British Ambassador visits the ECP
We were delighted to welcome the British Ambassador, Nick Archer, into school this week. He was shown round by Headmaster, Dr Nigel Brown, and Michal Zapletal and Mark Rangotis, who have just taken their IB exams. Michal has an offer from Cambridge University to study Architecture and Mark hopes to go to Oxford University to study Natural Sciences, specialising in Neuroscience.
Nick Archer clearly enjoyed his time at the ECP.
He tweeted: “Delighted to see The English College in Prague at last having heard so much. A friendly high-achieving school with lots going on, propelling able Czech students into British higher education; benefits all round.”
You can follow Nick Archer on Twitter @NickArcherFCDO and visit the Embassy’s Facebook page
Speaking after the visit, Dr Brown said:
It was a great honour to welcome Nick Archer to the English College. British Ambassadors have always been very supportive of the school and we enjoy a good relationship with the Embassy. ECP students have assisted at their Open Days and performed on stage at their British Markets, organised jointly with the British Chamber of Commerce. They also take part in the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the British War Cemetery at Olšany.
ECP Science laboratories
ECP Science laboratories are amongst the best in the country. There are five labs where students study Chemistry, Physics and Biology and use state-of-the-art equipment to develop their skills in carrying out practical experiments. Mr Archer spoke to students there working on the Group 4 Science project. This is an important part of the IB Diploma programme and students work together on group activities. Each group has to plan a project, conduct experiments, collect data and then give presentations on their findings. Collaboration between schools is encouraged and this was the sixth year that students from the First International School of Ostrava have travelled to Prague to work with ECP students.
Drama studio
Drama is also an important part of life at the English College. Head of Drama, Logan Hillier, showed the Ambassador the new Drama studio, partly funded by the English College Foundation, the UK charity that opened the school in 1994. He explained how it is providing an excellent rehearsal and performance space and Eliška Pechlátová from Year 3 performed a monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Mr Archer.
School community
A vital part of any school community is its support staff. These are the people who work in the background to ensure the smooth running of the school. In the Bursary, he met ECP’s HR expert, Stanislav Veselý, who has been helping British ECP teachers with their applications for permanent residence. This is to ensure that they will be able to remain in the country after Britain’s departure from the EU.
Nick Hill, Head of History and responsible for ECP students’ university applications, briefed the Ambassador about how current students are viewing the prospect of Brexit. Filip Němeček, who graduated from the English College in 2014 and who went on to study Geography at St Andrews University in Scotland, presented him with a copy of his dissertation, analysing the effect of Brexit on Czech students’ attitudes to studying in the UK.
Out in the College’s garden, in the shade of the beautiful lime tree, planted in 1928 to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, he met Alena Švejdová, Deputy Head Co-curricular. She explained how the school is planning to mark the 100th anniversary later this year and how the ECP values its Czech-British connections.
