Curriculum
Ikirwa follows the Tanzanian national curriculum, taught in English in every subject except Kiswahili. This matters: secondary schools and universities in Tanzania teach in English, and children who arrive without it struggle and often leave. Our pupils arrive fluent.
Classroom teaching is complemented by nature walks, class trips, sport and seminars led by visiting volunteers. We place particular weight on reading, mathematics and science, and on the habits of independent study that carry a child through secondary school.
The school day
School begins at eight o’clock. Pupils arrive on foot or by one of the school’s two buses, which serve the surrounding villages because the state provides no transport. Nine lessons run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with porridge at morning break and a hot lunch cooked in our own kitchen, much of it grown in the school garden. Boarders stay on for supervised homework and supper.
Examinations and results
Pupils sit the national Standard Four assessment (SFNA) and the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in Class 7. Results are published each year and are available from the school office. Our leavers go on to government and private secondary schools in the Arusha region.
Pastoral care
Classes are small enough for every teacher to know every child. Progress is reviewed each term so that extension or support can be given early. A part-time school nurse post is planned. We take safeguarding seriously: visitors and volunteers working with children are required to provide references and police checks.
Beyond the classroom
Sport, particularly football and netball, music, art and community service are part of school life. Visiting volunteers have built furniture, painted murals and planted the garden with the children.