Highfields Preparatory and Kindergarten School

School visits are a rich encounter for families considering Highfields for their children, as there is a significance about the school that needs to be experienced, to be understood. We really can’t be compared to any other school and are proud of how often parents remark that Highfields feels very different from their experience of schooling. When visitors come to Highfields they are met, not by a rigid system of schooling, but by an elegant web of overlapping, dynamic relationships and opportunities at work. Highfields is a school full of life, fun and rich learning experiences for all.

In daily practice, our educators intentionally design preschool and school experiences that sustain and support rich relationships and that celebrate children’s unique personalities, learning styles, interests and passions. We strongly believe that schools should be designed for children, not children for school. We resist any model of learning that would try to fit children into a ‘one size fits all’ educational box. Instead, we pride ourselves in offering an educational and community experience for children, families and educators that is beyond compare.

Since its beginnings in 1945, Highfields has been defined by its unique learning culture. Deeply embedded within this culture is an uncompromising respect for young children’s capacity to learn, think and work together cooperatively and respectfully. Listening to children and giving them voice and influence over their educational experience is at the heart of purpose. The importance of play and inquiry-based learning can also not be underestimated when I reflect on what makes our school such a special place for young learners.

As Highfields School’s fifth Principal, so many have come before me and have invested richly in the school’s story. An uninterrupted history of employing invested, passionate and exceptional early childhood and primary educators and leaders, has ensured Highfields stands out today as a brilliant light for what is possible in early learning.

Highfields attracts families who are searching for something more. To choose Highfields is to make a distinct choice about the sort of schooling you want for your child. Highfields provides a bespoke experience for students, from our youngest preschoolers to our Year 2 leaders.

Choosing to limit our numbers has always been our strength in the way it ensures every child feels a sense of belonging and is able and expected to contribute meaningfully to our learning community. Small classes allow for rich and collaborative learning experiences and enable educators to design opportunities that support the strengths of each individual child, and the group as a whole. Our size enables a tight-knit parent community, with families enjoying a warm and welcoming experience within the school and beyond.

Aristotle made these words famous, highlighting the significance of early childhood as a distinct stage of life, a stage not to be underestimated or squandered. Early childhood is a time of massive transformation and growth –  a time when identity is forming, core values are established and important habits are developed. Because of this the culture of schools is of paramount importance to young learners. At Highfields, we are very intentional about the learning culture and the expectations we have of children. We believe that setting high expectations in a context that encourages risk-taking, listening, experimentation, questioning and perseverance leads to strong learning dispositions in young children. Having a rich and empowering experience of learning in the early years of schooling sets children up for life.

We want every Highfielder to develop an insatiable love of learning and confidence in their ability to learn. Creating a context that fosters this deep love of learning and self-confidence is our specialty. To do this we design the educational experience around the learners themselves! Highfield’s programs and plans are developed in response to young children’s interests and honour children’s deeply inquisitive approach to the world. Instead of trying to encourage children to blindly follow and ‘comply’ within a system, our programs are designed to motivate and equip children to lead the way, learning how to learn through self-driven commitment to make connections, ask questions and develop understanding.

Foundational to our approach is our emphasis on learning with others. We explicitly value alternate perspectives, encouraging our students to respect difference and celebrate different ways of knowing. Children at Highfields are encouraged to consider multiple points of view in relation to their learning and in relation to their behaviour. Instead of being rewarded for ‘good behaviour’ we encourage children to reflect on the impact of their choices (good and bad), to support the development of mindfulness and intrinsically motivated pro-social behaviours. We avoid traditions and systems that set up children in competition with one another, choosing to celebrate success in other ways that are intentionally non-competitive. We do not use stickers or other extrinsic rewards to motivate children. Children learn daily in small groups by getting their hands dirty, playing with materials and ideas and through sophisticated and reflective experimentation. Learning is contextualised in real life situation and whenever possible children’s projects are positioned in real-life contexts.