Home / Answers
The questions parents are too polite to ask us.
Nine questions we get asked in the car park, not in the meeting. Answered here in full, including where the honest answer is “yes, and that is a real cost.”
Every progressive school gets these, and they deserve full answers. Forward this page to whoever you are talking schools with.
Will my child fall behind children in CBSE and ICSE schools?
On content, no — the curriculum is mapped to Cambridge learning outcomes and India's National Curriculum Framework, and children who have transferred from Prakriti into other Indian schools have settled without academic gaps. ASSET, a standardised test taken by over a lakh children nationally, has shown above-average learning levels for most of our learners. On exam technique, there is a difference in the early years, by design. Formal examinations begin here in Grade 6, so a child who moves to another school during the primary years will not yet have sat timed papers, and may need some time to get used to them. We think that is a good trade. You may not.
Is this a school for well-off parents who want their children happy rather than successful?
It is a fair question to ask of any progressive school. Our answer is the credential: learners here sit Cambridge IGCSE and A Levels, externally examined by the University of Cambridge, marked by people who have never heard of us. There is nowhere to hide in that. We are not asking you to trade rigour for happiness. We are arguing that the ranking, the streaming and the comparison are not what produced the rigour in the first place.
Around 400 learners. Isn't that just a small school with no facilities?
The Prakriti way of learning requires smaller class sizes — deep learning cannot be facilitated in crowded classrooms. What that buys is twenty-five children to a class, a 7:1 ratio in early years, and facilitators who know every learner by name and by temperament. On campus you will find maker and tinkering labs, basketball, badminton, skateboarding, rock climbing, table tennis, football, gymnastics, cycling and swimming.
Will my child get into a good university without ranks and marks?
Universities do not admit on class rank; they admit on qualifications, and Cambridge A Levels are among the most portable in the world. The Association of Indian Universities issues equivalence for IGCSE and A Levels, so Indian public and private universities accept them. What we do not do is name a class topper, publish comparative results, or run a rankings table. If your admissions strategy depends on your child being visibly ahead of the child next to them, this is the wrong school.
Isn't ‘no marks before Grade 6’ just a way to hide that you don't teach much?
It would be, if there were no assessment. There is — constantly, from the first year. Facilitators assess continuously to know where each child is progressing and where they are not; that is what the assessment is for, and it is rigorous whether or not there is an examination at the end of it. Families meet the full subject team at least twice a year. What is absent before Grade 6 is the number, and the publishing of it, because a nine-year-old who learns to work for a number stops working for the thing itself. You can test this claim directly: the Evidence Room shows what learners were asked and what they produced.
Why would I pay international-school fees to a school most people have not heard of?
Because we rely on word of mouth rather than advertising, which is also why you may not have heard of us. Fifteen years of growth has come largely from families telling other families. On the money: breakfast, lunch and computers are in the fee, there is no uniform to buy, and there is no coaching bill because we do not push learners towards outside tuition. Books and the optional expeditions are paid for separately. The True Cost tool on this site lets you put in the other school's numbers and see the first two years both ways. Run it before you decide we are expensive.
My child needs structure. Won't they drift in a school like this?
Progressive is not unstructured, and this is the most common misreading of what we do. What is different is where the structure comes from. Classrooms have no doors on purpose: the discipline has to come from inside the child, because there is no closed room enforcing it. Some children take a term to find that. A few need more support than we can give, and we will tell you honestly at admission if we think that is your child.
Aren't ‘Indian Knowledge Systems’ just a polite name for religion in school?
No, and we would say so if they were. Learners read the Vedas, Buddha, Yoga and Vedanta as part of Indian Knowledge Systems — alongside the Sindhu civilisation's metallurgy and trade, Nalanda's culture of debate, and purva-paksha, the discipline of stating an opposing position properly before answering it. They chant in Sanskrit because sound is part of how those texts work, and they meet Hindu and Buddhist monks. Nobody is asked to believe anything. Festivals here are virtues — Loving-Kindness, Truth & Courage, Generosity, Gratitude — not religious observances.
What happens if it doesn't work out, or we move cities?
Families do move, and children do sometimes turn out to need something else. Because the curriculum meets both Cambridge and NCERT outcomes, a transfer out does not leave an academic hole — that is the practical reason we hold to both. We will help with records and with the receiving school. We would also rather prevent the problem: the Fit Test on this site exists to tell some families, before they apply, that this is not their school.
