Secondary

Welcome to Hillcrest Secondary

Hillcrest Secondary School has a unique and long-standing reputation within East Africa. Our cultural diversity, academic, creative, and sporting prowess, and wide-ranging opportunities provided to broaden the mind, body, and spirit are well-established. We equip our students to develop into effective young adults and world citizens.

We aim to ensure Semper Prospice (always looking forward) is a lifelong mission, achieving this through partnerships with parents, support staff, and governors. The cohesive community and low student-teacher ratios enable our students to be stimulated and challenged academically. Each student is encouraged to aim high and is supported to achieve personal examination success, opening the door to further and higher education and their chosen career path.

Hillcrest Secondary Head Teacher

Curriculum

At Hillcrest, we follow the British National Curriculum while making the most of the opportunities provided by our environment and location in Kenya. The breadth of the curriculum offered at both Years 9–11 (IGCSEs) and Years 12–13 (A-Levels & BTECs) is second to none. The Cambridge International Examinations Board is our preferred choice of syllabus in the majority of subject areas.

Year 9
Junior Secondary level students in Year 9 (13–14 years) follow Key Stage 3 compulsory subjects plus additional elective options. Year 9 is viewed as the first year of IGCSE preparation, and students begin selecting some optional subjects.

Years 10 and 11
At Middle Secondary level, in Years 10 and 11 (14–16 years old), students choose up to 10 subjects to study for their IGCSEs. Students select these subjects in Term 3 of Year 9, allowing them plenty of experience in the classroom in order to make informed decisions.

Subject Selection
Selections include a minimum of six compulsory academic subjects and a number of optional subjects, choosing from a diverse range of 22 IGCSE subjects. We offer a range of five languages, out of which a Year 9 student can select up to two. In addition, we have a dedicated team of teachers delivering the PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health, and Community Education) programme once every two weeks.

Years 12 and 13
In the Sixth Form, Years 12 and 13 (16–18 years), Hillcrest offers A-Level courses (21 subjects) with AS and A-Level qualifications, and BTEC courses (5 subjects).

IGCSE Subjects

Lower Secondary Level

In Lower Secondary level students in Year 9 (13 to 14 years old) follow Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum. Compulsory subjects include:

• English (Language and Literature)
• Mathematics
• Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
• Computing
• History
• Geography
• Modern Foreign Languages
• Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE)

In addition, we offer the following electives:

• Art and design
• Music
• Drama
• Design and Technology
• Food and Nutrition
• Academic Physical Education

Year 9 is viewed as the first year of IGCSE preparation, and students begin selecting option subjects in preparation for Year 10 and 11 courses.

Middle Secondary Level

At Middle Secondary level, in Years 10 and 11 (14 to 16 years old), students study the following compulsory subjects:

• English (Language and Literature)
• Mathematics
• Science (at least one out of Biology, chemistry, or Physics)
• Physical Education and Games (non-examinable)
• Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) (non-examinable)
• It is recommended to study a language from a choice of French, Spanish, Latin, or Kiswahili.

In addition, these students can also study the following optional subjects:

• Academic Physical Education
• Art and Design
• Business
• Drama
• Design and Technology
• Computer Science
• Food and Nutrition (O level)
• Geography
• Global Perspective
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• History
• Music

Learners choose up to 10 subjects to study for their IGCSEs. Some students may opt to sit for exams in subjects not taught in the normal school schedule, such as languages like Dutch or Hindi, where parents make private arrangements to recruit tutors. This will raise the examinable subjects to more than 10.