Pune's Vidya Valley School in Sus: ICSE curriculum, sports focus and junior KG fees

Vidya Valley School is an older ICSE school in the Sus area of Pune. The school says children's education should not be limited to marks and examinations. Here is what parents searching for a school need to know.

The school began in 2001, when educationist Nalini Sengupta started Vidya Valley in a bungalow in Aundh. It later moved to Sus and grew into the school it is today. According to the school, it was recognised by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and its first ICSE batch passed out in 2006.

The main campus is at 94/1, Sus Village, Mulshi taluka, Pune 411021. The school's current admissions page states that the Sus school is its only institution, with no branch or second campus. It is a co-educational day school with English as the medium of instruction. Students take the ICSE examination in Class 10. Parents comparing it with CBSE schools should note that the syllabus, method of assessment and subject structure differ.

The school describes its approach as a mix of tradition and innovation. Assessment counts projects, experiments, daily classwork, informal tests, quizzes and participation in co-curricular activities. The school says the aim is to reduce fear of examinations. Hindi and Marathi begin in Class 1, while French is taught from Class 6.

Sport is a major part of the school's identity. Its motto is "Everyone must play". According to the school, every child takes part in some sport from junior KG, and coaching is held before school, after school and on weekends. Facilities are available for football, athletics, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, skating, gymnastics, yoga, karate, taekwondo, sport climbing, handball and chess. The campus has an artificial turf, a football ground, two basketball courts, an indoor volleyball court, a yoga studio, three climbing walls and a skating rink. Climbing includes speed, lead and bouldering, and the school's students have competed in it at national and international levels.

For pastoral care, the school has a guardian tutor system. From Class 6, a senior teacher becomes guardian tutor to a small group of children, and the child stays in that group for five years. The school says the aim is to give the child a trusted adult who is not limited to academics. It also has a Skill Enhancement Department (SED), in which experienced counsellors and special educators work with teachers, parents, medical experts and child psychologists. The department focuses on identifying and handling learning difficulties early.

Facilities include physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics labs, two computer labs, Wi-Fi classrooms and smart boards in secondary classes. There are also a dance studio, music facilities, an indoor stage, an auditorium and an amphitheatre. The medical centre has three beds and two full-time nurses, with doctors on call. There is an ambulance van and a tie-up with Jupiter Hospital in Pune. The school claims 24-hour security and surveillance cameras. These are the school's own claims, so parents should visit the campus and see for themselves. Firm information was not available on AI, coding, robotics and financial literacy, so parents should ask the school directly about them.

On admissions, the most important point is that a vacant seat is the real condition. According to the school's admissions page for 2026-27, junior KG admissions are closed. There are no admissions to senior KG, Class 1 and Class 2. Information on vacant seats for Classes 3 to 8 was due to be updated in April 2026. There are no admissions to Classes 9 and 10 that year. Junior KG seats have in the past also been allotted by lottery from areas on the school's bus routes. Parents should rely on the current admissions page rather than old information, as the process and seats can change every year.

On fees, the school has published only the junior KG fee for 2026-27. The form fee is Rs 1,500, the admission fee Rs 10,000, the refundable deposit Rs 1,50,000 and the annual school fee Rs 1,50,000. The annual fee is paid in four instalments: 40 per cent in June, 30 per cent in September, 15 per cent in November and 15 per cent in January. The deposit is returned according to the school's withdrawal terms. The full fee list for other classes is not on the public page, so parents should ask the school for the fee for their child's class.

Transport is also important. The school runs its own bus service, and children travel between home and school by school bus. According to the 2026-27 information, the monthly bus fee is roughly Rs 2,500 to Rs 6,000 depending on distance. Sus is far out, so parents should add up the whole journey from home to the bus stop, to school and back, especially for young children.