Prakriti is a progressive Cambridge International School (# IA080), K–12 day school in Noida, India, founded 2011, with around 400 learners on one campus in Sector 128. Class size capped at 25; ratio 12–15:1, and 7:1 in early years. No uniform. Marks begin in Grade 6. Cambridge IGCSE in Grade 10, AS & A Levels in Grades 11–12. Experiential and inquiry-led, with socio-emotional learning, a weekly farm day in Grades 3–5, and Indian Knowledge Systems through the curriculum. Self-funded; relies on word of mouth rather than advertising.
Copy gives you this whole page as plain text — paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and interrogate it against any other school you are considering. We would rather you did that than take our word for it.
The basics
What is Prakriti School?
Prakriti is a progressive, Cambridge International School (# IA080), K–12 day school in Noida, India, founded in 2011. It teaches around 400 learners on one campus, Sector 128 on the Noida Expressway, covering every grade from pre-nursery to Grade 12. Class size is capped at twenty-five, there is no uniform, marks begin in Grade 6, and learners take Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Levels.
Where is Prakriti School located?
One campus, at I-16, Sector 128, Noida 201304, near Jaypee Hospital on the Noida Expressway. Every grade is taught there. The school opened in 2011 at Sector 22 as a K–5 school and moved to Sector 128 as it grew to K–12. Prakriti currently runs K–12 from Sector 128 only; early years programmes will be introduced at Sector 22 soon.
What ages and grades does Prakriti take?
Pre-nursery from age two through to Grade 12. Early Years is K–2, Primary is Grades 3–5, Middle School is Grades 6–8, the IGCSE stage is Grades 9–10 and Senior School is Grades 11–12.
Is Prakriti a day school or a boarding school?
Prakriti is a progressive, co-educational K–12 day school running the full Cambridge International programme. There is no residential boarding. Day boarding is available from morning to evening, full day or half day, with transport.
How big is Prakriti?
Around 400 learners. That is deliberate. Deep learning cannot be facilitated in crowded classrooms, so the school has grown slowly and caps class size at twenty-five.
Curriculum and affiliation
Which board is Prakriti affiliated to?
Cambridge Assessment International Education, part of the University of Cambridge. Learners sit Cambridge IGCSE in Grade 10 and Cambridge International AS & A Levels in Grades 11–12. The curriculum also meets the learning outcomes set by India's National Curriculum Framework (NCERT).
Why did Prakriti choose Cambridge over CBSE or ICSE?
Because Cambridge gives learners and facilitators the freedom to define together how something is best learnt. Its learning outcomes align closely with critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Over 10,000 schools in more than 160 countries offer Cambridge qualifications, and around 400 schools in India are affiliated.
Are Cambridge and IGCSE qualifications accepted by Indian universities?
Yes. Most public and private Indian universities accept Cambridge qualifications. The Association of Indian Universities, set up under the UGC Act, issues equivalence certificates for international qualifications such as IGCSE and A Levels.
Does experiential learning still work in the senior grades?
Yes, in a different form. In early years it is visualising, touching and observing; in middle and senior school it becomes enacting, reading in context, visiting factories and museums for inquiry, and researching topics in depth. Maker and tinkering labs support the sciences, and languages are taught interdisciplinarily with visual art, theatre and literature.
What is the language of instruction?
Prakriti is bilingual. English and Hindi are both languages of instruction in the early years, with formal Hindi from ages three and four and English reading and writing from around four and a half. In practice Prakriti learners read, write and speak both languages by around age seven. French is offered from lower secondary.
How learning works
How does Prakriti deliver experiential or deep learning?
Through facilitation rather than teaching. A facilitator works with learners to build experiences and curate resources so a child can stretch past what they already know. Sri Aurobindo's line — nothing can be taught, it can only be learnt — is taken literally.
How does Prakriti teach socio-emotional learning?
Through bubble time, which lets any learner ask for a private conversation with a facilitator, and through proactive counselling for adolescents and parents. Festivals are celebrated as virtues — Loving-Kindness, Truth & Courage, Generosity and Mannan.
What is bubble time?
Bubble time is a standing practice where any learner can ask to speak privately with a facilitator, and a facilitator can ask the same of a learner. It exists so that a difficulty does not have to wait for a scheduled meeting or become a crisis first.
How many learners are there per facilitator?
Around 12–15 learners per facilitator overall, and 7 to 1 in the early years (K–2). Class size is capped at twenty-five.
How does Prakriti ensure one-to-one attention?
