Month: September 2025

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Elizabeth McComb

Teacher of Humanities

Elizabeth hails from California where she graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. It was here that the idea of teaching abroad was first planted. Upon graduation she moved back home, where she was a substitute teacher for high school students.

After a year of subbing, she left America with a one-way ticket to Asia to travel and find a job teaching and eventually settled in Shenzhen, China. She started off teaching ESL to all ages, and also American Sign Language as an extracurricular class at an American International School. Teaching ASL helped her realize she was passionate about teaching, so she left teaching ESL to teach Geography, History, and English at an international school for four years. It was during these years she obtained her teaching certification from the University of West Florida. After nearly six years in China, she and her fiancé, now husband, moved to Turkey where she lived for three years and taught for two before moving to Prague after her husband was offered a job working here at ECP.

She is thrilled to be here and looks forward to getting to know the students. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing video games, hiking, running, drawing, and traveling.

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Alan Matthews

Teacher of English

Originally from Dublin, Alan studied English and Geography at Saint Patrick’s College before completing his PGDE at University College Dublin. He began his teaching career in Ethiopia and later taught for the British Council in Prague. After spending 14 years at Nový PORG, where he taught English, Geography, and IB Language & Literature and helped coordinate the Model United Nations conference, Alan joined the English College in 2025. He is eager to contribute to its vibrant academic and extracurricular community.

Beyond the classroom, Alan enjoys drawing, cooking, going to concerts, and is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. He also loves spending time in nature and has a particular fondness for dark chocolate.

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Johana Heřmánková

Johana Heřmánková joined the English College in Prague’s Education Committee in 2018 as a co-opted member.

With a Bc and Mgr in Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, she co-edited the book Filosofie v podzemí – filosofie v zázemí: – Podoby filosofie v českých zemích v době normalizace a po sametové revoluci (Philosophy Underground and Overground: Forms of philosophy during normalisation and after the Velvet Revolution in the Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia), which examines the underground philosophy seminars during the communist era and the resurgence of philosophy in Czech academia after the revolution.
She is currently on maternity leave from Post Bellum, where she has further focused on the normalisation period, as well as the dark 1950s, as an editor of the project Memory of Nations and its journal.

Her passion for education led her into teaching. She taught philosophy at the Lauder School of Prague and interpretation and analysis of literary texts at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory and College. She was involved in developing in-service training for philosophy teachers at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. A strong believer in the value of collaboration between academia and schools, Johana founded Projects in Applied Economics for Talented Students, a research programme for upper secondary school students, based at CERGE-EI (the Centre for Economic Research and Graduate Studies – Economics Institute). She has also focused on educational policy, strategy, and pedagogy, which led her to study Educational Sciences, specialising in Educational Leadership, at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

Johana was appointed a Governor of the English College in Prague in May 2025. With her experience of both the Czech and Nordic education systems, she aims to contribute to ECP’s discussions on academic matters and to supporting its mission of providing a first-class, British-style academic education in the Czech Republic.

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The Rt Hon Greg Hands

Greg Hands’ own education provided a strong foundation for a distinguished career in politics. Born in America to British parents, he first went to school in New York before moving back to the UK with his family when he was seven years old. He later attended Cambridge University, studying Modern History, German, Czech and Slovak. His commitment to the country was evident even then, as he also attended Charles University and, in the summer of 1989, organised a university exchange scheme between Cambridge and Charles University. This academic background has contributed to his understanding of national and international affairs. After Cambridge, he embarked on a career in Finance, and worked on trading floors in London and New York.

He has had a long-standing involvement with the English College and was a Governor of the ECP from 2009 to 2015, before standing down to concentrate on his work as a UK Member of Parliament and Government Minister. Throughout his parliamentary career, he held numerous ministerial roles across various departments, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Minister of State for Trade Policy, and Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change. He also served as Chairman of the Conservative Party. These roles provided him with extensive experience in economic policy, international relations and strategic leadership.

