Kindergarten (pre-prep) - Our Classes
Our Kindergarten is where it all begins. We follow the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and a lot of the learning happens outdoors, under the trees, with muddy knees and plenty of questions.
Young children this age learn best through play, so the day is full of it: building dens, digging in the shamba, singing, stories, and lots and lots of messy, hands-on discovery.
But play at Woods is never aimless. Every activity is intentional; built around the foundations children need for school. Early language and listening come first, then mark-making and counting, and by FS2 children are reading and writing their first words with real confidence.
Just as important, children learn how to make friends, manage big feelings and believe in themselves. Our classes are small, so our teachers really get to know every child and help each one find their feet at their own pace.
By the end of FS2, our children are curious, settled and ready for the next step: Junior School, right here at Woods, or ready to stream right in to the bigger international schools in Nairobi.
Seedlings
From 18 months
Seedlings is our youngest class, and often a child's very first experience of school. We keep it gentle, warm and full of things to discover. Most of all, we want our little ones to feel safe and happy, and to start learning to play alongside other children, take turns and make their first friends.
Language grows naturally through songs, rhymes, stories and lots of chatting with our teachers. A big part of every morning is spent outdoors in our natural play areas. Children squelch through mud, feel the textures of leaves and bark, climb, balance and explore. It's exactly what busy toddlers need for their growing bodies and senses.
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We understand the close bond that often exists between toddlers and their nannies, and to help children settle in and become familiar with their new environment and teachers, nannies or caregivers are welcome to stay for the first month. After this initial period, we encourage children to attend school independently, allowing them to 'spread their wings' in our supportive setting.
Nursery
Age 2 by 1 September
Nursery is where little ones really start to blossom. The days are busy, happy and full of play, both in the classroom and out under the trees.
This is a year of big leaps in talking and listening. We chat, sing, share stories and play with words all day long, and it's lovely to watch children's confidence with language grow week by week.
Children are endlessly curious at this age, so we follow that curiosity. We look for bugs, splash in puddles, water the shamba, and wonder at what's happening in the world around them.
Nursery is also where friendships begin. Children learn to play together, take turns, share, and say how they're feeling, with plenty of gentle help from our teachers along the way.
And there's lots of doing: climbing, running, digging, threading, painting and squishing playdough. It's all great for busy bodies and strong little hands.
Above all, we want Nursery to be a place where children feel safe, happy and excited to come to school.
Foundation Stage 1
(previously Nursery 2)
Age 3 by 1 September
FS1 is a year of wonder, and a lot of getting ready. Children are growing in confidence, making firm friends and learning to understand their own big feelings. Through themes like "The Magic of Me", they start to make sense of themselves and the world around them.
We spend lots of time with stories, songs and sounds, building those all-important "listening ears". Children play with numbers in everyday ways, like counting acorns, sorting leaves and measuring puddles.
FS1 is also the year we get little hands ready for writing. Children squeeze playdough, use tweezers, thread beads and dig in the forest, all of which builds the strength in their fingers. With that strength they learn to hold a pencil properly, use scissors to cut, and make all kinds of crafts. Drawing really takes off too: those first scribbles slowly turn into people, houses and trees.
It's still very much a year of play, and every bit of it is helping children get ready for the next big step.
Foundation Stage 2
Previously Reception · Age 4 by 1 September
FS2 is where the magic of reading and writing really begins. Children dive into phonics, linking sounds to letters, and before long they're reading their first books and writing their own words and sentences. It's a wonderful year to watch. In maths, they move from counting together to really understanding numbers up to 20.
Play and friendship are still at the heart of every day. Children learn as much in the forest as they do at the table, building dens, investigating minibeasts and working things out together. We keep that sense of "what happens next?" alive in everything we do.
By the end of FS2, children are confident, capable learners, ready to move up into Year 1 in our Junior School.
Class Times
Class timings per year group
Seedlings: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Nursery : 8:30 am -1 pm or 3 pm
FS 1: 8:30 am - 1 pm or 3 pm
FS 2: 8:00 am - 3 pm
Woods School operates within an international environment, and we understand that different national school systems have varying academic schedules and year group designations. At Woods, we follow the British curriculum, which categorizes children into classes according to their age at the start of the school year (September).
British Curriculum Year Groups by age
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Seedlings (often called Pre-Nursery)
18 months to join and able to walk and eat independently -
Nursery
Age at start of school year on September 1st: 2 years old -
Foundation Stage 1, FS 1 (previously Nursery 2)
Age at start of school year, on September 1st : 3 years old -
Foundation Stage 2, FS2 (previously Reception)
Age at start of school year: 4 years old -
Year 1
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 5 years old -
Year 2
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 6 years old -
Year 3
Age at start of school year, by September 1st: 7 years old
While each class has a maximum capacity of 18 children, we aim for smaller groups of 12-15 students.