History
Highfield School was founded in Southampton in 1892 by Mr EA Wells, the owner and first Headmaster. The school first opened as a boys’ prep with 18 pupils. In 1904, Mr William Mills became the owner and Headmaster and moved Highfield to its present 175-acre site in Liphook, on the Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey border.
The new purpose-built school opened in September 1907 with 32 boys, all boarders. The school grew steadily; a beautiful Chapel was added in 1910, with other buildings quickly following suit. Mr Mills, who was ordained in 1912 and later became an Honorary Canon of Portsmouth Cathedral, remained Headmaster until 1953. Under Canon Mills, the school grew to accommodate 120 boys and established an enviable reputation for academic and sporting excellence. Highfield pupils won many scholarships to the leading English public schools, including Eton, Winchester, Shrewsbury, Charterhouse, Rugby and Sherborne.
Canon Mills died in 1953 and was succeeded by his son, Peter. The school became co-educational in 1978 and also began to take day children into the junior part of the school. Peter Mills retired in 1979 to be succeeded by Old Highfieldian Robin Orr, who remained Headmaster until 1993. During his tenure, school numbers rose from around 120 to almost 170. Under Nigel Ramage, Mr Orr’s successor, the school began a considerable programme of refurbishment and building work. Mr Ramage was succeeded in 1999 by Phillip Evitt when the compulsory boarding requirement ended, although many children still choose to board to this day, with almost all boarding for at least part of their final two years. Phillip Evitt retired in 2022 and was succeeded by Mrs Suzannah Cryer, current Head of Highfield.
Today, all departments have designated teaching rooms. New Science, Maths and Computing facilities were opened in September 2000. A new indoor swimming pool was opened at Easter 2005, and a new Music School in 2006. Today, Highfield is genuinely co-educational with equal numbers of girls and boys. In 1992, Brookham Pre-prep was built within the grounds of Highfield and this building is home to our Nursery to Year 3 children.
Highfield and Brookham is owned by Mr William Mills, the grandson of the founder. Mr Mills is also Chairman of the Board of Directors. Today, Highfield continues to enjoy an outstanding reputation as a top preparatory school for children aged 8-13 that offers an excellent all-round education, and its long tradition of scholarship success continues.
What we’re up to…
The rugby season kicked off in fine style today as we welcomed our friends from Feltonfleet School, Seaford College, St. Edmund’s School, Surrey and Amesbury School for some heartwarming matches full of skill, passion and excellent sportsmanship on a bitterly cold day. With 12 rugby pitches at our disposal and the ability to put out 17 teams, it promises to be a busy and exciting season. We can’t wait! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
It was a day for brave hearts and steely determination on the netball court as our U11 girls went toe to toe with our friends from @hoebridgeschool in plummeting temperatures. Despite the bitter wind, both teams warmed the watching parents with some astute passing and moving, fine shooting, great teamwork and perseverance. Well done, girls! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Netball
Our Year 2 children have discovered that adding exciting adjectives and interesting verbs can really bring their stories to life. Describing scenes from their class text, the children created simple noun phrases before adding colourful descriptions to add real depth and an extra dimension to their literacy tales. It was wonderful to see the children really thinking about the construction of their stories and not being afraid to be creative to make them more appealing. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
We were treated to another wonderful cushion concert today, featuring three soloists, two violinists, one flautist and a pianist. The children introduced their pieces to parents and friends before finishing their performances with a professional bow, all the time building their confidence playing to a small but select audience. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Music #CushionConcert
We’re delighted to have received another glowing report after a spot check by Food Standards Agency inspectors. Looking at how our highly-skilled kitchen staff handle food, how food is stored and prepared, cleanliness of facilities and how food safety is managed, the inspectors awarded us a maximum five-star hygiene rating with no recommendations or advisory notes. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
Our boarding sleuths have put their critical-thinking skills to good use to meet a fiendish challenge presented by @exciting_escapes. Working together in teams of four, the children were tasked with finding hidden diamonds before a timer ran out and left them locked in their escape room. Luckily, the undaunted children were able to call on the key life skills that underpin their lessons at school every single day to make good their escape; evaluating information to make reasoned judgments and decisions, questioning assumptions, and making connections between group-based ideas. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #CriticalThinking #ProblemSolving #LifeSkills
The rock choir are tuning up their festive voices, the stallholders are putting the final touches to their colourful stalls and the food and drink is being prepared, so we’re almost set for our luxury Christmas shopping evening. We’re open until 8pm, so feel free to join us and get into the festive spirit! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #ChristmasShopping
