In Nairobi, "British curriculum" can mean two different things: the English National Curriculum or Cambridge Primary. Both come from the UK, both lead to IGCSE, and both are taught well in many schools. But they are not the same, and it is worth knowing which one a school means.
The English National Curriculum
The English National Curriculum is the curriculum set by the Department for Education for schools in England. It is organised by key stage and year group, with programmes of study that say what children learn in each subject, year by year.
- Early Years Foundation Stage for the youngest children, then Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6).
- Detailed and sequenced: what is taught in Year 3 builds directly on Year 2.
- Measured against national expectations for each age.
Cambridge Primary
Cambridge Primary is a curriculum framework from Cambridge International, designed for international schools. It covers ages 5 to 11 across core subjects.
- A framework rather than a fixed year-by-year programme: schools have more flexibility in what they teach and when.
- Optional assessments, including Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests near the end of primary.
- Widely used internationally, often alongside a school's own content.
The differences that matter to a family
- Structure. The English National Curriculum prescribes more; Cambridge Primary leaves more to the school. More flexibility can mean more variation between schools.
- Year groups. Schools teaching the English National Curriculum use England's year groups and its 1 September age cut-off, so a child moving to or from a UK school steps into the same year.
- Assessment. Ask what each school uses to measure progress, and how often you will see it.
- The road ahead. Both routes lead to IGCSE and A-level. At primary age, the choice is less about qualifications than about how teaching is organised.
What to ask any school
- Which curriculum, exactly, and is it taught in full?
- How is progress measured and reported, and against what standard?
- Which year group would my child join, and why?
At Elyton
Elyton teaches the English National Curriculum in full, from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 6, with progress reported against national expectations from the first term. See how it fits together on our academics page.
