The Kindergarten Starters is a long-established GEMS Education school following the CBSE curriculum, that educates 5337 boys and girls age 4 to 11 years of age.

The Kindergarten Starters has been rated Good for the fourth year running in the 2018-19 KHDA inspection process.  An abbreviated version of the inspection report can be found under the Inspection report tab.  An update of this review will be completed once the full reports have been published.

The Story so Far

The Kindergarten Starters is a private school (not a Kindergarten in the traditional sense, but rather a Primary school) located in Al Garhoud that was established in 1990. The largest nationality group of students is Indian. There are no Emirati students and sizeable 18 percent of the students have been identified with SEND requirements.  The school prides itself on its highly inclusive environment.

The Stats

There are 229 teachers, the majority of which are Indian passport holders. There are 72 teaching assistants and the student to teacher ratio is 1:25. This is a surprisingly high ratio; and particularly so in a school with a relatively high proportion of students with additional learning requirements.  Despite the demands that must be made on the teaching staff as a result, teacher turnover is at a low 9 percent. 

What about facilities? 

Facilities at the school include an ICT and Media Centre, sand and water play areas for KG students, Activity rooms for learning through play, a music and art room, a dance room, a research centre, and library and reading rooms .

What the Inspectors Say

The 2018-19 KHDA report ranks the school for the fourth year in the row as Good and overall, the report shows continued improvement in many aspects of the school.

Key strengths identified by the inspection team include:

• The bold vision of the Principal to create a climate of innovation in which students can experience high quality resources - particularly in relation to sports and technology.
• The very good development of the skills of creativity, independence and resilience, which contribute strongly to the very good progress of students in English and Science by the end of the Primary phase.
• Students' outstanding personal development which contributes to a happy and inclusive school.
• The very good curriculum and after-school opportunities that broaden students' experiences, raises their aspirations and develops their talents and interests.

Areas of improvement include: 

• Improve the impact of teaching on students' attainment and progress, especially in Arabic as an additional language, by ensuring that - teachers in all grades have the subject knowledge and understanding of the learning process needed to do as well as they can in all lessons; teachers make full use of assessment information to adapt their teaching to meet students' varying needs; students are consistently provided with accurate feedback about how they can improve their work; [and] in all lessons, students have equal access to high-quality learning resources.
• Improve the ability of leaders at all levels, including the Governing Board, to accurately evaluate the impact of actions taken to bring about improvement.

The KHDA reports does note, however, that the school's class sizes are too large in some instances, resulting in resources for learning being insufficient to provide equal opportunities for effective practical work.  This has been an ongoing issue at the school, although improvements in terms of furniture, lifts and ramps have been made.

What do Parents Say? 

Almost all parents who responded to the KHDA pre-inspection survey, are positive about the school, believing that it provides a safe environment for their children, and they value the information provided about their children.  Some parents are concerned about a relatively short single break period during the school day, and the move towards electronic learning devices in place of hard copy books.

Fees for The Kindergarten Starters start at AED 7,207 for KG1 and rise to AED 9,619 for Grade 5. Additional fees of AED 350 in KG and AED 500 in Grades 1-5 are payable for E-resources.

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