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

Good company, good food, good weather and good music was the order of the day for our lovely Grandparents’ Tea Party yesterday, one of the most-cherished events of the school year. It was wonderful to see grandparents enjoy tea, sandwiches and cake with their grandchildren before being taken on a personal tour of the school and rounding off their visit with an uplifting concert in the Chapel. And we loved it so much that we are going to do it all over again next week! #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeThrive #GrandparentsTeaParty #AfternoonTea #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Huge congratulations to our U13s girls who won their match yesterday to take them through to the third round of the IAPS U13 Girls’ Cricket Championship. Well played girls! #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWePlay #TogetherWeCompete #GrassrootsSport #PrepSchoolSport #Teamwork #LeatherOnWillow #CountrySchoolsInHampshire @iapsuksport #cricket

The strength of our drama provision has again been underlined by our Year 5 and Year 6 children who put on a real tour de force this afternoon in the first of two LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) showcase sessions, with the older prep school children set to take to the stage this evening. More than 130 children currently take extra-curricular LAMDA lessons, which are led by professional actors, and the standard seems to get higher every year, as evidenced by today’s amazing solo, duologue and group skits, poetry readings and excerpts. Bravo, children! #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWePerform #TogetherWeEncourage #PerformingArts #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire #ExtraCurricularExcellence

Don’t worry, we’re not encouraging our children to take up smoking… instead, young scientists in Year 4 were tasked with experimenting with varying straw lengths to determine the length of a vibrating air column and the pitch of the sound. They discovered that shorter straws produced higher-pitched sounds while longer straws produce lower-pitched sounds. Much to the amusement of his classmates, it seems this young man drew the short straw… #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeExperiment #SchoolScienceExperiments #TheJoyOfKnowledge #CountryBoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Good batting, quality bowling, energetic fielding and phenomenal teamwork and togetherness have been the order of the day as our boys and girls have enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of competitive cricket against our good friends from Farleigh School, all played in a wonderful spirit under blue skies. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWePlay #TogetherWeCompete #GrassrootsSport #PrepSchoolSport #Teamwork #LeatherOnWillow #CountrySchoolsInHampshire

The sights and sounds of cricket on Chapel Field are truly a joy to behold. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWePlay #TogetherWeCompete #GrassrootsSport #PrepSchoolSport #Teamwork #LeatherOnWillow #CountrySchoolsInHampshire

Join us on 10th May for a special opportunity to experience the heart of our school. Meet our Head and the inspiring teachers who help our children thrive every day. Take a guided tour of our beautiful grounds and incredible facilities, led by some of our pupils. This isn’t just an open morning, it’s a real glimpse into school life. Don’t miss out as spaces are limited. Book here: bit.ly/3G2Hhl1. We look forward to welcoming you. #TogetherWeGrow #IndependentSchool #Nursery #PrePrep #Prep #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #CountryPrepSchool @talkeducation

The old pond near the science labs has been transformed into a beautiful wellbeing garden in the latest positive pastoral initiative at Highfield and Brookham. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCare #PastoralProvision #HealthyBodiesAndHealthyMinds #CountryPrepSchoolsInHampshire #Liphook #WestSussex #Surrey #Hampshire

Everything our inquisitive children do has a point to it. Whether they are adding fractions in maths, conjugating verbs in French, dissecting lungs in science, map reading in geography or whittling sticks at forest school, the children are laying rock-solid foundations and picking up essential skills not only for their onward educational journey but for their journey through life too. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeLearn #BuildingKnowledge #InquisitiveLearners #SchoolsInHampshire #CountrySchoolsInHampshire

Join us on 10th May for a chance to experience the heart of our school. Take a tour of our beautiful grounds and facilities with some of our pupils and meet our head and inspiring teachers. This is more than an open morning; it’s a glimpse into a place where children truly thrive. With just one week to go reserve your places. Tap the link in our bio to book now. We can’t wait to welcome you. #Togetherwegrow #IndependentSchool #Nursery #PrePrep #Prep #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #CountryPrepSchool

Some of our Year 7 pupils took part in the UK Maths Challenge yesterday. This national mathematics competition inspires children to think in new ways and tackle a variety of engaging maths activities. Run by the @ukmathstrust the focus is to build confidence through problem-solving. Well done to everyone who took part. #Togetherweachieve #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #CountryPrepSchool #Boarding

With VE Day around the corner, we honoured the 80th anniversary celebrations early in today’s assembly. We welcomed Royal Navy Captain Steve Harman, to lead proceedings, finishing off with a rousing rendition of the national anthem. To top it off, our amazing catering team turned the dining hall into a fabulous street party and the whole school enjoyed a delicious Best of British lunch. #Togetherweflourish #IndependentSchool #Nursery #PrePrep #Prep #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

As part of their summer term topic, “would you prefer to live on land or under the sea?”, Reception children are looking at exploring animal habitats. What better way to research this than a trip to Marwell Zoo and a fantastic talk by one of the @marwellzoo team. #Togetherwelearn #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #IndependentSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

