Kindergarten Starters to Become All-Through
GEMS Education's The Kindergarten Starters, which opened in 1990, will be renamed GEMS Legacy School as a tribute to its long history, whilst at the same time taking a major new step forward in offering an all-through education to its students.
The school will initially offer Grade 6 from the start of the new academic year in April 2021, adding one grade each year until it is able to offer a full KG to Grade 12 CBSE programme.
In addition to the growth of the school to offer Secondary provision, the delivery of the curriculum will be refocused to offer a more collaborative approach, "aimed at the holistic development and cognitive activation of students", through project-based learning. The curriculum will also be updated to include new subjects including Robotics, AI, space and financial literacy.
The introduction of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence as an additional learning field of study is designed to meet CBSE requirements to equip students with future fluencies and skills, whilst Space and Astronomy will be included as afternoon enhancement programmes and include activities with space research organisations, such as NASA.
Other additions to the curriculum will include Financial literacy and Entrepreneurial projects designed to prepare students for adult life and types of jobs that do not yet exist; extended Indian language choices, to include Urdu and Tamil, for all students from Grades 1 to 6; and a mental health curriculum for Grades 3-6, focusing on strengthening students’ personal, social, mental and emotional skills and support.
Though at this stage no information has been provided as to how the school intends to grow its student numbers - and therefore, presumably, facilities - GEMS has stated that fully equipped physics, chemistry and biology labs will be provided for Middle School students.
Asha Alexander, who has led The Kindergarten Starters for the past 10 years and who is also Executive Leader – Climate Change at GEMS Education, will continue as Principal of GEMS Legacy School.
Commenting on the developments, Ms. Alexander said: “GEMS Legacy School is born of the belief that what we do for ourselves fades away, but what we do for others will remain as our legacy. We aim to develop leaders who will change the world through their thoughts and actions. This is the legacy of leadership that we wish to leave behind.”
Fees at GEMS Legacy School will start at AED 7,711 for KG (a reduction on 2020-21) rising to AED 10,292 from Grades 1 to 6.
