Age range. 5–13.
Number of pupils. 478 boys and girls, all day.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Year 1: Kshs 533,260; Year 2: Kshs 722,625; Years 3 to 8: Kshs 785,045.
Founded in 1986, Peponi House has grown to become one of the leading preparatory schools in East Africa. The attractive and spacious site in Lower Kabete houses all that a thriving prep school requires to get the very best out of the children, both in and out of the classroom. The school was rated as ‘Outstanding’ in all respects in an inspection carried out in February 2018.
An ambitious building programme has started that will provide the finest school accommodation and that will reflect the school’s forward-thinking curriculum. Phase One is nearing completion, comprising a new school hall, library, drama studio, spacious and bright classrooms and office accommodation, as well as spaces for computing, design, learning support and extended learning. A variety of landscaped outdoor learning areas are also integral to the project.
The Peponi curriculum is also undergoing change, with self-directed learning being allocated its own time in the week, alongside the traditional subjects. Children are encouraged to enquire and all children have access to either iPads or LearnPads. A virtual learning environment allows for clarity of communication between home and school.
While always striving for academic excellence, it is central to Peponi’s philosophy that education is not limited to the classroom. In addition to the numerous scholarships to senior schools that our pupils have won in the last three years, we have had notable successes in sport, music, art and drama. Peponi teams have won competitions at a national level, with many individuals going on to represent their country.
We follow the British National Curriculum but this is seen very much as a framework on which we build, adapt and extend. In addition to the core subjects of Literacy, Numeracy, Science and Computing, pupils in the Junior School (Years 2 to 4) also have lessons in Music, PE and Games, Swimming, Kiswahili, Art and DT, Tennis and, from Year 3, Spanish. Junior children are taught these subjects by specialist teachers while the class teachers deliver the core subjects and humanities. All children are taught in a way that best suits their individual needs and some children do require additional support. This is carried out by our learning support teachers who will help children either individually or in small groups, but mainly through integrated support in the classroom. Our learning support teachers also play a vital role in advising colleagues as to the strengths and weaknesses of particular children so that teaching can be differentiated to suit everyone.
In Year 5, children are taught Humanities and English by their form teachers, who also play a vital pastoral role in preparing the children for life in the senior school. In Year 6, all subjects are delivered by subject specialists. The sciences are taught separately and there is an option for children to study Kiswahili or Latin, or they can return to Spanish. French is taught from Year 5, with a busy French club that is open to all.
We also have a wide and varied range of extracurricular activities. The whole school joins in the Activity Programme on Friday afternoons, with children from all year groups taking part in activities together. On Mondays, children in Years 5 to 8 take part in HOTS: higher order thinking skills activities.
Our music department flourishes in its own purpose-built accommodation. In addition to weekly class music lessons, the children have the opportunity to play in the orchestra or in one of the ensembles, or sing in either the Junior or Senior Choir. As well as the two major school concerts during the year, all children have the opportunity to perform in front of their peers and parents at our termly ‘Tea-Time Concerts’. The Carol Service and Peponi Schools Concert offer other chances for our choirs to perform and all the children are encouraged to take part in the plays that are staged in December, March and June.
We have children from many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds and we encourage understanding and, above all, respect for each other. We are a Christian school and the ethos of ‘Love one another’ is a recurring theme in our Monday Assemblies, but we are proud of our multi-faith society where children learn to appreciate and value their differences as well as their similarities.
The school’s motto, ‘A School of Many Nations, a Family of One’ encapsulates all that we hold most dear. First and foremost, we are a school and the academic side of things lies at the heart of all that we do. However, we are also a family and that makes itself very clear in the day-to-day life of the school. We have an open-door policy with our parents and encourage them to be very active in their support of what we do, either through our energetic PTA or through close consultation with the staff.
At Peponi House, we believe that our role as educators is to give our children the best possible foundation for what lies ahead. We are, after all, a preparatory school and excellent preparation is what we set out to achieve. By the time they leave us, our pupils will be confident young adults who are ready to face the future with poise and self-belief.