Where Learning Grows: Highfield and Brookham Wins Woodland Trust Bronze Award

A year of forest exploration, hands‑on environmental action and imaginative outdoor experiences earns the school national acclaim.

Highfield and Brookham School in Liphook, Hampshire, has been honoured with the Woodland Trust’s prestigious Bronze Award —an inspiring recognition of a community deeply committed to nurturing a lifelong love of the natural world in every child.

This achievement reflects a transformative year in which nature has not simply supported learning but become an integral part of it. Across the school’s 175-acre estate on the edge of the South Downs National Park, pupils have ventured beyond classroom walls and into rich, hands-on experiences that spark curiosity, confidence and wellbeing.

From the youngest explorers in EYFS discovering the tranquillity of the wellbeing garden, to Year 7 and 8 pupils running cross-country routes deep within ancient woodland, every year group has woven time outdoors into daily life. These moments have been both joyful and memorable — none more so than a standout wellbeing day when a drone soared above the campus, capturing awe‑inspiring aerial images that invited children to imagine themselves flying high above the treetops. Inspired by the footage, pupils created their own bird’s‑eye artwork, blending imagination with reflection in a powerful learning experience.

The school’s woodland also became a vibrant outdoor classroom as Pre‑Prep pupils crafted art from natural resources, observed seasonal changes, hunted for insects and gathered for a picnic among the trees—an experience that deepened their connection with the environment and with one another. Meanwhile, the Eco Warriors took purposeful action on sustainability, learning about the school’s biomass system and making real, measurable changes — including the simple, thoughtful step of turning the heating down by one degree to reduce energy use.

Head of Highfield and Brookham, Suzannah Cryer, described the award as a powerful affirmation of the school’s ethos: that learning should be fun, practical, and deeply meaningful — values that remain central to everything Highfield and Brookham strives to deliver.

This accolade is also a testament to the dedication of Ryan Underwood (Head of Enrichment), Charlie Milsom (Head of Forest School) and Rebecca Lane (Year 4 Teacher, leading Eco and Wellbeing in the Prep School), whose passion has empowered pupils to build a lasting, genuine relationship with the natural world.

The Green Tree Schools Award symbolises both an achievement and a promise. Highfield and Brookham is already looking ahead — determined, inspired and ambitiously aiming for the silver award.