One of the careers popular with ECP graduates is diplomacy. We have many former students who have gone on to work for either the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the European Commission or other public service organisations. One of the first was Jan Brunner. He graduated from the ECP in 1999 and following postings in Berlin and London, he is currently the Deputy Czech Ambassador to Austria.
The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the recruitment and training of MFA diplomats. It runs training courses to prepare its students for diplomatic work. So when it was considering a school to trial its approaches to secondary school students, the English College was an obvious choice. The Diplomatic Academy usually targets its recruitment programme at university students so we were delighted when its Director, Dana Kovaříková, came into Elektra recently. Our prospective diplomats, most of whom have been involved in our Model United Nations conferences, the Student Council and the School Council, listened attentively as she spoke about the many opportunities open to young people in the MFA.
She was joined by Jan Brunner, who came back to Prague from Vienna to take part in the session. This meant that our students were not only able to hear about the route to becoming a diplomat, but Jan was also able to share with them his personal experience of what it is really like to serve as a representative of your country abroad.
Jan Brunner, when Deputy Ambassador to the UK, at the Czechoslovak memorial at the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey
In October and November we had eighty-seven Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students out on work placements, getting a taste of professional environments to help them plan their career directions in the next few years. Placements were in diverse fields ranging from business consulting, law, investment banking, architecture and government departments, to an orthodox women’s monastery, optometry, virtual reality and product marketing. Students loved how welcome they were made to feel in each of the placements, and being made to feel part of a team in the short time they were there.
Highlights
Some of the highlights for the students were:
Learning more about Czech defence, and how NATO and the EU work together
Finding out about unfamiliar job areas such as transfer pricing and private banking
Seeing the bare infrastructure of projects, and creating a design for the interior and a floor plan for a restaurant
Experiencing how effective it is when people cooperate in the workplace
Learning how car leasing works
The challenges faced when diagnosing a patient, and the importance of customer service in the medical profession
Being in a new environment and getting used to their needs and obligations
The Coca Cola plant tour
Meeting tourists and hearing their stories, and making their day better by being my best self
Being able to connect creativity and work
Using technology to analyse the effectiveness of social media advertising
Seeing how important teamwork is in the workplace, and how much impact the people you work with can have in the job setting
Meeting lots of experienced people, who tailored the program to our interests and helped us to develop our skills
Observing an Act of Parliament being debated and approved
Recognising how the things that we learn in school can be applied in the workplace
Seeing how competitive businesses work both together and against each other
Learning how important it is for a business to have a purpose to drive the determination to succeed
Knowing that when you have a task to be completed in the workplace, it is your responsibility to take the lead and contribute as much as possible
Being taken seriously as part of the team, which helped me to develop my confidence and was an amazing feeling
Having interesting conversations with experts in their field.
Placements
The placements were organised with the kind support of ECP parents and their work colleagues. We are very grateful to the parents involved in providing such excellent opportunities to our students, and the students themselves are hugely appreciative of the fantastic experiences that they had, enabling them to develop their skills beyond the classroom environment. Special thanks go to 4A Architekti, Businka-Dobrý Mír, Coca Cola HBC, Cushman & Wakefield, Direct Auto, eLens, Eversheds Sutherland, Grant Thornton, IP Fabric, Ministry of Defence, and Victoria VR for hosting students so warmly and giving them a taste of your professional worlds – we are fortunate to have access to such wonderful opportunities through ECP parents in our community!
Every year, the English College in Prague community remembers those who died serving their country.
Remembrance Sunday has its origins after World War I, which ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Every year, on the nearest Sunday to 11 November, every village, town and city in the UK holds a remembrance ceremony and there is a two minutes silence at 11am as a unifying community act of remembrance. The largest ceremony takes place at the Cenotaph in London where our Royal Patron, His Majesty King Charles III, lays a wreath of poppies.
Poppy Appeal
Here in school, we hold an assembly during the week before Remembrance Sunday. We sell red paper poppies for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. Ex-service men and women make the poppies to support the charity’s work, which is to help those who still need its support today.
