Class size
Any Other School
Class size is close to 40 from kindergarten and up.
The Walnut Advantage
In KG, the class size is never more than 20 students in a division. In Primary and Secondary, the class size is never more than 40 students in a division.
Shlokas
Any Other School
No such concept
The Walnut Advantage
Sanskrit Shlokas are taught to KG students which helps them improve their pronunciations and memory skills.
Planned learning
Any Other School
External digital content is shown which is not effective to help with understanding.
The Walnut Advantage
Age appropriate presentations are designed by our own research team for easy understanding and learning.
No School Bag
Any Other School
No such concept. Children carry heavy school bags.
The Walnut Advantage
Due to daily planning and the very innovate learning system in Walnut School, students do not need a school bag at all. So the school bag weight is ZERO.
No Extra Fees
Any Other School
Children who wish to participate in events have to pay extra charges for each event. They also have to pay for photos and videos of the event.
The Walnut Advantage
There is no extra charge for participation / training / drapery in any event! Parents are allowed to take as many photos and videos as they wish. School shares photos and videos freely.
100% student participation
Any Other School
No such concept
The Walnut Advantage
All children participate in every event - no child is left behind. They enjoy being a part of the Diwali Carnival, Independence Day, Sports Day, Annual Gathering, Science Fair, Fun Fair, Art Day etc.
Subject-wise classrooms
Any Other School
No such concept
The Walnut Advantage
Students move to a different classroom after each period. That keeps them fresh right till the end of the day. It also gives them a change after each period as each classroom has a different ambience.
Subject-wise teachers
Any Other School
Other schools have mother teacher concept till 5th Std.
The Walnut Advantage
Right from Std.1, students have different teachers who are trained to handle different subjects.
Comfortable uniform
Any Other School
Textile uniform which has to be ironed. A different uniform for sports. May have additional uniforms for additional activities.
The Walnut Advantage
Just one simple and comfortable sports dress for boys as well as girls as they have sports everyday in school. It’s wash and wear. Its suited for our tropical Indian weather so no neck ties or bows. They wear sneakers on their feet which supports their active day.
DAILY Sports period
Any Other School
The sports period is usually once a week and is many times converted to an academic period
The Walnut Advantage
Students have a sports period everyday right up to Std. 10. The period is not cancelled for academics due to the excellent planning in Walnut School. The students strictly do some physical activity in that period.
Library Access
Any Other School
The library exists but students rarely get to go there. Most times for higher classes the period is cancelled for academics.
The Walnut Advantage
Students have a library period and the period is not cancelled. In lower classes the teachers read stories to the children to get them interested in the idea of reading. Older students get to read on their own. The ambience is also very relaxed and comfortable.
Creative Holiday homework
Any Other School
Academic repetitve writing is usually given as holiday homework. Project making homework is a burden on the parents.
The Walnut Advantage
Innovative homework where the children have to review movies, books, articles or songs. They have to conduct interviews, surveys and do research. All these help to develop other skills along with strengthening the core academics. And, these are assignments that the children have to do themselves - as they cannot be done from an adult perspective. The homework is also voluntary.
Planned Daily homework
Any Other School
Homework is given right from KG and children have a mountain of work to do at home everyday.
The Walnut Advantage
From KG to Std. 5 additional practice sheets are given which children can do at leisure. Formal homework starts only after Std. 6. Homework for each period is planned at the beginning of the year. The planned homework makes sure that only "sensible" assignments are given and that the work load for the child is always reasonable and age appropriate.
No academic burden
Any Other School
Portion is huge and goes on increasing each year. Nothing can be done about it.
The Walnut Advantage
Portion is pulled down by a year. Different treatment is given to different chapters to reduce the burden of the children.
No rote learning
Any Other School
Students have to rote learn huge answers with lots of data
The Walnut Advantage
Questions related to the understanding of the story and cause and effect relationships are asked. Students do not have to memorize dates and long lists at all. Social studies is less stressful at Walnut School.
Exposure to subjects
Any Other School
No such subject
The Walnut Advantage
Social studies is introduced in a story format from Std. 3 to Std. 5. There are no exams for it, so the students love it and get a strong background for the higher classes.
Extra practice
Any Other School
Parents and students have to look for external books and workbooks to get more practice questions
The Walnut Advantage
A lot of extra questions of varying difficulty are given to the students as part of the Walnut Learning System, so they do not have to go hunting elsewhere for more!