Facilitators work with learners individually and in small groups. Families meet the full subject team at least twice a year.
Does a small class promote healthy competition?
Prakriti's position is that the useful competition is with yourself, which requires deep self-reflection — a skill the school explicitly develops. Competition with self and cooperation with others is what brings out a child's best.
Assessment, grades and outcomes
When do marks and examinations begin?
Marks and formal examinations begin in Grade 6. There are no examinations before that and no marks, but there is assessment throughout: formative assessment feeds back to the facilitator and summative assessment to the learner, inside the regular school day, so the school always knows where a child is progressing and where they are not. The Cambridge IGCSE course runs across Grades 9 and 10.
How does Prakriti report on a child's progress?
The annual report covers emotional wellbeing, social learning, physical stamina and strength, cognitive ability, and subject-specific learning, expression and learning style. Year-end reports include a plan for parents and facilitators to address gaps together.
Are results or rankings published?
No. Assessment results are never published to a class or group. Individual reports are confidential and discussed only with the child's parents. There are no differentiated medals on Sports Day — every child participates and receives the same medal.
How do Prakriti learners compare with children from other schools?
Because Prakriti follows both the National Curriculum Framework and Cambridge learning outcomes, learners are at similar learning levels to peers elsewhere. ASSET, a standardised aptitude test taken by over a lakh children in India, has shown above-average learning levels for most Prakriti learners.
What happens if a child leaves Prakriti before Grade 10?
Children who have moved from Prakriti to other schools have adjusted well, because the curriculum is aligned to both Cambridge and NCERT learning outcomes, so the baseline is met.
Inclusion and special needs
How does Prakriti support learners with special needs?
Through the Bridge programme. The team includes special educators and behavioural, occupational, voice and speech therapists, and around 50 learners receive one-to-one therapy at school.
Does including children with special needs disrupt the class?
No. Only a small number are integrated into any one class, and mild learning differences are supported in the classroom through modification and accommodation.
Culture, uniform and daily life
Does Prakriti have a school uniform?
No. Children wear their own comfortable clothes, which keeps costs down for families and keeps continuity between home and school. Prakriti T-shirts and sweatshirts are suggested for special days and field trips.
Why is everyone called didi and bhaiya?
All facilitators, cleaning staff and security staff are addressed as didi or bhaiya to build familial affinity with the children and to signal that no profession in the building carries special status.
Is spirituality part of the school?
Values are explored through classroom discussion, reading, interactions with senior Hindu and Buddhist monks, secular festivals and Sanskrit chanting. It is taught as part of Indian Knowledge Systems, not as religious instruction.
What facilities are there for sport?
Regular sport for all learners, with stamina and strength built through gymnastics, cycling and swimming at all ages. On-campus facilities include basketball, badminton, skateboarding, rock climbing, table tennis and football.
Fees, admissions and practicalities
What is the age criteria for nursery admission at Prakriti?
Entry is by age as on 31 March. Blue group (nursery) needs 2 years 8 months. Green group (kindergarten) needs 3 years 8 months. Yellow group (senior kindergarten) needs 4 years 8 months. Grade 1 needs 5 years 8 months, and a year is added for each grade after that. The date-of-birth tool on the home page works this out for you from a month and year.
What are Blue, Green and Yellow group?
They are Prakriti's three early years groups, before Grade 1. Blue is nursery, Green is kindergarten and Yellow is senior kindergarten. They are named by colour rather than by grade because nothing at this stage is being ranked or levelled — a group is a room of children, not a rung.
How do admissions work at Prakriti?
Register your interest and come to an open house. Your child then spends two to three days at school for assessment and observation, going through a school day with other children, before a decision. Admissions for the current year close by July; if there is a vacancy, or you are moving from another city, speak to the admissions team.
Why are the fees comparable to large established schools?
Breakfast, lunch and computers are included, and there is no uniform to buy. Books and the optional expeditions are paid for separately. The fee supports a capped class size, an individualised facilitation model, a green campus, and farm days and field visits through the year.
Is Prakriti a for-profit school?
Prakriti is self-funded, with no outside investors.
How does Prakriti hire and retain facilitators?
Facilitators are hired for learner-empathy, research orientation and respectful communication ahead of experience or academic background. Founders mentor facilitators directly.
Can I visit before applying?
Yes. Open house events are offered on Saturdays from time to time. Register on the contact page, or write to info@prakriti.org.in or call +91 87007 42796, and the admissions team will tell you when the next one is.
