Together we learn

Our Nursery

For many children, attending Nursery is the first time they spend significant time away from home. For that reason it is vital that the setting they attend makes them feel happy, secure and valued. Furthermore it is such an important time for your child to develop learning characteristics that will set them up for their educational journey ahead. It is where it all begins and a time of limitless exploration and growth. These early years are fundamental to embed learning habits and develop confidence.

We are an independent Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School in Liphook, situated in 175 acres of stunning grounds in the South Downs National Park on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Our vision is to teach children to collaborate, to be resourceful and to take charge of their own learning and to provide a welcoming environment in which to do so. We plan a curriculum that cultivates good habits and attitudes that will enable your child to become an eager and courageous learner. As your child progresses through the Nursery years, they will develop into a tenacious, imaginative and logical child who is self-aware, collaborative and inquisitive. The foundations of all of these traits are put in place from the moment your child walks through the Nursery door for the very first time. Above all, we aim to make your child’s time in Nursery a joyous experience. During their time with us their imagination will grow, their thoughts will become more complex and their understanding of the world around will unfold. The aim of our Nursery is to instil a love of learning that will set them up for the rest of their life.

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Core Education

Our Nursery timetable is predominantly led by the children’s interests and is made up of mainly child-led learning time as well as forest school. Our expert Nursery Practitioners curate a wide range of activities for your child to engage with to help them develop prime development areas:

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, social and emotional development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design

At Highfield and Brookham, we pride ourselves on our impressive breadth of curriculum, supplying your child with plenty of new skills to discover. Alongside your child’s core education, they will be taught by our specialist subject teachers in swimming, PE, gymnastics, music and Spanish.

Child-initiated

Here at Highfield and Brookham, we have a real passion for and belief in child-initiated learning based on extensive research on how young children learn best. Your child will make decisions about what they want to do, where they want to do it, and what resources they will need. Crucially, the teachers participate as play partners identifying learning opportunities and skilfully responding to the children rather than leading the activities. This is all made possible because of our high staff-to-child ratios. It’s only when your child starts to apply independently what they have learnt that we know they have truly understood and engaged with what they have been taught.

We love the nursery and could not be happier that we chose it for our children.

Outdoor Learning

There is a plethora of evidence in support of outdoor learning and at Highfield and Brookham we see the proof of this every single day. Each of our Nursery rooms has direct access to our wonderful Nursery garden, which is fully equipped with a giant sandpit, mud kitchen and vegetable patch. Your child’s imagination will know no bounds as they explore and discover wonderful new things inside and out. Come rain or shine your child will be able to decide to go outdoors whenever they like, and we know that the lure of splashing in puddles or making mud pies means that children want to go outside whatever the weather. This is why waterproofs and wellington boots are staples in the Nursery wardrobe. One of the most popular activities in the garden is growing vegetables. Your child will plant, water and care for a variety of vegetables in the Nursery garden and, best of all, they will also get to harvest the produce and cook it in their very own kitchen.

With 175 acres of beautiful grounds, outdoor learning at Highfield and Brookham really has no limits. Your child will relish their time in their dedicated space at forest school, which is just a stone’s throw from their classroom door. Here they are free to explore and roam in our wondrous woodland as they hunt for the most magical minibeasts, build the most extravagant dens and craft the most elaborate leaf crowns. We want to engender a love of wildlife and respect for the natural environment in your child.

Free Flow

Your child will enjoy the freedom of free flow across all three of our Nursery rooms for a large proportion of the day. This is where all the children come together and are given the independence to explore their environment. During this time the younger children learn from their older peers, enhancing their language development and communication. Simultaneously, the older children learn valuable skills such as empathy as they take on the position of role models for their younger classmates. This combination of dedicated and shared space is a key factor in your child’s personal, emotional and educational growth.

Open-ended Resources

Our Nursery is purposefully equipped with an exciting variety of open-ended resources for your child to discover. The classrooms are carefully kitted out with blocks, loose parts and modelling resources. A toy fire engine is always a fire engine, but a pile of bricks could be an aeroplane carrying an important guest, a rocket on the hunt for life on mars or even an underground tunnel leading to an undiscovered land. The only limitation is your child’s imagination.

