Everyone is an achiever
RAYS Pre & Primary School teaches children from Baby Class through to Standard VII in Meru District, Arusha Region. Small classes, specialist teachers, and time for every child to be heard.
Small enough that a teacher marks every book and knows how each child is getting on.
One school for the whole of the primary years, so no child has to start again halfway.
[English, mathematics, science and music] are taught by teachers trained in the subject.
Come and see an ordinary school day rather than an open-day performance.
About the school
The badge on our gate is a sunrise, not a full sun. That is deliberate. Children arrive at RAYS unfinished, and the work of the school is to help them rise: steadily, and in their own time.
The belief shows up in ordinary decisions. Classes stay small, so no child is a face in a crowd. Lessons are taught in ENGLISH AND KISWAHILI. And parents are told what teachers actually see, term by term, rather than what sounds best.
Rays pairs intensive language teaching with practical, hands-on skills (vitendo), so children are prepared for technical study and international opportunities. The aim is the whole child: academics, discipline and character together, and young learners who can stand up and speak with real confidence.
Honesty, courtesy and effort are taught, noticed and named, not left to chance.
Children ask questions here, and lessons leave room for the answers.
Parents are welcome inside the school, not only at the gate.
Our founder
Rays Pre & Primary School grew out of Rays of Love Children Care, the initiative founded by our director and owner, Naiman Elisa Shami. What began as care for a handful of children is now a full primary school, with the same commitment to every child and classrooms, teachers and a curriculum behind it.
Our story
Rays began by reaching around 200 children. Today the wider network has supported more than 800 young people through primary, secondary and higher education. Rays Pre & Primary is the third phase of that work, toleo la tatu, and we recently celebrated our first Standard VII graduating class: a full seven-year primary journey completed under one roof.
Standard VII graduating class
children reached, up from 200 at the start
expansion phase of the Rays network (toleo la tatu)
What we teach
Four stages, one school. Children move up with teachers who already know them, and the NATIONAL CURRICULUM OF TANZANIA is followed throughout.
Ages [3–4]
Settling in happily, learning to share and to listen, and the first play-based work on language and number.
Ages [4–5]
Letters and sounds, counting and pattern, and the confidence to speak in front of the class.
Ages [5–6]
Reading simple books, writing sentences, and the routines that make Standard I feel ordinary rather than daunting.
Ages [6–13]
The full primary course, with specialist teaching in [SUBJECTS] and preparation for the [STANDARD VII NATIONAL EXAMINATION].
Life at school
Days here have a rhythm children can rely on: a settled start, work in the cooler part of the morning, real time outside, and clubs before home.
Admissions
Applications for the [January] intake are open until [30 November]. If a class is already full we will tell you plainly and put your child on the waiting list.
1
Come on an ordinary day and see the classrooms in use. No appointment is needed on Tuesdays.
2
Return the application form with a copy of the birth certificate and two passport photographs.
3
A short, friendly session so teachers can see where your child is, and a conversation with you about them.
4
You will hear from us within 24 hours on working days. A place is confirmed once the enrolment fee is paid.
Fees
Fees are set once a year and published per term, so families can plan. We would rather send you the current schedule directly than leave an out-of-date figure on a web page.
Payment plans are available. If cost is the only thing standing between your child and a place here, please say so, and ask about [the bursary fund].
Not included: [uniform, school transport and national examination fees].
Before you ask
Baby Class takes children from [age 3]. Children joining further up the school are welcome at any point in the year, subject to a place being free in that class.
Classes are capped at [25]. Pre-primary classes also have [a teaching assistant], so the adult-to-child ratio is lower again.
[English is the language of instruction from Standard I, with Kiswahili taught as a subject throughout. Pre-primary classes use both.]
[Describe the school bus routes and the areas covered, or say plainly that transport is not provided.] Transport is charged separately from tuition.
A written report goes home each term, and there are [two parents’ evenings a year]. Beyond that, a teacher is at the gate at home time, and you do not need an appointment to ask how the day went.
Yes, and we would rather you did. Visits are welcome on [Tuesdays] during term time, on an ordinary working day rather than a staged open day.
What others say
The school is recognised for its strong partnership between parents and teachers, and for its commitment to both character upbringing and academic excellence.
Primary Education Officer, Meru District Council
Rays graduates arrive with noticeably higher confidence and stronger preparation than students from other schools in the region.
Owner, Our Lady Golden Soils Secondary School, Nkoaranga
Visit us
You are welcome during term time on [Tuesdays]. Ask at the office and someone will walk you round while lessons are happening.
Get in touch
Send a message and the office will reply within [two working days]. If it is urgent, telephone [+255 000 000 000] instead. Someone answers during office hours.
