracticalSkills #OutdoorSkills #HolidayClub #Bushcraft
Dragons have had quite a year at Highfield! First in Shrek and now in our Crafting Holiday Activity Club with @feltybee_crafts 🐉 Using needle felting, the children shaped their very own dragons, a fiddly process that took patience and plenty of concentration. It just goes to show, real magic takes a bit of hard work! #IndependentSchool #PrepSchool #HolidayClub #IndependentLearning #Crafting
The children discovered the magic of cyanotype printing with @coryluscollective during our Nature Days Holiday Club, using sunlight to create beautiful nature-inspired artwork 🌿 They explored the grounds to find natural materials they wanted to include, deciding for themselves what would work best before arranging their pieces. We love that every piece is so unique, reflecting the different choices each child made! #IndependentSchool #Liphook #OutdoorLearning #HolidayClubs #ChildInitiatedLearning
Year 8 Reflections: part 2 💙 As our Year 8s enjoy their summer and look ahead to the next stage of their journey, we’re excited to see them take these lessons with them into their new schools. Swipe through to read some of their answers. ➡️ #IndependentSchool #Liphook #SchoolLeavers #Memories #ClassOf2026
The exciting news just keeps coming! 🎉 We couldn’t be prouder of our Head Boy, Rupert, on his selection for the prestigious U14 UK Lions programme. 🏑 This is a fantastic achievement and a reward for all of Rupert’s hard work, dedication and passion for hockey. Tomorrow, Rupert heads to Manchester for his first UK Lions training session – the start of an exciting new chapter! Good luck, Rupert. We’ll all be cheering you on! 💙 #IndependentSchool #UKLions #Hockey #SchoolSport #FutureStars
Our school community never fails to amaze us. 💙 Huge congratulations to Highfield and Brookham parent Clare Woodward, who has completed the incredible Verbier Marathon alongside her husband, Matt. 43km. Over 3,000m of climbing. Mountain ridges, thunderstorms, lightning and torrential rain… what an achievement! Clare took on this epic challenge to raise money for our Centenary Bursaries Fund, helping to create life-changing opportunities for future generations. We’re so proud of you, @clareawoodward – you are an inspiration! 🔗Read more about Clare’s incredible achievement via the link in our bio.
It takes more than strength to win a game of Capture the Flag! 💪 A firm favourite at our Multi Activities Holiday Club, it’s one of the many games that gets children thinking on their feet. There are split-second decisions to make and the odd dramatic dive for the flag, but it’s all part of learning to think for themselves. We have plenty more holiday clubs and courses happening over the summer. Head to the link in our bio to find out more ➡️
Year 7 residential trip highlights, straight from the group chat… 💬 Somewhere between damp and soaked the whole time, our Year 7s still managed to make the most of every moment in Scotland! They climbed Arkle, jumped from kayaks, explored the coastline and learnt survival skills before putting them to use during their night on Survival Island. Add in muddy boots, second helpings of lasagne, plenty of laughter and one surprisingly impressive apple tart cooked outdoors, you’ve got a trip they wont forget any time soon! #IndependentSchool #ResidentialTrip #SurvivalSkills #Resilience #LifeSkills
What a fantastic way to end the week! 🎉 We’ve been commended in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2026 in the Student Wellbeing category. One of our core values at Highfield and Brookham is ‘Being You’ because we believe every child deserves to feel comfortable in who they are. That sense of belonging is behind everything we do. Thank you, @independentschoolparent. It is wonderful to see the care, support and wellbeing provision at the heart of our school acknowledged in this way. Congratulations to all the other outstanding schools who have also been commended and shortlisted. It’s a privilege to be recognised alongside them! 💙 #IndependentSchoolOfTheYearAwards #StudentWellbeing #ISOTY #ISOYTY2026 #Liphook
Trying again < getting it right first time Some of our favourite moments over our holiday clubs aren’t the ones where it goes perfectly, but the ones where it doesn’t… and they have another go anyway! We like to encourage our children and ask questions instead of giving them the answers (as tempting as it is!), so they can work things out for themselves. That’s independence in action 💚 #IndependentSchool #HolidayClub #MultiActivities #IndependentSkills #ResilienceBuilding
🌿 Den building is serious business… especially when someone finds the perfect stick. One of the things we love most about our Multi Activities course is watching children become more independent. Rather than stepping in with the answer, we give them the time to explore their ideas and work things out together. Sometimes all it takes is a question, a bit of encouragement and the freedom to have a go. The rest is up to them! #IndependentSchool #OutdoorLearning #MultiActivities #HolidayCourse #BuildingIndependence
