CBC Access Schools
So your child is showing signs of talent?
What Next?
Many parents have wrestled with this question after seeing their child’s desire to pursue talent based competencies in sports, media & technology and arts & design. This is when they come to realize that all the talk about CBC and talent development is a lot of hot air. The conditions that need to be in place to even start the journey towards talent development do not exist in Kenya. To truly develop talent, massive resources need to be deployed in terms of people and materials. Most parents are left with ad hoc “Academies” as their only alternative. But a parent who has taken their kids to these academies will testify that they are woefully inadequate in terms of the massive resources required to identify and develop talent.
The Talent Development Crisis in Kenya...
Ad-hoc after-school and weekend “academies”, and holiday “boot-camps” while well-intentioned, are hopelessly inadequate for the serious work of identifying and developing young talent. Their limited hours, inconsistent programs, often underqualified personnel, lack of facilities and resources mean they lack the structure, depth, and continuity required to nurture real potential. What is more, talent development is not a peripheral activity—it requires integration into a child’s daily learning environment, with sustained mentorship, access to resources, and opportunities for regular, meaningful practice. When confined to the margins of the school day, and to “ad-hoc “academies” talent is treated as an extracurricular luxury rather than a developmental priority. As a result, many gifted learners remain undiscovered, underserved, and ultimately, unfulfilled. For all the talk about “unleashing” talent, this country develops none and parents of talented kids are on their own.
Jumping hurdles...
Flagging Ad-Hoc Talent Development Programs.
Parents and children engaged in ad-hoc talent development programs face a myriad of hurdles that make tracking progress almost impossible. See the hurdles on the slide on the right.
CBC Access Schools - Intaspordia's Solution
We are responding to the crisis of talent development in Kenya with the three Competency Based Categories Schools (CBC Access Schools) at Intaspordia: The School of Sports; School of Media & Technology and the School of Arts & Design. We appreciate that parents are looking for reliable, consistent and accountable talent development programs without the hurdles of the Ad-hoc programs. We have come in to address these gaps. The CBC Access schools addresses all the hurdles that parents and their kids face in Ad-hoc talent development programs.
Talent development programs at our CBC Access Schools are underpinned by five provisions that address the current challenges of Ad-hoc programs: 1. Access (One-Stop-Shop; 2. Early Start: 3. Exploratory & Professional categories; 4. 10,000 hours of practice: 5. Structured Programmatic Approach.
Provision 1: One-Stop-Shop.
You no longer have to shuttle your child from one “academy” and “coach” to another. Our Schools of Sports, Media & Technology and Arts & Design have your kids interests covered in one Campus.
Provision 2: Early Start
Experience has proven that an early start in talent-based competencies is not just beneficial—it is transformative. When children are introduced to structured opportunities for skill development during their formative years, their potential is not only identified but meaningfully cultivated. At the CBC Access schools at Intaspordia, we emphasize and provide for early start. We know that early engagement lays critical neural and emotional foundations that amplify learning, build confidence, and instill habits of discipline and curiosity. It allows talent to grow steadily rather than scramble later. In a world that increasingly rewards specialization and creative fluency, we know that an early start is not a luxury—it’s your child’s strategic advantage.
Provision 3: Exploratory and Professional Training Categories.
We know that while some children would like to explore their possibilities in the CBC Access Schools, others have already identified their interests and would like to pursue them full time. Mixing these interests is not helpful for both the exploratory group and the professional group. Mixing children who are in talent development programs to explore with those who are there to hone an identified skill can be detrimental to both groups due to the following reasons:
Mismatched Expectations: Explorers seek broad exposure and play-based discovery, while skill-honing learners require targeted practice and progression. Mixing them leads to frustration on both sides.
Pace Conflicts: Skill-focused learners often work at a faster, more rigorous pace, which can overwhelm beginners. Conversely, slowing down for explorers can hold back those ready for mastery.
Diluted Instruction: Teachers may struggle to balance the needs of both groups, resulting in generalised content that serves neither well.
Motivational Imbalance: Children pursuing mastery may feel unchallenged, while exploratory learners may feel out of depth, diminishing engagement and confidence for both.
Goal Misalignment: Program objectives become unclear, weakening the sense of purpose and cohesion that focused learning environments require.
Peer Dynamic Issues: Differing levels of commitment and seriousness can create social friction or feelings of inadequacy among learners.
For effective talent development, clarity of purpose and appropriate grouping are essential. We have therefore set-up two engagement programs for the activities in all the CBC Access Schools. Explorers Delight for those exploring and Professionals Plugin for those developing an identifies skill.
Provision 4. 10,000 hours of practice!
If we go by the popular benchmark that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill, the weekly time commitment dramatically affects how long that journey takes. Practicing just 1 hour a week would mean it would take approximately 192 years to reach mastery. At 2 hours per week, it drops to about 96 years; 3 hours per week would take around 64 years; and 4 hours a week would still require 48 years. Even practicing 5 hours weekly stretches the timeline to nearly 39 years. These figures make one thing clear: mastery is not compatible with casual or inconsistent effort. To develop deep expertise within a realistic timeframe—especially during a child’s formative years—requires early, structured, and sustained practice. This is why at the CBC Access Schools at Intaspordia, those in the professional plugin will have to start with at least 12 hours a week of intensive, regular training and build towards 40 hours a week if they hope to break into the professional circles.
Provision 5: Structured Programmatic Approach.
At Intaspordia, we acknowledge that a professional talent development program must include several key programmatic elements to effectively scaffold raw potential into refined, high-performing, and commercially viable talent. Lack of these elements is what makes the Ad-hoc programs in “academies” and “boot-camps” in-effective. Our programs are designed with a programmatic approach as demonstrated in the slide below.