Mwanza International School

Mwanza International School opened in September 2012 as a growing primary school taking children up to the age of eleven: all year groups of the British primary system.

With our primary well established, we began secondary classes with Year 7 in August 2021. We will add one older class each year up to Year 11. The first IGCSE exams will be administered in June 2026.

Mwanza International School is a non-profit-making organisation. Any surplus in the budget is reinvested in school facilities.

The school recruits teachers from across the world. All teachers are qualified and experienced in the British curriculum. In our recruitment we look especially for teachers with a high level of commitment.

Mwanza International School is registered with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education (EM.17629) and is a member of T.I.S.A. (The Tanzanian International Schools Association). We joined E.C.I.S. (The European Council of International Schools) in 2015 and became a member of Cambridge International Schools in 2019 (TZ060).

The school is located on Capri Point, in the centre of Mwanza. The site is in a residential area with lots of trees to provide shade. There are two playing fields 40m and 50m, a 20m swimming pool, a basketball court, a netball court and playgrounds with lots of play equipment. There are 10 classrooms and a library.

The school is divided into four sections:

Foundation Stage (Pre-School)

Key Stage One (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)

Key Stage Two (Year 3 – Year 6)

Key Stage Three (Year 7 - Year 9)

Curriculum

The school follows the Cambridge curriculum, modified to meet the needs of expatriate and Tanzanian children in Mwanza. The Cambridge Curriculum gives clear objectives for English, Mathematics and Science with external examinations to assess progress.

The curriculum is skills based, with emphasis on the ability to use English, Mathematical, Scientific and IT skills. A lot of the work is cross curricular, especially in younger classes. The primary classrooms are set up in the same way as in a UK primary school, with carpet areas, water/sinks and projectors. Secondary classrooms have a projector and white board.

The school seeks to develop ‘the whole child’, with many extra-curricular activities taking place outside the classroom, especially for older children. Including residential educational visits to places such as The Serengeti National Park.

Secondary Department at Mwanza International School

We are delighted that Mwanza International School has a growing Secondary Department. Year Seven started in August 2021, while Year 9 began in August 2023. We will continue to add one class each year until we reach Year Eleven in the academic year 2025/2026.

The secondary classes follow the Cambridge curriculum. The first students will sit their Key Stage 3 Checkpoint exams in 2024, then the IGCSE’s (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) in 2026.

The school has two plots, which are only metres apart. Our Primary Department is located on one plot, while the other plot houses our swimming pool and our Secondary Department.

Tablets

The school provides each Secondary student with a tablet, which has ebooks, subject programs and information, as well as access to the internet. The students will continue to use textbooks and library books. However, the tablets give the flexibility to study a variety of topics. They are an essential part of the children’s learning and will stay with them during KS3.

Life in Mwanza

Mwanza is the third city of Tanzania. It is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, two hours from the Serengeti National Park at an altitude of 1,100m, which makes for a pleasant warm climate, with two rainy seasons.

Most things that you would want to buy are available. Local produce is not expensive, but imports can be more costly.

There are several bars and restaurants, and a night out can be quite cheap.

The salary is comfortable and allows for travel in East Africa. Apart from the many game parks Tanzania also boasts Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar as holiday destinations.

The teachers live in a block of flats, five minutes walk from the school, with views of the Lake. Electricity, gas, water and security are all included.