Banda School (The)

Since August 2023, James Moss-Gibbons. Educated at Oxford (geography) and Reading (PGCE). Started teaching career with longish stints (five to seven years) as head of geography and assistant head (plus coaching football, hockey and cricket) at three

Non-selective entry. Very flexible - the school will accommodate individual needs. Children come from The Banda pre-prep as well as local kindergartens around Nairobi.

Pass rate of 100 per cent, with pupils going on to first choice secondary schools. They leave with a standard of education accepted all over the world. Many of the Kenyan-based kids go on top local secondary schools (Hillcrest, Peponi), and some go

Proof of their academic success in 2019 meant that 14 scholarships were awarded to pupils by their nominated secondary schools.

The school is split into early year groups: creche, nursery, reception and year 1 (Pegasus pre-prep), years 2-4 (junior school) and years 5-8 (senior school). In Pegasus, they have implemented the Early Years Foundation Stage and Early Learning Goals

An impressive department with one-to-one learning support provided by five teachers. It has an excellent reputation as one of the best in the country and is at no extra cost. It assists children with issues such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia,

ESL children are taken to the learning support department for lessons initially and are generally quickly integrated, with no reports from parents that classes are slowed down in any way by less fluent students. 

The arts centre has a light and airy art room and a design technology centre, plus a separate junior art centre with attached dance and drama studio. School plays take place on the stage in the main hall. Pegasus Early Years and the lower school each

All children play sport, with all major team sports played. The Banda maintains its enviable reputation on the sporting field, with plenty of highly supportive, usually highly vocal, parents in attendance. Notable former pupils include Crista Cullen,

Parents seem happy with the boarding. Capacity of boarding house is 25, with boarders ranging from age 7-13. Weekly boarding available Monday morning to Friday afternoon, which can be less convenient for parents who live further away especially as

Christian ethos, but religious studies lessons cover world religions too. ‘The discipline is not bad,’ commented one parent, although there have been concerns in the past that bullying was not dealt with firmly or swiftly enough - school says they

Children are generally confident, well-mannered, caring and approachable. Most are English speaking and many come from different parts of Nairobi, with over 30 different nationalities on the school roll.

It’s very much a family school and most

The school is privately owned, and some parents find fault with the fact that it's run as a business - but the funding is very generous, which a look at the facilities confirms. The board of directors directs finances and approves bursaries, offering

The Banda aims high within an informal, enjoyable and happy community atmosphere. It is reputedly the best school in town for team sport and attracts many competitive children and parents, with the performing arts department further broadening the