Food

We take food very seriously at Highfield and Brookham and your child will quickly find out why. We hire a fantastic Catering Team who keep your child’s energy at the optimum level so they can fully engage with everything that Nursery has to offer. At 10am your child will enjoy a morning snack on the carpet with their friends. This usually consists of fruit or a slice of our delicious homemade, reduced-sugar banana loaf.

Lunchbreak for our Nursery children is at 11.45am. The Tiny Bears, our very youngest children, enjoy lunch in their room, The Den, before settling down for a much-needed lunchtime nap. Our Little Bears and Big Bears don their gingham smocks and head across the courtyard to the main dining hall. Your child’s lunch is freshly prepared on site by our in-house chefs. Children are served at the table and always have the option to ask for more if they want it.

Mid-afternoon, children gather back on the carpet with the other Nursery children to enjoy a well-earned rest and snack. Cheese and crackers, sandwiches or breadsticks and humous are usually on offer to see them through to tea time.

Rooms

There are three specialist rooms in our Nursery – The Den, Woodlands and Meadows. The Den is home to our youngest cohort, Tiny Bears. This dedicated area, designed especially for our youngest children, allows your child to undertake age-appropriate activities which help them to develop independence, imagination and communication at a pace that is just right for them. Importantly, there is a dedicated space for your child to have their valuable daytime nap if they need it to ensure they are rejuvenated and ready for their afternoon adventures.

At the age of three, and when they are developmentally ready, your child will move up to either Meadows or Woodlands. Both rooms have a managed mix of our Little Bears and Big Bears so they can grow and learn together.

Logistics

Our Nursery is open for 35 weeks of the year. We welcome children from the age of two when they attend for a minimum of two mornings per week. As your child progresses into their final Nursery year, they will attend a minimum of three mornings per week, with lunch. This extended week helps with their readiness for the transition to Reception.

The morning sessions in Nursery run from 8.20am to 11.20am. You can choose for your child to stay for lunch, which the children take in our main dining hall at 11.45am. Collection is after lunch is at 12.20pm or 3.20pm if your child is staying for the full day.

Your child may attend on any days of the week where we have availability, and in any combination of morning, morning with lunch and full day sessions, up to full time, five days a week.

The Nursery Week

  • 7.30am Breakfast club (Optional £)
  • 8am Before-school care
  • 8.20am Doors open
  • 11.45am Lunch break
  • 3.20pm School day ends
  • 3.30pm After-school care (Optional £)
  • 4.30pm Picnic tea and play (Optional £)
  • 6.30pm Last pick up

Drop off

The doors to our Nursery are open for children at 8.20am. We know and completely understand that mornings can be busy for many families, with parents juggling school drop off, work and other commitments. It’s important that your child’s start to the day is calm and stress free to set them up for a successful say of learning. That’s why we offer an earlier 8am drop off option for those families who need it, at no extra charge.

Many of our families make use of our breakfast club, which opens for our Nursery children at 7.30am. Breakfast Club takes place in the main dining hall and your child will be spoilt for choice for what to have for breakfast. There is always a hot option such as beans on toast as well cereal, porridge, yoghurt, toast and fresh fruit. A truly hearty breakfast to kickstart them for their busy day in Nursery.

After School

The Nursery day draws to a close at 3.20pm. We have excellent after-school care provision that covers you if you need a later pick up.

As part of the after-school care programme, your child will have a fantastic choice of games and activities at their disposal. After-school care runs until 4.30pm.

For those families who need a later collection time we offer our ‘picnic tea and play’ session. A high tea will be served at 5pm with a selection of sandwiches, crudités, fromage frais and fruit on offer. Your child will be looked after until 6.30pm if required.

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What we’re up to

For their final get-together before the Easter holidays, and hot on the heels of the amazing efforts of the Year 5 and Year 6 pupils in their production of Pride Rocks, the children in the prep-prep Theatre Club today put on a wonderful performance of their own featuring singing, dancing and choreography to the uplifting soundtrack of The Circle of Life. Bravo, children! #TogetherWeGrow #TheCircleOfLife #PrePrepTheatreClub #PerformingArts #IndependentSchoolsInHampshire #CountryEducation

Hats off to our lovely Nursery children who got the final week of the spring term off to the best possible start today with a wonderful Easter bonnet parade in our fabulous woodland. #TogetherWeGrow #EasterBonnetParade #SchoolsInHampshire #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #IndependentSchool

