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Highfield (Lower School)
Meet the Head of Lower School
George Seccombe, Head of Lower School from September 2024, was previously Housemaster of Trevelyan for four and a half years.
George joined Haileybury as Head of Geography in September 2014 having previously taught at The London Oratory School in Fulham and then at Shiplake College near Henley-on-Thames where he was Head of Geography for four years. George runs several Geography field trips including the annual Vths GCSE Geography to Iceland.
Away from Lower School and teaching, George is fully involved in the CCF as Officer in Command of the Army Section and Contingent 2ic and coaching rugby, cricket and football.
George is married to Helen, a professional golfer, and they have two young sons, Harry and Charlie, and a very loyal springer spaniel called Reggie. The Seccombes enjoy spending their holidays at the family holiday home on the west Welsh coast where Reggie can run wild on the beach, the children can build sandcastles to their hearts’ content and George and Helen can do battle on the golf course.
Meet the Houseparent of Highfield
Lauren Davey joined Haileybury in September 2016 as a Resident Tutor in Highfield and Head of Lacrosse. Since joining, Lauren became Assistant House Mistress of Highfield and in 2020 took the role of Head of Lower School 1 before being appointed Houseparent of Highfield in 2021. Lauren lives in Highfield with her husband Kieran, who is also a PE teacher at a school in Stevenage. Lauren enjoys all sports and when she is not in Highfield, She can be found down on the sports pitches coaching sport to pupils. In her free time, Lauren enjoys skiing, cooking, crafting and visiting family in Cornwall.
She says “Highfield is a fun, happy and exciting House to be a part of where strong friendships are made. As a Houseparent, I want to create a House where pupils feel confident and comfortable, a home from home where we all celebrate each other’s achievements in and out of the classroom. In Highfield, we aim to build confidence and help to prepare them for when they move up into Main School.”
It is our aim to ensure the pupils have a joyful and triumphant education at Haileybury, using the first year in Lower School as a soft landing from their primary or prep school and the second as a springboard to success, enabling pupils to leave us with all the necessary skills and experience to thrive in the Main School.
George Seccombe Head of Lower School & Lauren Davey House Parent of Highfield
House character
For pupils in Highfield, often away from home for the first time, we provide a supportive and secure environment to help them get the best out of these key formative years at Haileybury.
The Lower School and Highfield aim to be the pupils’ home from home within the School where they can make the most of the facilities and bond with their peers. Highfield has a strong focus on pastoral care, it is a priority to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the young pupils to settle into. During the first year of Lower School (LS1), we offer limitless support ensuring the transition from prep or primary school is a smooth one.
In the second year of Lower School (LS2), pupils are equipped with the necessary skills needed to succeed in the senior years that follow. The Lower School is a values based community, based on the values of Respect, Courage, Integrity and Ambition. These are not designed to be words on the wall, but there to shape the everyday actions of everyone for the benefit of our community so they can thrive and be happy. The Lower School also aims to develop strong connections between not only the pupils, but also between the pupils and the staff. These connections help to build a support network for every pupil as they make their way through Lower School.
House facilities
Highfield is a home for our weekly and flexi boarders. The House is split into two wings, a girls wing and a boys wing, each wing has three dorms which sleeps a maximum of eight pupils.There are two central common rooms for the boarders to spend their time in which include a television, game console, pool table and board games. We have a kitchen in both wings of the House for the boarders to use which contains a fridge, kettle and microwave. Outside of Highfield we have our Lower School astro, which has a roof, therefore the boarders can use the space whatever the weather, there are also two ping pong tables and a netball post.
History
A recent addition to Haileybury’s House system, Highfield embraces it with enthusiasm, preparing pupils for life in senior school at Removes (Year 9).
Highfield has its own House motto, Una Stamus (together we stand) and its own House colours, red and yellow, encouraging House loyalty at a very early age.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LOWER SCHOOL