Ages 2-6 years | Confidence for Life

Nursery & Pre-Prep School

CONFIDENCE FOR LIFE

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Welcome

Introduction

Aims and Mission

Educational Ethos

Our Creative Curriculum

EYFS & Key Stage 1

Principles of Learning

Pastrol Care & Wellbeing

Our Values: MARK

Co-Curricular

School Life

Alumni

Our Nairobi Home

Planned Facilities

Contact

CONTENTS

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It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our new

school in Nairobi. By joining us you will become part of a

growing global family of schools located across three

different continents.

Starting school for the first time is a very important

milestone for every child and their parents. At Durham

International Nursery & Pre-Prep School we know how

special this time is and we recognise that a caring,

nurturing, supportive environment is critical to a child’s educational success. We

are committed to ensuring that your child’s first experience of school is one filled

with happiness; a time where they develop a love for learning and ‘Confidence

for Life’.

At Durham, we believe that childhood is a time to explore. Our pupils take a

passionate interest in the world around them as their curiosity and enthusiasm

for learning is ignited through playing, investigating, discovering and creating.

Our child-centred approach and broad balanced curriculum will provide a rich

variety of opportunities and experiences both in and beyond the classroom for

active learning and discovery, engagement and critical thinking.

Teaching and learning at Durham is guided by our core values of respect,

kindness and responsibility as children develop a love of lifelong learning. A

sense of belonging and self-confidence is fostered through warm positive

relationships which support effort and nurture individuality, providing the best

possible start in life for all children to fulfil their potential.

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WELCOME & 'KARIBU SANA’

Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School is operated in partnership with

Durham School UK. A Durham school education prepares children with the skills

required to tackle the challenges of the 21st century whilst retaining a sense of

the traditional values you would expect from one of the oldest schools in the UK.

Our aim is for every child to leave us confident, highly motivated and ready for

the opportunities and challenges of Prep School life and beyond.

I look forward to welcoming your child and your family to Durham International

Nursery & Pre-Prep School.

Mrs Sue Small

Headteacher elect

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Having been the Head of Early Years at Durham School

for 26 years, it gives me immense pleasure as EYFS

Director for Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep

School, to welcome you into our Nairobi ‘home’.

As an Early Years educator I believe the number one

priority is the wellbeing and happiness of the child. A key

part of the Early Years Foundation Stage is realising that

not all children grow and develop at the same pace or in the same way. There

has to be some flexibility on the part of those providing the education. At

Durham we are committed to delivering the EYFS in a creative and practical

way.

Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School is a new school in Nairobi

but is operated in partnership with the 600-year-old traditions and heritage

of Durham School UK. Happy and confident children flourish at Durham

School, the ‘Wellbeing’ and ‘Creative Curriculum’ ensures that learning is fun!

Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School will also have this at the

centre of its curriculum and it is my role as EYFS Director to work with the

leadership team in Nairobi to deliver the ethos and quality of education

Durham offers whilst taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings in

Kenya.

Play and Learning go together… play underpins the Early Years Foundation

Stage. It also underpins learning and all aspects of children’s development.

Through play, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity,

social and intellectual skills.

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At Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School children will be given the

opportunities to enjoy their formative years through play-based activities

both indoors and outdoors. At each stage of their education more structured

activities will be introduced to ensure each child reaches their maximum

potential.

Within our safe and nurturing environment, young children will become

confident and independent thinkers. Durham International Nursery & Pre-

Prep School will be an exciting place to be; it will be a family school, building

on a strong sense of community between pupils, parents and staff.

As an Early Years educator I believe the number one

priority is the wellbeing and happiness of the child.

Mrs Ann Champion

EYFS Director

Floreat Dunelmia – Let Durham Flourish

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I am in no doubt that those children fortunate enough to be

enrolled in a Durham School will benefit from the best

possible start in life: with an overall heritage of some 600

years’ experience here in Durham, as well as the very

successful Durham School for Girls that opened in Doha in

2019, I am delighted that the opening of Durham

International Nursery & Pre-Prep School will now extend

this opportunity to children in Nairobi.

Located in the city suburb of Thigiri, Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep

School is well placed and enjoys a fabulous site as well as having facilities of the

very highest standard. Children will enjoy a range of outdoor spaces as well as

spacious classrooms and other specialist teaching areas. Teachers will be

passionate about and experienced in all aspects of early years education; the

curriculum will be based on the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage

1, and outcomes will ensure children are happy in school, enjoy learning and are

developed in the round.