Our Year 7 pupils have this week learned the importance of teamwork, togetherness and communication when it comes to playing competitive team sports. #TogetherWeGrow #Teamwork #TogetherWePlay #CoedBoardingSchoolsInHampshire #Sport

What an amazing week we’ve had on the theatrical stage. Our Year 5 and Year 6 children have excelled themselves with no less than six extraordinary performances of Pride Rocks. Under the direction of Mrs Baird, our exceptional Head of Drama, the children recited their lines, danced and sang with immense pride, passion and expertise, supporting each other every step of the way as the powerful tale unfolded. Grateful thanks to Aldro for providing the zebra and giraffe heads and Cranleigh School for supplying the stunning masks. #TogetherWeGrow #PrideRocks #SchoolsInHampshire #PerformingArts

Having performed in front of their upper prep school peers today, our Year 5 and Year 6 children are now halfway through the six scheduled performances of their spectacular, atmospheric and dramatic stage show, Pride Rocks. And the general consensus so far? It’s been a roaring success! #TogetherWeGrow #StageShow #MusicalTheatre #PrideRocks #PrepSchoolTheatre #PerformingArts #CoeducationalSchoolsInHampshire

Bubbles, bears, biscuits and books were the order of the day for our Nursery children today. The excited children took full advantage of the warmer weather and blue skies to head outside and have fun with their friends at a wonderful teddy bears’ picnic; chasing bubbles, eating tasty bear-shaped snacks and listening to Mrs Horn read captivating stories out in the fresh air. #TogetherWeGrow #TeddyBearsPicnic #OutdoorLearning #Books #TheGreatOutdoors #SchoolsInHampshire

The girls’ football season continued apace today with the visit of our friends from St. Edmund’s School, Surrey. Our U13, U12, U11 and U10 girls were in fine form under mercifully sunny skies, demonstrating just how much they have improved in the past month. The girls will wrap up their season against Aldro on Saturday before turning their attention to cricket after the Easter holiday. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCompete #TogetherWePlay #PrepSchoolSport #GirlsFootball #GrassrootsFootball #SchoolsInHampshire

It’s always such a thrill for our pre-prep children to see the ducklings in their care head outside for a swim in the sun before they head off to their new homes. #TogetherWeGrow #AnimalMagic #DucklingsMakeASplash #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery

From crime scene investigation to the benefits of healthy eating and from fascinating trips to the Science Museum and Natural History Museum, London to a feast of forensics, our inquisitive children immersed themselves fully in British Science Week. #TogetherWeGrow #Science #CrimeSceneInvestigation #STEM #WeLoveScience #SchoolsInHampshire #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Year 7 have taken inspiration from the work of JMW Turner, who was best known for his expressive colouring and imaginative landscapes. Working on a theme of abstract seas and skies, the young artists covered repurposed canvases with scraps of paper to create texture before clever use of primary colours, complemented by whites for tone and black for shade, added real emotion to the children’s artwork. #TogetherWeGrow #CreativeArts #InspiredByFamousArtists #ExpressiveArtwork #SchoolsInHampshire

Experimental artists in Year 3 have been busy mixing primary colours in the art room today to produce secondary colours. The children discovered that mixing red, blue and yellow in pairs produced vibrant hues of orange, purple and green which they could use to add a real splash of colour to their clay faces. #TogetherWeGrow #Art #Creativity #Painting #SchoolsInHampshire

We were delighted today to welcome back professional photographers @gillmanandsoame to capture for posterity our prep school sports teams. #TogetherWeGrow #PrepSchoolSport #InTheFrame #SayCheese #SchoolsInHampshire #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Year 4 pupils today learnt some amazing facts about giant tortoises. As part of a weekly initiative where the children are encouraged to bring something unusual or interesting into class to spark healthy discussion and broaden their knowledge, George T brought in his sulcata tortoise. The children discovered that ten-year-old Boris, who is still only a baby, hails from north Africa, is a herbivore and could weigh up to 90lbs (40 kilos) when fully grown. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeLearn #SulcataTortoise #AnimalMagic #HealthyDiscussion #FascinatingFacts #SchoolsInHampshire

Whether it’s in the classroom, on the sports pitch, in the art room, on stage in the theatre or working on experiments in the science lab, the flame of passion burns brightly within our children. They possess an innate desire to learn, spread their wings and be the best they can be, something we wholeheartedly encourage and nurture. #TogetherWeGrow #PassionForLearning #ThirstForKnowledge #EndlessPossibilities #SchoolsInHampshire