Greg has also had a long-standing association with Central Europe. He speaks German, French and Czech, which is a testament to this connection and his appreciation for the rich culture and history of the area. He is a frequent visitor to Prague as a speaker at CEVRO and GlobSec, further cementing his ties to the Czech Republic. He is also a patron of the Czech National Trust and of the Friends of Czech Historic Buildings, highlighting his interest in preserving the country’s heritage. In June 2025, he took on a new role, becoming a Strategic Adviser to Daniel Křetínský and the EP Group, based in London and Prague, focusing principally on the EP Group’s operations in Germany and the UK.

Greg’s personal links to the Czech Republic, combined with his extensive political and governmental experience, makes him a valuable addition to ECP’s Governing Body. He hopes to be able to use this experience in public service, his understanding of international affairs and his strong ties to the region to support the College’s mission. He is particularly keen to contribute to the College’s strategic development, enhance its connections within both the UK and Czech Republic, and help further its reputation as a leading academic school.

ECP prizes to honour leading British academics

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Photo credit: Drew Forsyth

. ofessor Brian Cox, Photo credit: Drew Forsyth

The English College in Prague is delighted to announce that two of the school’s major academic prizes are to be renamed in honour of distinguished British figures whose work has inspired generations of students in their respective fields.

The College’s History Prize will be known as the Sir Anthony Seldon Prize for History, and the Physics Prize will become the Professor Brian Cox Prize for Physics.

Headmaster Dr Nigel Brown says, “We are very grateful to Sir Anthony and Professor Cox for allowing us to use their names in connection with these prizes. They will be awarded for the first time at our next Graduation ceremony in May. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students and to associating them with two such inspirational figures.”

The Sir Anthony Seldon Prize for History

Photo: courtesy of Sir Anthony Seldon

Sir Anthony Seldon, one of Britain’s leading contemporary historians, has kindly agreed to give his name to ECP’s History Prize. A former headmaster and prolific author, Sir Anthony is best known for his acclaimed political biographies and his educational leadership. He has served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and was previously Headmaster of Wellington College in Berkshire. In March 2023, following the tragic death of the previous Head, he took up the position of Headmaster at Epsom College. Then in September 2024, he returned to Wellington College as the Founding Director of Wellington College Education. Its mission is to “shape and refine what education should mean in the mid-21st century.”

Sir Anthony was knighted in the 2014 Birthday Honours List for Services to Education and Modern Political History. We are therefore delighted to be able to name our History Prize after him in recognition of his lifelong commitment to both scholarship and education. Sir Anthony told us, “I am so proud to have this prize named after me because I think the English College in Prague is such a very remarkable school, which is doing such excellent work.”

Photo: ECP archives

The Professor Brian Cox Prize for Physics

Photo credit: Mark Harrison

Equally exciting is the news that Professor Brian Cox, the renowned physicist and science communicator, has also generously agreed to allow the College to name the Physics prize after him.

Professor Cox is a physicist, broadcaster and Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester. He first came to public attention through his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. He is widely known for presenting a series of landmark BBC science programmes. These include Wonders of the Universe, The Planets, and Forces of Nature. His aim is to make complex scientific ideas accessible to a broader public audience.

Through his many documentaries and public lectures, Professor Cox has inspired a generation of young people to explore the wonders of the physical world. We are proud to name our Physics prize in his honour, celebrating his contribution to scientific understanding and communication. When we asked him if we could re-name the ECP Physics prize after him, he replied enthusiastically, saying, “YES – of course, it would be a tremendous honour to have the IB Physics Prize named after me! Thank you again – I’m honoured!” Professor Cox is bringing his new live show to Prague in September 2026. We are hoping to take a party of students to see it – including the first winner of his prize!

Dr Jane Goodall (3 April 1934 – 1 October 2025)

Everyone at the English College has been deeply saddened at the news that Dr Jane Goodall has died. She visited ECP in May last year to speak to our students about her life and work. She reminded us that “every individual can make a difference.” Her words continue to resonate with us. Her extraordinary legacy will remain an inspiration as we all strive to care for our planet.

Dr. Jane Goodall has agreed to give her name to the ECP prize connected with the environment. The school has already awarded two students with the Dr. Jane Goodall Prize for Environmental Systems and Societies.