This year, Annexe School Council President, Ellen Semeradová, spoke at an assembly about what Remembrance is and what it is we are remembering. We were reminded that the poppy was adopted as a symbol of remembrance after WWI because it symbolised the return of colour to the battle fields of Flanders, as the poppy was the first flower to grow again after the end of the war.
Remembrance Sunday
Ellen and her co-Presidents, Anežka Bahbouhová and Tadeáš Vacha, together with student representatives on the School Council, Esme Kalovcová and Aneta Krejdlová, joined Dr Brown, Mr Emmerson and Mrs Hearn at Prague’s own Remembrance ceremony. It took place in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Olšany and the British Ambassador, Matt Field OBE, led the ceremony. Mrs Hearn’s late father, Rudolf Poledník, was a Czech airman in the Royal Air Force during WWII. His name is engraved on the plinth of the Winged Lion memorial at Malostranská.
Our students play an important role in the ceremony, helping young Scouts, Cubs and Beavers from the 1st Prague Scout Group place religious symbols on the graves of the war dead buried in the cemetery.
They pause for a moment by each grave to remember the person buried there, all of them under 30 years old. Especially poignant are the graves that bear the words ‘Known unto God’. This means that it had not been possible to identify the soldier, sailor or airman buried there. It also means that somewhere, there is still a family who never knew what happened to their husband, son or brother, only that they had been recorded as Missing In Action.
By taking part in this ceremony every year, the sacrifice these young men made for the generations that follow them will not be forgotten.
It is thirty years since the English College in Prague opened its iconic blue doors to students for the first time. So this year’s Founders’ Day, held in the beautiful setting of Pražská křižovatka, was a particularly special occasion. The whole school community came together to celebrate our Founders, Ann Lewis and Dr Martyn Bond, and also to remember our first Headmaster, Hubert Ward, who died on Easter Sunday.
The Hubert Ward Prize for Service to the School
We were treated to a wonderful evening of music and tributes, which saw many students receive prizes for their outstanding work. There was a new prize this year – The Hubert Ward Prize for Service to the School – which went to Tomáš Vachutka in Year 3, presented by our guest speaker, Vanessa Ward, Hubert Ward’s daughter. There was also a very impressive display of artwork. The highlight of the exhibition was an amazing model of the reconstructed and extended school building. It was built by our Year 3 student and aspiring architect, Ariya Man, and was complete with the roof and lower floors lifting up automatically to reveal classrooms filled with 3-D printed plastic furniture.
ECP Alumna – Eva Indruchová
It was particularly good to see many ECP graduates there. One of them, Dr Eva Indruchová, graduated in 2002 and went on to qualify as a lawyer. She has written this personal account of the evening that we are delighted to share.
Eva writes:
As a proud former student of The English College in Prague (ECP), I had the pleasure of attending the ECP Founders’ Day and celebrating the 30th anniversary of my beloved College. It was heartwarming to hear about the school’s beginnings. It all started back in the 1990s with a vision to revive the tradition of British style education in Prague, originally established in 1927 by the Prague English Grammar School, which was closed down under the Nazis, and later in 1954.
Royal Patron
The English College Foundation was then established, with President Václav Havel and His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, as joint Founder Patrons. I am delighted that His Majesty King Charles III has decided to continue as Patron of the ECP.
On this special occasion, we paid tribute to our Founders Ann Lewis and Dr Martyn Bond and the first Headmaster, the late Hubert Ward. His daughter, Vanessa Ward, gave a moving speech, followed by Denis Keefe, the Chairman of Governors, Dr Martyn Bond, and the third Headmaster, Peter de Voil.
Of all the schools I have attended, the English College shaped me the most. Václav Havel once said that the students of the ECP emerge “at home on the international scene”. This couldn’t be more true for me. Having lived in the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium and France, I am active in several international organisations and focus on business and international relations development. Yes, I can confirm, I feel truly at home on the international scene, and I am proud to carry the ECP legacy and spirit with me!
