Highfields College is a Flagship School

June 12, 2026

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Highfields College is an exceptionally inclusive provision, which serves a diverse cohort of students, with 89 having EHCPs and another 18 currently obtaining EHCPs.  Some students at Highfield are on intervention places, dual-enrolled with their original school. The leadership of the headteacher is inspirational and highly creative, based on a principled vision of the nature and possibilities of education. As he put it “relationship is the starting point of everything that we do” and he has created a strong team of talented staff who continue to provide flexible innovative provision in the best interests of young people. There are numerous areas of practice from the past year which deserve to be celebrated, including the dual-enrolled provision, and a post-16 provision with a summer school to support learners after GCSEs are completed. Highfields College are consistently committed to strategic reflection and ongoing development, as evidenced by a recent redevelopment of the behaviour policy and their courage in moving away from new models and innovations which were not working for their students as intended.

The Bridge

The Bridge Education Centre is part of the off-site provision at Highfields College. Innovative and successful, it aims to support children from the local community who have struggled to access mainstream education with classrooms, a sensory room and separate facilities within situated within Brookfield House. This location provides a specialised curriculum, a personalised development programme, and aims to develop resilience and social skills. The Bridge provides teaching on Maths, English, Science, PHSE, Humanities, and Careers Studies. A “small steps” approach is used, which celebrates progress in clear stages and allows targets to be modified to suit individual needs. The emotional wellbeing of the learners is a priority, with shared dinners and guided socialisation sessions, as well as outdoor learning both urban and rural. The ultimate goal is to support these pupils in returning to mainstream, full-time education.

Sensory curriculum at The Bridge has been further developed to an impressive standard over the previous year. The introduction of gem arts and creative activities tailored to the skills and interests of individual pupils has been well received. The wide range of externally provided activities at The Bridge are documented in a photograph album which pupils take pride in. Children with significant sensory needs have enjoyed swimming with appropriate adjustments. Pupils are supported to pursue interests and hobbies such as singing and music and supported to access mainstream education such as studying Shakespeare for their English Literature GCSE, adapted appropriately for every individual.

Links between schools

A key part of Highfields College is the collaboration with partner schools who have pupils attending Highfields but returning to them in the future. Many students have been successfully reintegrated into mainstream schools reducing rates of suspension and expulsion across the local area. Highfields College offers “Partnership Places” of two or three days per week on a planned basis alongside “Step Out” which is crisis provision and operates on a full-time basis for a 10 or 20-week period. Staff work diligently to remove barriers to education and find the root of behaviours and levels of motivation towards learning. The successful collaboration of Highfields with mainstream schools has benefitted everyone, with practice being shared in the interests of the young people involved. There is a high degree of flexibility to help students, with some students attending Highfields for the rest of their education if this is the most appropriate place for them, working with previous schools and the local authority.

Education for everyone

Highfields College has been working to develop provision for students who cannot access the main Highfields College, or The Bridge at Brookfield House. STAR (Steps to Return and Access) involves input from teachers regarding individual students and is usually based in libraries. This was developed from the Home and Home Plus provisions, where students were supported to learn at home. Focus is on not overwhelming the child, building strong relationships and working with external supporting agencies. The Home projects focus on a single key worker as a point of contact for the child, while the STAR programme features the involvement of several specialist teachers. Both benefit from highly personalised timetables and strong parent and carer involvement and support. Highfields is currently working on “Education Other Than Highfields”, where a very small number of students will be provided with alternative educational placement to re-engage them with learning.

We are proud to confirm Highfields College holds Flagship School Status.