We’ve had a fun day raising money for Children In Need, with our Year 8 cohort showing what great leaders and entrepreneurs we have on our hands. All children could wear home clothes for the day in return for a £2 donation, which included fun activities dreamed up, organised and run by the oldest prep school pupils. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #ChildrenInNeed
Our Lower Prep children had an absolute ball this afternoon, with the U8 boys kicking off their tag rugby season against Cranleigh Prep and the girls taking to the netball courts for some terrific matches against Edgeborough School. As always, great commitment, skilful play and amazing sportsmanship were evident in equal measure. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
We are so looking forward to our Luxury Christmas Shopping tomorrow evening! With stalls from some of the very best local businesses, it’s the perfect opportunity to hunt out those unique and special gifts. We’ve got tasty seasonal food and drink available and there will be festive tunes courtesy of @thecadettestrio. If you’ve not yet booked, do head to the link in our bio to reserve your place and collect your FREE shopping bag on the night. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
Our pupils learn from a young age that to work through things methodically and effectively, it’s important to get all your ducks in a row. This level of preparation and foresight really stands the children in good stead as they progress through school. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
At Highfield and Brookham, kindness isn’t just a word – it’s one of our core values and way of life. Today, we celebrate #worldkindnessday2024 knowing that small acts of kindness make such a big difference. Whether it’s helping a friend, sharing a smile or lending a hand, our pupils are learning that kindness is the foundation of a strong and supportive community. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #AutumnTerm #worldkindnessday2024 #bekind #worldkindessday
The Highfield and Brookham community was treated to a spectacular bonfire firework display last Saturday. Huge thanks to our fabulous catering, grounds and maintenance teams for their immense hard work in making this special event run so smoothly. Profits from the sales of food and drink and merchandise will be generously donated to Highreach Holidays. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #AutumnTerm #bonfirenight #fireworks
We have today paid homage to the brave Old Highfieldians who fell in the service of their country during the two world wars. The poignant Act of Remembrance was led by Mrs Cryer, our Head, who read out the names of the fallen alongside her husband, Bob. Music teacher Mr Withell sounded The Last Post before the whole school fell silent for two minutes of sombre reflection. We will remember them. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #ActOfRemembrance
Guided by the incredible @handlebards, Year 7 jumped headfirst into the world of Shakespeare with an interactive workshop focused on the dark and mysterious tale of Macbeth. This hands-on experience really boosted their understanding of this wonderful play, building confidence in their acting and performance skills ready for their forthcoming performance as part of the @cssf_uk Shakespeare’s School’s Festival.
Year 7 and Year 8 were treated to an amazing performance of Macbeth by the fabulous @handlebards. The audience were mesmerised as the cast of two played all the roles in the play, well, almost all, a couple of lucky children did join them on stage to help with a couple of scenes! #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #macbeth #shakespeare
Our Year 8 pupils have been continuing with one of their favourite art projects – the identity canvas. Having previously worked on designs which reflect their personalities and their time at school, using words, pictures and logos, the children added a dash of colour this week to their blank canvases which, once dried, will form the backdrop for their artistic creations. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Art
As well as being busy working toward their exams, considering senior school options and applying for pupil leadership roles, our Upper Prep school children are also key ambassadors for the school. For example, did you know that the older pupils play a vital role touring prospective families during our regular open mornings? Their infectious enthusiasm, honesty, integrity and heartfelt love of school life earns much praise from our visitors. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
It may have been grey, damp and cool, but some exciting action on the football and hockey pitches certainly warmed up the watching parents as we welcomed our friends from Twyford School, Hampshire for another entertaining afternoon of sport. Well played, everyone! #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex
Nurtured by specialist music teachers, our children have the opportunity to play a wide range of musical instruments from a very young age, including violin, piano, flute, drums, oboe and guitar. #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Music
The correlation between a healthy sleep regime and a healthy mind and body and increased performance in school came under scrutiny as our children marked Better Sleep Week. #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #BetterSleepWeek
