Frequently Asked Questions
Admissions
Applications are open throughout the year.
Please visit Admissions to find out more and apply electronically.
We offer partial to full financial assistance for those with a demonstrated need. Please visit Fees and Financial Support for more information, application forms and contact details.
Students applying for a place need to meet our academic standards and are assessed against these through a number of tests and an interview. Please visit our Admissions page for more information.
Academic Programme
We offer the IB curriculum alongside the Aga Khan Curricular Strands Early Years, Primary, Middle Years and Diploma levels. See the Academic Programme page.
Please see our Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma pages for details.
9 August 2021 - 10 June 2022
In Junior School we have a learning support team who focus on helping with literacy and numeracy. In Senior School students can get support every week from their teachers during a timetabled period, ACSU (Academic Support). We also have a trained Psychologist who can help identify any learning barriers and support teachers with strategies for inclusion.
Activities
We offer sports including swimming, basketball, badminton, football, tennis, cricket and hockey. Explore our sports facilities.
Our students choose from a selection of creative expression, action and service activities. Many of our activities are student-initiated, and may therefore change. Recent activities have included:
- Model United Nations - an academic simulation of the united nations where students delegate and attempt to find solutions to major global issues.
- Funza - a student led service organisation that aims to push for educational reform in public schools by empowering students to express themselves confidently and articulately.
- Project Pluralism - an initiative that brings attention to prevalent social issues and develop plans of action to address them. It also aims to bring together youth around the globe to share their different cultures and spread diversity to disband stigma and stereotypes while concurrently learning from each other.
- iSEAyou - a community service group co-founded by Diploma Programme student Cinzia Torriani which promotes environmental sustainability.
- Mind Over Matter yoga enrichment - an enrichment centered on fostering the mental and physical well-being of students.
- TedxYouth@AKAMombasa - an independently organised TED event at AKA Mombasa that helps the community spark conversations at the local level through live talks and performances.
- School Choir
- Individual instrumental lessons
- Photography club
- Student journal
Every year level has a residential bonding trip from Grade 3 onwards starting with an overnight camp to an outward bound team building experience for DP1. Every trip has a team building, service and cultural focus and enables students to experience the different geographies and peoples of Kenya from the beaches to the hills and national parks.
Some subjects also have excursions and trips as part of their curriculum for authentic learning. e.g Rwanda and Fort Jesus in History, Diani Art Gallery, Mangroves, a local glass bottling plant in Science.
Service Learning plays a significant part in the student experience at the Academies. Our students might enroll in initiatives with local organisations, intern with local agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network or create their own sustainable community service projects. Read more here
The Residential Experience
Our residential students live in residential houses separated by gender and grade. We assign all students residential Parents. Residential Parents are a carefully chosen group of teachers who live in faculty apartments in the residential buildings with the students. They are there to ensure a safe, nurturing and comfortable environment for students.
- A Head of Residential Life oversees the whole programme and leads the Head of Residence team.
- Each House has a Head of Residence who leads the residential parent team
- A team of residential captains (DP1 students) also provide leadership and support for each house.
Parents are welcome to visit whenever they wish as long as they make an appointment and give advance notice. The residential programme is busy so any parent visit should not disrupt the student engagement with planned activities where possible.
The rooms (single, double or quads) are spacious, well equipped and comfortable.
There are planned trips to local restaurants and excursions as well as regular visits to the shops for provisions.
Parents are given a form to fill during enrolment in which they can indicate their child’s specific dietary needs, if any. See a typical menu.
We can cater for any dietary needs as long as we are informed in advance. e.g lactose intolerant. We aim for meals to be nutritious and delicious and for mealtimes to be an important aspect of Academy life. We are committed to providing balanced vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for all meals. The kitchen and all foods are certified Halal. See a typical menu.
The AKA Mombasa is a non-denominational school. Students from across all religions are allowed to practice their beliefs. We have a prayer room for any student and staff to access. For students in residences, on admission, parents are asked to state which house of prayer they wish their child to attend. We take the students by bus to the various worship places and pick them up, as long as it is on the island. On Fridays it’s the mosque and temple, on Saturdays and Sundays various churches. On special prayer days, we arrange food and transport logistics. These include Easter, Ramadhan etc.
If a child does not have a mobile device, parents can contact them through their child’s residential parent using WhatsApp or a phone number provided to them.
Parents can connect with their child’s residential parent through email or phone. Residential parents also offer in-person or online meetings for parents, if needed.
Career Preparation
We offer an extensive university counselling programme, assistance with finding internships, and career guidance.
To assist students in their post-secondary planning, there is a University Counselling department dedicated to providing students with relevant information and advising to guide their decision making. Weekly sessions are offered to cover topics such as the application and scholarship process, research, essay writing, admissions exams, exploring various higher education systems, and transitioning to university. Please see Looking Ahead
Students at the AKA Mombasa have benefited immensely from the relationships that have been built since graduating its first IB Diploma students. Currently, students are eligible to apply to exclusive scholarship opportunities at universities such as the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, and Concordia University.
Our graduates have excelled at universities and colleges around the globe, establishing a strong reputation that allows our students to access competitive opportunities at well-regarded universities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and beyond.
We host regular visits from University representatives to campus and hold University fairs. For more information about university and college destinations, please refer to Looking Ahead page
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a collection of non-denominational development agencies operating in various countries within the developing world to improve the living conditions and opportunities for the economically and socially vulnerable. The Network focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic development.
We have Academies in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Hyderabad, India; Maputo, Mozambique; and Mombasa, Kenya. See what other Academies are planned across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Policies
Please contact the school office at info@agakhanacademies.org to find out more about our procedures, or read our terms and conditions and privacy policy.