Amazing Grease drama workshop today for Year 8 with professional performer Charlie Ruhrmund from West End On Demand. The children learned dance routines, explored scenes from the show, and received expert performance tips and advice. We can’t wait for the end-of-year production. #Togetherweinspire #teamwork #IndependentSchool #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #Nursery #PrePrep #Prep #Liphook

Give your child more than an education; give them the chance to be seen, inspired, and truly thrive. Join us for our Open Morning on Saturday 10th May and discover how we nurture every child’s potential through a progressive, skills-based curriculum, exceptional teaching, enriching activities and a strong focus on wellbeing. Meet our Head, Suzannah Cryer, connect with our passionate team and enjoy a pupil-led tour of our school and its outstanding facilities. This is more than a school – it’s where children flourish. Book your place here: bit.ly/3G2Hhl1 #Togetherwegrow #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex

It’s wonderful to see the spirit of teamwork blossoming so early in these young learners’ journey. During Nursery child-initiated learning, this determined duo tackled a phonics jigsaw together, working as a team, problem-solving and celebrating their success. The sense of achievement was so rewarding they chose to do it all over again! #teamwork #aiminghigh #IndependentSchool #Nursery #PrePrepSchool #PrepSchool #Liphook #Hampshire #WestSussex #Surrey #Togetherwegrow

As part of their summer term topic concerning food and where it comes from, Year 1 today had a fascinating fact-finding trip to Goodwood Farm, a self-sustaining organic farm with its own dairy and butchery. The children met livestock, ground wheat, took a tour of Goodwood’s vast farming estate and saw where milk, cream and cheese are produced. With the UN sustainable goal of ‘good health and wellbeing’ in mind, on returning to the classroom the children will discuss what they learnt on their travels as they dig deeper into their ‘food, glorious food’ project. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeLearn #TogetherWeEnquire #HealthyEating #HealthAndWellbeing #SustainableFarming

Our children always measure up when it comes to hitting the heights during the school day. Constantly aiming high, staying positive and trying their very best, the children thrive on the many and varied opportunities that come their way in and out of the classroom. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeSucceed #TogetherWeSoar #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire #AimingHigh

There’s nothing quite like the friendly rivalry that only House competitions can conjure up. Today, young swimmers representing Agincourt, Trafalgar and Waterloo did battle in the pool and, after a pulsating tussle which was decided in the final race, an epic cannon relay, Trafalgar secured bragging rights. Well done, boys and girls, for such an amazing House Gala. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCompete #TogetherWeSoar #HouseSwimmingGala #PrepSchoolsInHampshire

It’s not just in school that our children do amazing things, they do so away from school too! Year 4 pupil Inigo will this week be the youngest garden designer at the @gardenersworldmag Spring Fair at @beaulieu_uk when he joins forces with his dad, Jonny, who runs @floreat_gardens. The green-fingered pair will be cultivating connections over the next few days when they spruce up a three square metre plot, having sourced plants, visited nurseries and sourced hedging. Grateful thanks to Paul Ferguson and the @farnham_herald for the wonderful picture! @gardenersworldmag #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeDesign #TogetherWeThrive #FatherAndSonPartnership #GreenFingers #CountrySchoolsInHampshire

Our music department is still drumming up amazing amounts of support, with more children than ever right across the school learning to play an impressive array of instruments such as piano, violin, saxophone, recorder, cello, guitar and drums. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeExcel #TogetherWePerform #MakingMusic #SchoolsInHampshgire

With Sports Day beginning to loom up on the horizon, the Prep school children have been put through their paces with a series of one-kilometre ‘time trials’. After proper warm ups, the children tackled two-and-a-half laps of the running track to give the sports coaches the chance to assess the various levels and abilities of all the boys and girls. While not being official races, the children were encouraged to challenge themselves by running out of their comfort zones, something they did with a great deal of success and satisfaction. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCompete #TogetherWeSoar #SportsDay #BoardingSchoolsInHampshire

Our green-fingered Reception children have today been digging deep in Gardening Club. Having learnt that to succeed in tasks you have to do the groundwork first, the focused children embarked on some essential weeding of their vegetable and flower patches ahead of planting pretty sunflowers in the autumn. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeCultivate #TogetherWePrepare #GardeningClub #Teamwork #IndependentSchoolsInHampshire #CountrySchoolsInHampshire

Are you looking for a unique and nurturing educational environment where your child can truly thrive? The countdown is on to our next Open Morning on Saturday 10th May 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 #TogetherWeEncourage #TogetherWeEmpower #IndependentSchool #PrivateSchool #BoardingSchool #PrepSchool #PrePrepSchool #Nursery #Liphook #Hampshire #Surrey #WestSussex #OpenMorning

There is always so much exciting news to share with your friends after the school holidays! #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWePlay #TogetherWeShare #SummerTerm #FriendsReunited #IndependentSchoolsInHampshire

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