Crawford International School has opened its doors in Kenya at the Tatu City, targeting parents seeking a high-quality global-oriented education for their children.
Crawford International School Nairobi, which will have capacity for 1,700 students, is part of South Africa’s JSE-listed ADvTECH Group, Africa’s largest private education provider. The group also recently acquired the Makini Group of Schools in Nairobi and Kisumu, marking the start of a 5-year expansion strategy in the East African region.
Crawford follows the British Curriculum and the Cambridge International Examinations Board as the preferred choice of syllabus in most subject areas. Students will be prepared for the IGCSE and in time the A-level examinations. The curriculum and teaching approaches are further adapted to learners’ needs, to align them with global goals and trends that will enable them to compete effectively in the workplace.
The facility was designed by Boogertman+ Partners Architects and developed in conjunction with Rendeavour, Africa’s leading urban developer and owner of Tatu City. The design earned the school a finalist spot at the acclaimed international World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam last year.
Crawford International School is located in Tatu City, a 2000-hectare, mixed-use development incorporating residential areas, offices, a shopping district, medical clinics, nature areas, a sport and entertainment complex and manufacturing area for more than 150,000 residents and tens of thousands of day visitors. Tatu City represents a new way of living and thinking for all Kenyans, creating a unique live, work and play environment that is free from traffic congestion and long-distance commuting. The school’s main catchment area is the upmarket Kijani Ridge, which is set on 250 acres of undulating land overlooking a beautiful dam and green space.
Speaking at the school’s official opening ceremony, Jenny Coetzee, the MD of Crawford International School, Kenya said: “Our decision to come to Kenya is informed by the insatiable demand from parents and students for international, yet locally relevant education systems in Kenya that can impart their children the right way and foster their career growth and development.
“Borrowing from our more than 25 years’ experience in South Africa, where we boast of nineteen top achieving private schools, we have assisted thousands of Crawford students to enter the tertiary space with a solid, internationally focussed and sound academic foundation. This is the kind of experience and knowledge we are transferring to our students, or Crawfordians here in Kenya,” said Coetzee.
Speaking on behalf of Education CS Amina Mohammed, Dr Pius Mutisya, the director in charge of Quality Assurance and Standards, State Department of Education, welcomed the international school to Kenya explaining that its entry is a boost to government’s efforts to grow a populace with effective skills for the 21st Century and which enables them to compete favourably across the globe.
“Given the interconnectedness of the global economies today, we also need to produce graduates with global competences and who are able to work not just in Kenya but in any corner of the globe. That is why we welcome international education institutions like Crawford International School to Kenya,” the CS said in the speech.
Crawford International School Kenya will offer boarding in a variety of forms (dormitory, shared or single rooms) depending on availability and student age. Each boarding unit provides a personal study facility, modern en-suite bathrooms, a communal lounge and TV area, wireless broadband connections, computer facilities, dining hall, laundry, sanatorium with a dedicated nursing sister as well as an on-site counsellor and mentors. Girls and boys are housed in separate wings. The school also has a have a fleet of buses to transport day scholars to and from school.
Crawford’s unique offering includes flexible, individualised timetabling which allows students to choose a wide range of subjects, including studies such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain education in technology. Science, technology, engineering and maths education is conducted through the renowned GO-Lab programme, with integrated interdisciplinary project-based leaning.
“Our outstanding reputation has won us a place on the global map with Crawfordians headhunted every year by Ivy League universities,” Coetzee says.
“In South Africa, Ivy League universities use our campuses as their base from which to interview and assess students for international placement. Crawford International School Tatu City will continue with this proud tradition.”
Nick Langford, Kenya Country Head for Rendeavour the developer of Tatu City, says they are very proud to have Crawford International School join the array of education offerings in the Tatu community.
“We are now able to caters to all market segments, and the qualities of Crawford’s teaching methodology, curriculum, management and staff are set to prepare students for a successful future.”
Crawford International School Nairobi, based at Tatu City, is part of the CrawfordSchools, an Advtech Group subsidiary, that has been a providing high-end private education in South Africa since 1993.
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