Welcome to the Friends School
Trivandrum's Premier Experiential Learning School
With 38+ years of experience in the early learning and Primary education field, The Friends School is today a prominent name in the City of Trivandrum for alternate education or rather experiential learning.
The school was founded in the year 1986 and was earlier known as Friends Playschool & Kindergarten before it got rebranded as The Friends School in the year 2019 by the current management. The most popular brand in early learning during the early 90’s and 2000’s preferred by the families of Kerala’s Ex. Chief Ministers to various ministers, leading politicians, bureaucrats, business families, along with parents who truly valued education, to lay a very strong learning foundation.
The Friends School currently has 3 campuses, with Branch 1 at Nanthancode, Branch 2 at Venpalavattom (near Lulu Mall) and Branch 3 at Menamkulam, Kazkakuttom.
- In 2022 the school launched its first batch of Grade 1 as a full experiential learning program, the first in Trivandrum.
- Tremendous investment in terms of effort, time and money has been put into developing and designing an experiential learning curriculum and towards training the teachers on the same.
- Our curriculum is curated combining the best of Indian, Finnish and Japanese systems and methodologies. Over the last 38+ years we have created a perfect blend of the world-famous learning philosophies of Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Krishnamurthy, and the traditional gurukulam system of education. Our curriculum and Pedagogy undergoes a continuous process of critical evaluation to improvise, and enhance it to make our children’s learning experience more effective.
- The school has also launched 3 centers of learning excellence focused on developing 21st century skills in children, namely The Future Lab, The Creative Hub and Sports Academy.
- We encourage children to learn experientially through hands-on activities, problem solving oriented projects and Game based learning methodologies, thereby enable children to equip themselves with 21st century skills.
- 15 students to ensure personal attention and opportunity for every child. Personalised learning experience is what we aim to deliver in every class for each topic. Individual Learning Program for each child.
- The vision of the school is to grow into a K-12 school- 1st batch of 12th Grade students to graduate in the year 2034.
- The school hopes to launch its main campus in Trivandrum in a 10 acre campus with focus on world class sports infrastructure, technology aided classrooms, open architecture classrooms with natural ventilation for maximum lighting and air flow, along with farming, agriculture, livestock farm etc.
- Play and Fun is at the core of our learning process, making it engaging and highly retention oriented.
- There are no standardized tests but continuous evaluation and assessments. Children are encouraged to be part of Projects, Games, Group discussions and Presentations to showcase their understanding of the core concepts, and demonstrate its application.
Our Mission
We commit to growing The Friends School into a premier K-12 institution. To continuously design, update, and implement a cutting-edge curriculum, rooted in project-based and experiential learning, making education highly effective, engaging, and enjoyable. Our goal is to empower students to discover their potential and develop essential 21st-century skills. We aim to nurture confident, happy, compassionate, and responsible individuals who will become positive change-makers, adding value to the world around them.
Our Vision
To establish The Friends School as Kerala's premier alternate learning institution and elevate Lifechefs Future Education Foundation to the pinnacle of educational excellence nationwide. Our mission is to create cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary institutions that offer transformative, skill-based, and future-ready programs, setting new standards in education and empowering the next generation.
Our Commitment
At The Friends School, we are dedicated to fostering a dynamic environment where children not only acquire knowledge but also develop essential life skills that will guide them throughout their lives. We create spaces where your child can grow, explore, and achieve their fullest potential.
Our Curriculum
Being the first full experiential learning school in Trivandrum, the journey towards developing the curriculum has been quite a challenging one. Years of research, attending conferences and workshops, travelling to various schools, interacting with mentors from across the world, reading books across subjects including education, learning philosophies, technology, classroom architecture, history and future of education, changing dynamics of the 21st century world to what not, tremendous investment in terms of effort, time and money has been put into developing and designing an experiential learning curriculum and towards training the teachers on the same.
- Our curriculum is curated combining the best of Indian, Finnish and Japanese systems and methodologies. Over the last 38+ years we have created a perfect blend of the world famous learning philosophies of Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Krishnamurthy, and the traditional gurukulam system of education. Our curriculum and Pedagogy undergoes a continuous process of critical evaluation to improvise, and enhance it to make our children’s learning experience more effective.
- The school has also launched 3 centers of learning excellence , namely The Future Lab, The Creative Hub and Sports Academy focused on developing 21st century skills in children which we describe as the 8 C’s of The Friends School and also to inculcate in them our core values.
- We encourage children to learn experientially through hands-on activities, problem solving oriented projects and Game based learning methodologies, thereby enable children to equip themselves with 21st century skills.
- Child Centric and Child led learning is what makes our learning program unique. We understand that every child is unique and likes to learn in different ways and at different pace.
- Only 15 students per class to ensure personal attention and opportunity for every child. Personalised learning experience is what we aim to deliver in every class for each topic.
- We follow the VARK model of implementation in the class. Children can learn topics using various methods like Visual by seeing, Auditory by listening, through Reading and writing as well as Kinesthetic by doing and experiencing.
- 3 Levels of learning- Each child learns at a different pace. Understand this we have an Advanced level, grade level and remedial level for every topic where activities and exercises are given to each child based on their learning levels. Children become confident in this process and moves from remedial to grade to advanced level as a natural progression. This way learning becomes effective, personalised and thereby we ensure our childrent don’t need tuitons after school.