It was wonderful to welcome families to our annual Prize Giving as we celebrated the year that’s been and recognised the incredible achievements of our pupils 👏 A HUGE thank you to @benedictallenexplorer for joining us as our guest speaker. We may not all be setting off into the rainforest, but his stories certainly inspired our children to embrace their own adventures ahead. The celebrations continued with musical medleys, a surprise performance from our teachers and the handover from our Year 8 to the new student leadership team – a lovely way end to the school year 💙 #IndependentSchool #Liphook #PrizeGiving #Achievements #TogetherWeGrow
After an emotional farewell video (a true labour of love from Mr Backhouse!) it’s almost time to say goodbye to our Year 8s. Tomorrow we’ll celebrate all that they’ve achieved at Prize Giving, but today we’d simply like to thank them for being such a valued part of our school community. Wishing you every success and happiness in your exciting new journey ahead! ✨
Last night our Year 8s took to the stage for their final performance of Shrek… and what a show it was! It wasn’t exactly the smoothest journey to Far, Far Away. A heatwave delaying rehearsals, along with a few other unexpected surprises, couldn’t stop our cast from bringing the swamp to life. A huge thank you to everyone behind the scenes who brought the show to life – our musicians, tech and makeup teams. And of course to Mrs Baird.. thank you for believing in every pupil, for sharing your love of theatre with us all, AND for somehow finding the most spectacular dragon to complete the cast! What a way to end the year. Well done Year 8 – we’ll be smiling about this one for a long time 💚 #IndependentSchool #ShrekTheMusical #SchoolProduction #PerformingArts #ResilientAdaptability
Swipe through a few of our favourite moments from Year 3’s adventure at Sayers Croft. 🌿 We spend a lot of time talking about resilience, but it isn’t built in the classroom alone. Sometimes, it looks like taking one more step up a huge rock. Sometimes, it’s facing your fears on a zipline. Sometimes, it’s working together as a team and not giving up until everyone succeeds. Well done, Year 3, for embracing every challenge and showing what resilience really looks like! #IndependentSchool #ResidentialTrip #Resilience #SelfBelief #Adaptability
If you heard Japanese echoing through Highfield last week… now you know why! Our pupils put on a brilliant showcase for their families, demonstrating everything they’ve been learning with Sensei Matt. One of the many skills Karate Club teaches us is resilience. Some moves can take a little longer to master, but learning to adapt and keep going builds the confidence to take on new challenges, both on and off the mat 💪🏽 #IndependentSchool #Liphook #KarateClub #ResilientAdaptability #ConfidenceBuilding
Who needs Glastonbury when you’ve got Highfest? 🎶 Watching our pupils step onto stage and perform in front of a crowd was a reminder of just how much courage live performance takes. We think the applause could probably be heard across our fields! Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and who came along to cheer on our performers. Until next year, Highfest 💙 #Highfest #IndependentSchool #YoungMusicians #SelfBelief
When life gives you a heatwave… bring out the water balloons! ☀️ Our cricket skills session got a splash of creativity yesterday, with staff adapting activities to keep everyone cool while still developing the children’s technique and ball control. It was great to see our staff modelling the very skills we’re encouraging our pupils to develop, showing that adapting and working together is something we all do 🤝🏽 #IndepedentSchool #Cricket #PE #Heatwave #Collaboration
Throwing it back to last Thursday, when Year 2 swapped the classroom for the coast and became geographers for the day 🌊 Their first challenge was to build a line of sandcastles and see what the tide would do. They then explored the coastline, listened to the skylarks in the dunes and created beach art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy (swipe to see!) As they shared observations and worked things out collaboratively, they were doing what geographers do best: asking questions about the world around them!
👋 Say hello to the newest members of the Highfield and Brookham family. Joining us this September are Tom Gloster, our new Head of Boarding, and Ashleigh, our new Head of Girls’ Games, along with their two children and two much-loved spaniels, Bluebell and Snowdrop. We’ll be sharing more about the Gloster family in the coming weeks, including Tom’s vision for boarding and what they’re most looking forward to about life here. What do you think they’ll love most about being part of our community? 👇 #IndependentSchool #MeetTheTeam #BoardingSchool #Liphook #SchoolCommunity
Moving Up Day has arrived! From meeting new teachers and friends to exploring different classrooms, there was plenty of excitement as our children spent the day in their new year groups. Looking ahead to September, children reflected on the qualities, strengths and interests that make them who they are and the part they will play in their classes. It was also a pleasure to welcome new families and boarders to the Highfield community! Roll on September 🙌🏼 #MovingUpDay #NewBeginnings #IndependentSchool #GrowingTogether #Belonging