Looking for a unique and nurturing educational environment where your child can truly thrive? The countdown to our next Open Morning on Friday 14th March is on and we can’t wait to meet all the prospective parents. Why not come along and see for yourself? Simply click the link in our bio to reserve your spot. We look forward to welcoming you. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #OpenMorning

With spring just around the corner, we were today appropriately treated to another uplifting music concert. Pupils from Year 3 to Year 7 performed eclectic pieces for guitar, piano, recorder, violin, saxophone and cello while the Year 4 band rocked their way through 20th Century Boy. And Romilly and Felix performed a sublime rendition of the humorous song The Cover Is Not The Book from hit film Mary Poppins Returns. #TogetherWeGrow #MusicalTalent #CreativeArts #SchoolConcert #SchoolsInHampshire #PrivateSchoolsInHampshire

It’s been another cold day on the hockey pitch, despite sporadic bursts of watery, early-spring sunshine. But what has proved incredibly heartwarming yet again is the dedication, camaraderie and skill shown by all of the boys, not to mention the immense pride that comes with wearing the green and black. Thank you to all of the players and coaches from Amesbury School, Edgeborough School, St. Edmund’s School, Surrey and Westbourne House School for playing a full part in a quite brilliant U9 tournament. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCompete #PrepSchoolSport #BoysHockey #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Quality play and insightful coaching were the order of the day as our boys rose to the occasion on the hockey pitch this afternoon against our friends from @westbournehouseschool while the girls battled it out on the football pitch. Prep school sport was the real winner though. Well played, everyone! #TogetherWeGrow #PrepSchoolSport #Hockey #GirlsFootball #PrivateSchoolsInHampshire

When it comes to being healthy, look no further than Year 3. As part of their spring term topic looking at the benefits of healthy eating and the importance of wellbeing, the children took on the Great Smoothie Challenge – and passed with flying colours. Split into teams, Year 3 not only had to produce tasty fruit smoothies, they had to explain to the judging panel where their fruit came from and champion its nutritional value. The children were also judged on their brand name and logo and how well they worked together. #TogetherWeGrow #GreatSmoothieChallenge #HealthyEating #SchoolsInHampshire

Mrs Houghton, our Head of Art, has signed up to the Addictive Sketchers Movement to help pupils on our popular Tuesday Sketch Club brush up their artistic skills and learn new techniques. The movement is headed by @addictivesketcher Adebanji Alade, president of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and his expertise is already proving inspirational judging by the amazing portraits the children have already produced. #TogetherWeGrow #Art #AddictiveSketchersMovement #CreativeArts #PrivateSchoolsInHampshire

Curious Year 3 have been gripped by festival fever in Spanish today. Having discovered the amazing sights and sounds connected with the annual Las Fallas festival in Valencia, the children worked in small groups to create colourful and informative posters depicting the history, food, fireworks and colourful traditions surrounding the 19 days of Las Fallas, which celebrates the arrival of spring and pays tribute to St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. #TogetherWeGrow #LearningSpanish #LasFallasFestival #PrivateSchool #ModernForeignLanguages #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Our determined young swimmers last night made it seven years unbeaten in inter-school galas after a dazzling display against valiant visitors @stedmundshindhead. With competition close in the early stages, Highfield and Brookham’s strength in depth tolled. The 51-point margin of victory was all the more remarkable as, in the absence of Year 7 swimmers who were visiting the @natural_history_museum, our Year 6 children swam up an age group. We now look forward to our final two galas of another busy and brilliant season in the pool – against @cranleighprepschool and @stivesschoolhaslemere. #TogetherWeGrow #SwimmingGala #MakingASplash #PrepSchoolSport #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Looking for a unique and nurturing educational environment where your child can truly thrive? The countdown to our next Open Morning on Friday 14th March is on and we can’t wait to meet all the prospective parents. Why not come along and see for yourself? Simply click the link bit.ly/4k2iFbL to reserve your spot. We look forward to welcoming you. #OpenMorning #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

From Willy Wonka to Mr Bump and from the Mad Hatter to Harry Potter, children at Highfield and Brookham showed real character to mark the literary sensation that is World Book Day. #TogetherWeGrow #WorldBookDay #Books #LoveOfLiterature #WeLoveReading #SchoolsInHampshire #WeLoveLibraries

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