'Friends' is not a Traditional School
The Friends School
A Traditional School
The 8 C's of The Friends School
Communication Skills
Complex Problem Solving Skills
Critical & Lateral Thinking Skills
Creativity
Continuous Learning / Upskilling
Change Adaptability
Collaboration / Team Dynamics
Confidence
Management
George K Thomas
An Edupreneur and serial Entrepreneur, George Thomas is currently leading various organisations as:
- Chairman, Lifechefs Future Education Foundation
- Director, The Friends School
- CEO and Chief Trainer, Life Chefs
- Chief Happiness Officer, The Happiness Centre
- Director, Friends Sports Academy
- CEO, Explorlife
Certifications:
- International Practitioner on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Life Coaching, certified by ABNLP and EC NLP trained by globally renowned Master NLP trainers and Life Coaches Dr. David John Lincoln and Ralph Watson.
- International Sales skills certified Sales Trainer, by Sandler Training under Mr. Raymond McConnell.
- International Certificate on Career Counselling by Mindler.
- George has undergone many other extensive leadership development training programs globally by renowned trainers.
Corporate Experience:
Mr. George is a management graduate and has over 14 years of corporate experience. He has worked across domains, industries and geographies, including with Think Tanks like CCS, Delhi, to multinationals like Oracle, MRF Tyres, Q2 Banking and with start-up’s too. George has travelled and worked for markets like US, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia apart from India and is an expert on global market requirements. He is also a consultant to many MSME’s across the country. His last corporate stint before he began his entrepreneurial journey, was as the Head of Sales- India & ANZ at a US based digital banking systems company, Cloud Lending Solutions. He was also the partner in charge for managing CLS’s biggest global partner- Fujitsu, Japan.
Awards Won:
- Best Entrepreneur Award by Christ University – 2021
- Economic Times- Young Entrepreneur Award 2019
- ET Young Leaders Casebook Prize
- Centurion & Double Gold Club Member by Business Network International
Speaker at:
- 2-time consecutive speaker at the prestigious Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL), the largest literary festival in South India Trivandrum 2023 and 2024
- R.I.S.E VII- The world Investment Forum, hosted by the University of Dayton, Ohio, USA
- Africa Financial Services Investment Conference at London, UK in 2014
- 17th Annual MFC Conference at Istanbul, Turkey in 2014
Joan Varghese
Current Responsibilities:
- Director, Lifechefs Future Education Foundation & The Friends School
- Chief Happiness Officer, The Happiness Centre
- Partner, Life Chefs, Trivandrum
- Partner, Friends Sports Academy
- Director, Explorlife
Joan is a certified Montessori trainer and leads these organisations from the front and is a model leader and inspiration for more than 50+ team members. She started her journey into the world of education as a kindergarten teacher with Friends Playschool & Kindergarten in the year 2017. She has always been a passionate, energetic, fun loving and friendly teacher ever since.
Today Joan leads the Academic Program at The Friends School overseeing the development and implementation of the same across all the branches of the school.
Joan is passionate about Natural Birthing, Motherhood, Breast Feeding, Early learning and Child Development. She is also a passionate chef and enjoys dancing, anchoring, emceeing and workouts. She has successfully completed her first fee 10K run and is preparing herself for her first half marathon.
Joan is a management graduate from Bangalore Christ University with over 10 years of corporate experience and have worked with both MNC’s and start ups across Sales, Marketing and Business Analyst profiles. She started her career in the hospitality industry with Taj Hotels Mumbai as Sales Manager and then moved to Taj Cochin and later to Taj Trivandrum was handling corporate sales for the organisation for more than 5 years. She also worked in the Telecomm industry with Vodafone as the Corporate Sales Manager handling corporate sales for MNC’s in Bangalore. She also had a brief stint in the marketing and advertising industry, having worked with one of India’s leading Ad companies, Mudra Communications. She also worked with start-up’s in the IT/ ITES domains like Course Brew before she decided to plunge into Entrepreneurship and education.
Sandhya Nair
Academic Coordinator
Sandhya Nair is the Academic Head at The Friends School (TFS). With over 18 years of experience in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Experiential Learning, she has been fortunate enough to make a real difference in young minds.
Her journey began with her daughter, who changed the course for her and led her into the wonderful world of Montessori. Over the years, her journey has taken her across the globe, and when in the United States, she trained in designing and implementing curricula, mentoring teachers, and creating inclusive classroom environments that foster growth. Her expertise in educational standards, assessment tools, and resource management has been honed over time.
She is also trained in designing classrooms and is passionate about crafting learning spaces that spark curiosity and nurture creativity.
When not at school, she can be found traveling and exploring new places and cultures, practicing dance, drawing, painting, and foremost, talking to her lovely daughter and son. She loves baking too (yes, her lovely treats and cakes were even sold commercially years ago in the United States).
She has volunteered at old age homes and shelters for abused women and children, and this has inspired her to take up Psychology, which she is planning to dive deeper into.
Her adventures, artistic pursuits, and commitment to service have shaped her into the educator she is today. She is thrilled to bring her unique blend of experience, creativity, and compassion to The Friends School community.
Susan Mathew
Principal
Susan Mathew is a vibrant and seasoned educator with a passion for creative expression and outdoor learning.
With over four decades of experience in education, she has a unique ability to connect with students of all ages. Her infectious energy and enthusiasm have made her a beloved figure in the school community.
Interests:
- Drama and music
- Storytelling (uses narrative techniques to engage students in learning)
- Nature and outdoor education (advocate for experiential learning and environmental awareness)
- Barefoot education (encourages students to explore and learn in nature without shoes)
Background
- Extensive experience as a teacher, curriculum developer, and school administrator
- Teacher (Math grade 5 & English 11)at Pallikoodam, Kottayam(formerly Corpus Christi)
- Author of 10 original kindergarten dramas
Leadership style
- Collaborative and inclusive – Encourages creativity and innovation
- Fosters a sense of community and belonging
- Committed to student-centered learning and social-emotional growth
