School Achieves Woodland Trust Gold Award in Environmental Recognition

Highfield and Brookham School in Liphook, Hampshire, is delighted to announce it has been awarded the Woodland Trust‘s Gold Award, a prestigious milestone in the Green Tree Schools Award programme. This achievement caps a journey that began with Bronze and reflects a whole-school culture in which the natural world sits at the very heart of school life. With eyes now set firmly on the Platinum Award, the programme’s highest honour, the school’s ambition is undimmed.

Set within 175 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park, Highfield and Brookham has continued to deepen and expand the ways in which pupils engage with their environment through creative exploration, physical challenge, scientific curiosity and practical sustainability.

During the early Autumn term, pre-prep pupils enjoyed a dedicated wellbeing day that invited them to experience their school grounds from an entirely fresh perspective. Beginning in the wellbeing garden, children observed the insects visiting plants around them, sparking conversations about why bees are drawn to different flowers, why worms and other creatures populate the soil, and why the leaves begin to turn and fall as the seasons change.

Across the school, outdoor activity has become ever more integrated with the curriculum. Pre-prep pupils immersed themselves in the natural environment and created artwork using branches, leaves and mud gathered along the way. Year 7 and Year 8 pupils took their physical education lessons into the woods, with cross-country running through the school’s natural landscape, a challenge that builds both fitness and a genuine connection with the outdoors.

The school’s Eco Warriors continued to champion practical, meaningful change. In a particularly impactful initiative, they were invited to tour the school’s Biomass site alongside the Maintenance Manager, gaining a real understanding of how energy is produced and managed on site. Inspired by what they learned, they successfully encouraged the Maintenance and Estates Teams to reduce the heating temperature by one degree across the school, a small but tangible step in reducing the school’s carbon footprint.

Head of Highfield and Brookham, Suzannah Cryer, said: “Achieving the Gold Award is an extraordinary moment for our whole community, pupils, staff, parents and everyone who has played a part in building this culture over the years. What makes this so special is that it hasn’t been driven from the top down; our children have genuinely taken ownership of their environment, asked questions, led initiatives and made real change happen. That is exactly the spirit we want them to carry with them long after they leave us.”

The school pays tribute to the staff whose dedication has made this achievement possible, including 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), as well as colleagues across the sports, EYFS and maintenance teams who have embraced the school’s environmental vision so wholeheartedly.

The Gold Award is a tremendous achievement and a strong platform from which Highfield and Brookham will continue to innovate and inspire, as the school looks ahead with ambition towards the Platinum Award.