We are wholly committed to supporting Durham International Nursery & Pre-

Prep School in Nairobi and as Headmaster here in Durham I look forward to our

sister school establishing its reputation as the best possible place for children to

begin their educational journey in Nairobi, and so develop their own ‘Confidence

for Life’.

Mr Kieran McLauglin

Headmaster of

Durham School UK

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INTRODUCTION

Durham brings over 600 years of educational excellence; our launch marks

the first time that a British school has opened a branch in Kenya. We aim to

prepare our students with the skills required to tackle the challenges of the

21st century whilst retaining a sense of the traditional values you'd expect

from one of the oldest schools in the UK.

Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School opens in January 2021,

offering unparalleled early years education for children aged 2 to 6 years old.

While our current focus is on creating an exceptional early years experience in

Nairobi, we look forward to growing in the coming years, with plans for a full

primary and secondary school.

Durham brings over 600 years of educational excellence;

our launch marks the first time that a British school has

opened a branch in Kenya.

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Within a community shaped by moral integrity and kindness, Durham aims to

cultivate responsibility and ambition to ensure that every child can thrive, be

happy, and make a positive mark in the changing world.

The three pillars of a Durham School education which support this mission

and so provide an environment where children can explore, make mistakes,

learn and grow are:

AIMS AND MISSION

Academic challenge which gives pupils a lifelong appetite for learning.

Pastoral care to provide our pupils with emotional, moral & spiritual

strength.

Co-curricular opportunities which enrich and develop the individual,

and foster leadership, collaboration and teamwork.

Within a community shaped by moral integrity and

kindness, Durham aims to cultivate responsibility

and ambition to ensure that every child can thrive,

be happy, and make a positive mark in the

changing world.

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Every child deserves the best possible start as they begin their educational

journey. At Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School, we deliver a

creative curriculum guided by the UK's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

framework and English National Curriculum, drawing on a wide range of early

years pedagogies and enhanced by the exciting learning opportunities

available in Kenya.

The School is committed to delivering an education that is engaging,

challenging, motivating and fun. Using a holistic approach to education,

children learn through stimulating and creative experiences, both indoors

and outdoors, ensuring that every child's first experience of school is positive

and so lays the foundation for all subsequent learning.

Children are taught the importance of values such as kindness, respect,

responsibility and good manners and are given every encouragement to

develop a love of lifelong learning and 'Confidence for Life'.

EDUCATIONAL ETHOS

Using a holistic approach to education, children learn

through stimulating and creative experiences, both indoors

and outdoors, ensuring that every child's first experience of

school is positive.

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Through active learning, purposeful play, creativity and critical thinking we

encourage a love of learning and develop lifelong learners equipped for a

diverse and changing world. Children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning

is ignited through exploring, inquiring, creating and child-directed play. Our

flexible learning spaces adapt to each child's readiness, learning style and

interests to foster engagement and involvement as they encounter all areas

of the curriculum.

Our experienced teaching team shape the curriculum to suit the developing

needs and interests of every child through a range of learning opportunities

designed to be enjoyable, engaging, challenging and motivating. The inviting

indoor and outdoor spaces provide free-flow movement that encourage self-

initiated activities, guided lessons, and small and large group interactions.

Our pupil's successes are celebrated and valued. Pupils' progress is closely

monitored at every stage of their learning. Teachers continuously assess

children in their everyday activities and play, whilst also assessing their more

focused work. This allows us to support, stretch and challenge our children as

individuals.

OUR CREATIVE CURRICULUM

Children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning is

ignited through exploring, inquiring, creating and

child-directed play.

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Children enter into Playgroup after their second birthday, or into Foundation

Stage One (FS1) after their third birthday. The child-centred approach to

planning and assessment in Playgroup, FS1 and FS2 is guided by the Early

Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework together with a range of other early

years pedagogies. The EYFS framework is organised into seven

interconnected areas of learning and development:

The EYFS is all about laying firm foundations for learning and supporting the

development of strong dispositions to learning. The EYFS promotes the

importance of planning for learning and taking account of how each child

learns so that all children are supported to make progress. At Durham,

children’s ongoing learning and development is documented using an online

learning journal which is shared with parents. This information is used to

ensure that future planning reflects the needs for each child – a truly

personalised education.

