On St Andrew’s School, Turi grounds, the word Prep is mentioned a lot and for close to 60 years, that was precisely who we were.

A Prep School technically is similar to primary and/or middle schools in Britain from where we base our curriculum. However, Prep schools traditionally focused on preparing pupils for Secondary or Senior School. This includes exam preparation (Common Entrance Exams) as well preparation for boarding life. Things are now changing with each school chatting its own path (For example at St Andrew’s, we found that the pressures that come with Common Entrance preparation was not necessary for our pupils as we have a Senior School to transition to and more importantly the monitoring and evaluation of a pupil’s academic performance is a continuous exercise and not decided by one grade achieved at that one time as these exams tend to do.

We are an all-through school, meaning that pupils can take their primary and secondary journey- from the age of 6 to 18 at one school.

Turi is an all-through school

There is a lot to consider when catering for children with this vast age range and the first thing in this processing is separation. We are indeed St Andrew’s School Turi but within this 90 (soon to be 91) year old campus, there are three schools:

1. Prep School (Early Years to Year 8)
2. Senior School (Year 9- Year 11)
3. Sixth Form College (Year 12 and 13)

While the basic needs are shared (we are a full boarding, therefore being well fed and housed go without saying); the academic, physical, psychological and emotional needs of these three groups differ greatly.
This is the part where you have to see that working in this sector and in Turi specifically is a calling. Our teaching and non-teaching staff work nearly round the clock; after your typical 9 to 5 and on weekends to make sure that all 600+ pupils are thriving both in and out of class. The dedication and passion required to work in Turi is exceptional.

So how have we managed for nearly a century? Lots of planning, organization and consideration of individual and group dynamics. We take the “Be Prepared” motto of scouting quite literally.

As we share this, pupils from different parts of Kenya and the Continent are en-route to campus. Their teachers and caregivers however arrived a week before to prepare for the term ahead. Those in education will be familiar with INSET week. In-service training (INSET) This takes place prior to the official beginning of term and involves training and refreshing of academic and non-academic staff’s understanding of operations.
Besides that, there has been the typical preparation- cleaning, constructing, cooking , early campus tours for new families and curriculum reviewing by academic staff. Basically, capacity building.

Are we ready for 2022? While it is not the beginning of an academic year, we do recognize the significance of a new calendar year and with Christ as our guide, we look forward to Seeking the Highest in all aspects of Turi Life.

Karibu Turi to our Prep, Senior and College pupils. We are prepared for you.