Senior School Boarding

Pastoral care and boarding are central elements of life at Turi. The children enjoy spectacular grounds and high levels of security in an up-country location, making Turi a unique place to attend school. The children in both Prep and Senior school live in age-appropriate, single-sex boarding houses that are located close to the children’s school buildings and classrooms.

The boarding houses are specifically designed for the purpose and enjoyment of excellent facilities including gardens and common rooms. In the Prep School, each boarding house has dedicated houseparents who are supported by a team of matrons and staff; in the Senior School, each boarding house has dedicated houseparents and assistant houseparents. The houseparents are always on call for the children and always available to parents by telephone and email. They are committed to the children in their boarding houses and the children are encouraged to view them as their school ‘parents.’

Boarding is a fundamental element of the pastoral programme at Turi. Both the Prep School and the Senior School each have a dedicated Deputy Headmaster whose primary responsibility is the pastoral care within each site. Each Deputy is responsible for a team of staff that includes the houseparents, and they ensure that the pastoral systems in place allow every pupil to thrive.

Turi is a happy place; it is a school where pastoral care and academic success go hand-in-hand to ensure that every child reaches their potential.

Samburu Boarding House

Samburu is a cheerful and vibrant boys house located at the heart of the senior school.

During term time, it is home to around 60 boys, aged between 13 and 17. The boys share twin rooms in purpose-built accommodation that is both light and cosy and which centres around a quad garden with a common room at each end.

Samburu’s Houseparents, Sam and Jacquie Maloba live in a house attached to the boarding house. The Assistant Houseparent, Mwenda Munene also has a house attached to the boarding house. This enables availability of houseparents at all hours and ensures that strong and supportive relationships are built with each of the boys. The Samburu pastoral team is completed by a team of highly committed House Tutors who provide guidance and encouragement to their smaller groups and meet with them several times a week.

The common rooms are always bustling. They are used as a place to relax during the busy Turi day. With DSTV, a pool table, table tennis table and Internet access via PCs, there is always plenty to do.

The aim of the Samburu team is to support each student as they make the important transition through their teens towards becoming independent men. One of the keys to this is students building strong and supportive friendships both within their year group and with others. It is this aspect of the boarding house that the boys continually cite as the best part of their time at school, the strong family that they are part of within Samburu.

Turkana Boarding House

In Turkana Boarding House, “We Aspire Together”.

We want Turkana boarders to be tolerant, accepting, compassionate and well-rounded boys with a genuine attachment to the boarding house. The central aim of Turkana is to nurture each boy’s talents and help them achieve their best in all areas – academic, spiritual and social spheres. The Houseparent and his family together with the Assistant Houseparent and a team of tutors support the boys in a caring, happy and well-structured community.

It is not assumed that all boys will be strong academics, excel on the sports field, or be virtuoso musicians and artists; however it is an expectation that the boys in the house will give their very best and get involved in a multitude of extra-curricular activities. They should both be busy themselves and be supportive of the efforts of others.

In Turkana:

• You will build enduring friendships
• You will not only learn, but you will also teach
• You will practice balance
• The habits developed at this stage of life have a huge impact on further education and careers.

Created by students and staff together, the house provides a nurturing, home-like atmosphere. The 78 international students between the ages of 13 and 17 form the population of this community. Students from more than 10 countries study side-by-side, creating a modern, dynamic global community.

Tsavo Boarding House

Tsavo is the newest boarding house at St Andrew’s, Turi and home to up to 60 Year 13 students.

The other boarding houses contain a mixture of ages but Tsavo has a different remit. During the final year of school, students are focused on achieving the best possible A Level results but also on the task of applying and preparing for university life.

The vision for Tsavo is to give Year 13s everything they need to achieve these goals. The house has a more adult feel with students taking additional responsibility for their behaviour and working more independently. All students have individual rooms, with six sharing a kitchen, a balcony and access to a washing machine. Boys and girls have separate living areas but share a common room for house meetings, group study and social events.

The Houseparents supported by Assistant Houseparents all live within the boarding house. There is also a fantastic team of tutors who give their students individual mentoring in their studies and university applications.
The Careers Officer, Sally Andwati, is based within Tsavo, allowing students to access regular support and advice. Sally Andwati provides excellent advice on applying to universities around the world as well as in-depth training on writing ‘Personal Statements’. Students also have the opportunity to discuss different careers and arrange work experience in various locations.

Although Year 13 is highly focused on hard work, we also aim to allow time to relax and unwind. On Saturday nights there are many enjoyable events, many of which are organised by the Tsavo Social Committee and Year 13 Prefect Team. Highlights include ‘Come Dine with Me’, where students test their culinary skills by cooking for each other and ‘Tsavo Live’, where students perform in a thrilling evening of music and dance. And after the final exams have been completed, Tsavo students and staff celebrate their graduation with a magnificent dinner and dance in Nairobi. It is sad to see the Turi alumni depart each year but we wish them all the best for the future and hope they will visit as Old Turians soon.

Laikipia Boarding House

Laikipia Boarding house is home to  71 girls in Years 9-12, ranging from  13 to 17 years old. The girls in this house have demonstrated significant amounts of sporting, musical and academic ability. Time and again, the girls have shown that they understand when it is time to put in hard work but also when it is time to play; both of which they do well. The girls have also proven to be loyal, loving and accepting of others.

Mrs Hilda Onyango, a mother of two and Head of Humanities Department, is the Laikipia Houseparent. She is assisted by an Assistant Houseparent and an enthusiastic team of house tutors.

This house aims to ensure that the students feel safe and accepted for who they are, allowing them a place to grow and mature not only physically and emotionally but also spiritually. Laikipia boarding house offers students an opportunity to be part of an extended family, while providing them with a place to belong. At Laikipia House, Christ is at the centre of everything,This affords the students comfort and security while they are away from home.

Baringo Boarding House

Baringo Boarding House is a loving home where everyone feels welcome. The caring, boisterous, joyful atmosphere makes the house special for the girls aged between 13 and 17, who call Baringo House home. As one girl said ‘Baringo is more than a house, it’s a home to me. The girls are like sisters and we connect like a family. It has a warm and cosy atmosphere filled with love and laughter’.

At Baringo House the transition from Prep School to Senior School is seamless, as one member of the house articulated so well ‘I was petrified at the thought of Senior School but the people in Baringo made it easy’.

The Houseparents, Faith and Chris Samii, are warm and friendly making it easy to settle in. The Baringo House pastoral team are committed to creating a fun, Christ-centred, home away from home where each individual is cared for and family values are imparted.

Put simply ‘Baringo is a boarding house full of beautiful, enthusiastic characters who spread smiles and love, resulting in a strong family unit’.