Year 1 is the first year of the British National Curriculum Key Stage 1. The

curriculum in Year 1 builds on the Early Years Foundation Stage and widens to

embrace core subjects like Science, History, and Geography. Children are

encouraged to expand their social and academic awareness in a fun and

stimulating environment. The curriculum embraces the core subjects of

Literacy, Numeracy and Science with great emphasis placed upon developing

early reading, writing and mathematical skills.

EYFS & KEY STAGE 1

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication and Language

Physical Development

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

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Ÿ All children are capable of achieving positive early learning and

developmental outcomes and there should be high expectations for all

young children. Through ongoing formative assessment, teachers track

each child's learning and development and plan their next learning steps.

Ÿ Children learn to be strong and independent through positive

relationships. Teachers are supportive and responsive to each child's

needs, feelings and interests and diversity is valued and respected.

Ÿ The learning environment plays a key role in supporting and extending

children's development and learning. Young children learn and develop

through being active in the world around them. They explore, investigate,

observe and experience their world through engagement with a variety of

materials and interactions with both peers and adults. Teachers nurture the

EYFS characteristics of effective learning: Playing and exploring, Active

learning, Creating and thinking critically, through the continuous free-flow

provision of learning experiences that spark curiosity and interest to

enable children to use their emerging knowledge and skills in purposeful

ways.

Ÿ Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. Multiple

learning activities and opportunities are offered to challenge, engage and

meet each child's individual readiness, learning style and interests.

Ÿ Parents are partners. Parents are encouraged to be actively engaged with

their child's early education. Ongoing communication and an active

partnership are encouraged to ensure positive outcomes.

PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING

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At Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School, our number one priority

is the wellbeing and happiness of every child. We welcome a diverse

community of children from around the world with a range of cultural, and

educational backgrounds, languages, talents and abilities.

There is a strong and supportive pastoral framework running through the

school. Class teachers and teacher assistants take a close interest in the

children's pastoral welfare fostering a sense of belonging and self-confidence

through warm positive relationships, providing the best possible start in life

for children to fulfil their potential.

The early years is a time for developing an awareness of self and others and

making new friends. We aim to prepare children to not only achieve

academically but to be equipped for a diverse and changing world and have

the skills they need to be confident, resilient and ambitious young people.

Children are supported in developing social skills like respecting others,

being kind and helpful, friendship and caring. Our bespoke curriculum

develops the 'whole child', with a focus on mindfulness and the teaching of

our core values – Moral Integrity, Ambition, Respect and Kindness. This is the

MARK of a Durham School education.

PASTORAL CARE & WELLBEING

Our bespoke curriculum develops the 'whole child', with a

focus on mindfulness and the teaching of our core values:

MARK.

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At Durham, children participate in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor

experiences that foster learning while having fun. An abundance of choice is

on offer in our classrooms which allow free flow between learning zones to

encourage children to lead their own learning, enabling self-expression and

personal interests to develop.

Durham offers a world-class education that combines traditional academic

rigor with innovative approaches to learning through a broad and balanced

curriculum. We understand the value of offering young children a rich and

varied school experience. Children enjoy weekly lessons in Art, Dance, Music,

PE, Swimming, Kiswahili and IT.

Our innovative learning spaces combine the latest in digital technology

together with traditional learning materials. Specialist learning areas for

creative and expressive arts include a dedicated art room, a dance studio, a

music room, a fully equipped IT suite and a heated swimming pool.

CO-CURRICULAR

Durham offers a world-class education that combines

traditional academic rigor with innovative approaches to

learning through a broad and balanced curriculum.

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SCHOOL LIFE

Playgroup (ages 2-3 years)

Playgroup is your child’s first introduction to school and the beginning of

their Durham journey. It is a precious time of exploring the world around

them, making friends and becoming more independent. Social interactions

form the basis of children’s learning in Playgroup and the children are

nurtured through warm supportive relationships in developing new

friendships and interacting with peers and adults. Teachers engage with the

children in a range of ways to support and extend their emerging and

developing confidence and skills through play, movement, dance, singing,

acting, role playing and stories. Children are encouraged to actively engage in

a variety of activities, to ‘have a go’, and to test out new ideas.