Homework solutions
Any Other School
Parents and students have to look for external help
The Walnut Advantage
Formal homework starts only after Std. 6. Homework for each period is planned at the beginning of the year. The planned homework makes sure that only "sensible" assignments are given and that the work load for the child is always reasonable and age appropriate. Detailed step wise solutions of all homework questions are given to the parents - so that they can guide their children if needed.
Planned classwork
Any Other School
All question types and difficulties are not addressed. Students have to figure out on their own.
The Walnut Advantage
Variety and difficulty of questions is considered and a sample of each kind is solved in the class. That way, when the students come across any problem on that topic, they are not unfamiliar or taken by surprise!
Hands on activities
Any Other School
Only textbook science experiments done in 9th and 10th std.
The Walnut Advantage
Students are given a lot of activities to do right from Std. 1. They are even given kits from time to time to conduct separate experiments at home and note down the readings on special sheets.
Research Assignments
Any Other School
No such activities are included in the course
The Walnut Advantage
Children are given research or activity sheets which take their knowledge and understanding of the subject to a whole new depth. This is great for the children and parents who like to go beyond of the scope of the syllabus.
Novel reading
Any Other School
It is done only in 10th standard as it is part of the board exam.
The Walnut Advantage
Novel reading is introduced right from Std. 4. That helps the students get used to reading and gives them an early start for the board exam preparation. It also gives them scope for more creative writing assignments over the year. It gets them interested in novels from an early age as it is compulsory to read at least one as part of the school work each year.
General English Exposure
Any Other School
No such activities are included in the course
The Walnut Advantage
Children have to study novels as textbooks right from Std. 4. They have to review English movies and books as well as part of their regular coursework.
Spoken English Activities
Any Other School
No such activities are conducted
The Walnut Advantage
Reading Theatre helps to improve reading and speaking skills. Reading Theatre, a specially developed program of the Walnut Learning System, makes the children read out English scripts in the proper way. It helps to improve their English reading, understanding and speaking skills - which in turn help them handle academics better!
Mental Ability Training
Any Other School
No such training is offered
The Walnut Advantage
Intense preparation for Scholarship exams along with lots of practice of mental ability questions
Progressive Computer Education
Any Other School
Standard curriculum with outdated languages are usually followed. Mostly, the computer period is eaten up for other "more important" subjects!
The Walnut Advantage
We start introducing computational thinking right from Std. 1 using the CSPathshala program (our co-founder is one of the core team members of this program). This helps in building analytical skills, programmatic thinking, devising algorithms etc., which are going to be necessary basic skills a few years from now. Check our blog scratch smart.
Competitive exam training
Any Other School
No such training is offered
The Walnut Advantage
Training starts right from Std. 3. Our students become comfortable with the multiple choice format and finish half of the UPSC training by the end of Std 10! They are also encouraged to appear for the Scholarship and NTSE. They have access to the quizzing platform from home as well. You can take a demo of our learning app - Walmiki to see how it works!
Communication with teachers
Any Other School
All the parents in a class meet the teacher at one go and that too only for exam report distribution.
The Walnut Advantage
Open Saturdays are planned 12 times a year. The parents get to meet all the teachers one on one and get personalized feedback about their child. They can freely discuss their concerns as these are not group meetings.
Weekly Updates
Any Other School
No such updates are sent to the parents
The Walnut Advantage
Students bring home the activities and subject matter taught in class on a daily basis. In addition to this, parents receive an email and a message on the school app every week which gives them details of the activities and curriculum that was taught over the week.
Games and challenges
Any Other School
No such activities are conducted
The Walnut Advantage
Students are given challenges and they play strategy games right from Std. 1. This gives them a chance to think quickly, analyse and strategise, take risks, understand consequences of their actions and function in a dynamic environment.
No examination stress
Any Other School
Term exams are directly held twice a year
The Walnut Advantage
There are 4 unit tests and 2 term exams. Students attempt 3 practice tests before every exam. That gets them used to the format, time management, writing techniques and how to study. The familiarity helps to reduce the fear of the actual exam and they give their best performance as the practice tests help them to prepare well.
Personalize Adaptive Learning (PAL)
Any Other School
Teachers cannot personalize plans according to students. A median route is taken, which leads to weak concepts and reduced interest in learning.
The Walnut Advantage
We know that every child is unique. At Walnut, we understand this, and design learning paths customized for every child. Teachers continuously assess children, and tweak their plans accordingly. Parents are also notified of these plans, so that a track of the same can be maintained at home too.