Foundation Stage 1 (ages 3-4 years)

Children work in small groups where they are actively learning through multi-

sensory play across different learning zones. In the role-play room children

are encouraged to extend their imagination, make-believe, and create stories

together. In the literacy area, children will be developing their understanding

of basic literacy skills and taking part in early reading. A third zone offers

opportunities for children to enjoy both group activities and free play,

including access to an outside learning area with water play and sand.

Children are in constant interaction with their environment manipulating

objects, making predictions and asking questions. They want to touch

everything they see. This is how they learn.

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Foundation Stage 2 (ages 4-5 years)

Children arrive in FS2 eager to take on the increased challenges of the

specific, content-led areas of the wider curriculum. Success in reading, writing

and mathematics is built on a strong foundation of learning from FS1. Classes

are well-planned with structured activities ensuring that FS2 is a vibrant and

stimulating environment in which the children are engaged and challenged.

Reading, learning to write and mathematics are key elements of the FS2

curriculum which build on the rich early literacy and mathematical reasoning

experiences of FS1. Teaching is through a balance of whole-class interactive

teaching, small-group teaching, partner work and play.

Year 1 (ages 5-6 years)

In Year 1, the children progress on to Key Stage 1 of the British National

Curriculum. The core skills of English and Mathematics are still the focus for

learning and are timetabled during morning sessions when the children are

full of energy. Other subjects such as Science, History and Geography are

further developed and taught across the curriculum in termly topics.

Initiative, curiosity and risk taking are encouraged as children begin to think

for themselves and take greater responsibility for their words and actions. We

place a high value on the children attaining the best they can, but also

recognise that children achieve at different rates. With our small class sizes

and our excellent teaching staff we are able to stretch children who are ready

for more extension and provide time and support for children who need more

practice and consolidation.

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All pupils of a Durham School automatically become members of the Old

Dunelmian (OD) Society upon leaving the School, currently with over 5,000

members. The Society exists for the benefit of ODs, who undoubtedly make

firm, lifelong and lasting friendships while at Durham School.

The excellent reputation that the School enjoys is in no small part due to how

successful its alumni are. Durham School produces confident individuals

who are well-rounded, intelligent, innovative, and effective in their chosen

professional fields.

Testimonial: Judge Peter Herbert OBE

Then under the Headship of Mr. Adamson, I have fond memories of Durham, playing

tip and run cricket mixed with Latin and extensive homework, and successes on the

athletics track resulting in my winning the Victor Ludorum: the cup with my name on

should still be in the trophy cabinet!”

ALUMNI

“Resident now in Kenya, I am delighted

to hear Durham will be establishing a

school here in Nairobi and I am in no

doubt that it will quickly become an

asset for East Africa.

The pastoral care, sport and academic

challenges that Durham School

provided in my early days clearly

prepared me for later life; becoming a

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human rights barrister, Vice Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, a part time

Judge and receiving an OBE from the Queen.

OUR NAIROBI HOME

Durham is committed to delivering an education

that is engaging, challenging, motivating and fun.

Using a holistic approach to education, children learn

through stimulating and creative experiences, both

indoors and outdoors, ensuring that every child's first

experience of school is positive and so lays the

foundation for all subsequent learning.

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Teaching & Learning Block, including:

Classrooms, School Offices, IT Suite & Training Room

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Expressive Arts & Design Block, including:

Music Studio, Art Studio, Dance & Drama Studio2

Learning Tree26

Football Pitch27

Sensory Garden28Reading Garden25

Heated Swimming Pool23

Ball Skills Court24

Play Area9

Scooter Park10

Kitchen & Services Block11

Playgroup Outdoor Play12

Planned Facilities

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We invite your child to make their mark at Durham International Nursery &

Pre-Prep School and look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful school.

If you would like further information, our friendly team would be delighted to

answer your questions and can organise a tour so that you can see for

yourself all that we have to offer.

We fully understand how important the decision is when choosing your

child's nursery and we are committed to ensuring that their first experience of

education is one filled with happiness and learning.

CONTACT

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Thigiri Hilltop Thigiri, Nairobi Kenya

Ages 2-6 years | Confidence for Life

Durham International Nursery & Pre-Prep School Admissions Office

Thigiri Hilltop, Thigiri | P.O. Box 43045, G.P.O Nairobi, Kenya

0700-DURHAM (0700-387426)

admissions@durhamkenya.com

www.durhamkenya.com

www.durhamkenya.com