So thank you to everyone involved in the organisation for an excellent evening and here’s to the next thirty years.
You can watch the whole of Founders’ Day via THIS LINK
The English College in Prague has published a new issue of The ECP Newsletter.
Read the latest issue of the ECP newsletter. It brings information about start-of-year trips, student successes, new staff, Festival of Arts, interhouse competitions, other activities and so much more. You can access the newsletter via this link.
Summary:
HM’s message
New staff
Student successes
News
Trips
Sports at ECP
Arts
Book Talk
ECPN
You can look at the archive of ECP newsletters here.
The Open Day at the English College in Prague is a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the atmosphere at the school. Prospective families will get a student guide who will show them around and take them to classrooms where they can observe lessons. Parents have an opportunity to meet the Headmaster, Dr Nigel Brown, the SLT team, teachers and the Admissions Registrar, Mrs Stanislava Jirešová, who coordinates the admissions procedure and can offer detailed information about the entrance exams. The Open Day takes place at our temporary premises at ZŠ Elektra (Sousedíkova 1044/8).
Open Day Programme for 13th November 2024:
14.00
Doors open
14.00 – 16.00
ongoing
Individual tours with student guides, observing lessons
As our Open Days are an important part of our school year, we like to take photographs during the afternoon and may use some of them in our displays or in marketing and other publications. If you do not wish you or your child to appear in our photographs, please tell our photographer and we shall, of course, respect your wishes.
Here at the English College in Prague we are celebrating our 30th anniversary. It was in September 1994 that the iconic Blue Doors opened to the first 117 students for the very first time.
ECP’s origins go back to the fall of communism in 1989 and to a meeting at Prague Castle in February 1990. UK Foreign Office Minister, William Waldegrave, together with the British Ambassador Laurence O’Keeffe and Foreign Office official, Ann Lewis, were talking to President Havel about how the UK could help the newly democratic Czechoslovakia.
President Havel’s press spokesman told them about the old Prague English Grammar School. President Havel said that it had been the school that all young people in his day had wanted to attend. It opened in 1927 to provide an education in English for Prague children, but it was closed down by the Nazis. Although it opened again briefly after the war, it was closed down for good by the Communist regime.
Ann Lewis was intrigued by the possibility of opening a school in Prague to once again, after 40 years of communism, provide a liberal, democratic education in English. She joined forces with Martyn Bond, who ran the European Parliament Office in London. Together with a committee that included the first Chairman of Governors Lord Holme, they spent the next four years raising the money, finding the premises and recruiting the first Headmaster, Hubert Ward. It was he who persuaded Czech parents to take a leap of faith by sending their children to this new, untried educational establishment. The very first parents to enrol their child were the eminent late Czech economist Michael Mejstřík and his wife.
Michal Mejstřik and his wife enrolling their son as the English College in Prague’s first student, with Hubert Ward, our first Headmaster.
ECP’s Principles
Václav Havel was supportive of the project and agreed to become the College’s Czech Patron. He asked HRH The Prince of Wales to become the British Patron and now, thirty years later, The Prince of Wales is His Majesty King Charles III. The College was delighted when he agreed to continue as Patron in recognition of its standing as a widely respected educational institution that has helped some 1700 young people to graduate with the International Baccalaureate, opening doors to prestigious universities around the world.
But although many ECP alumni choose to study abroad, many remain in Prague. One of them, Ema Srnková, who graduated in 2022, is now studying Law at Charles University.
As a Year 4 student, she was present at Founders’ Day in 2019 for the College’s 25th anniversary celebrations. This is what she wrote at the time, recalling what had inspired our Founders to establish the English College.
“So what makes the ECP different, what is it based on? Our teaching methods are based on discussion and critical thinking, just as they were all those years ago, and liberal and international attitudes and values are supported. Mutual communication among pupils, parents and employees is an integral part of school life. The English College is a solid community of like-minded people who value humanity and tolerance. I strongly hope that every student will absorb these principles after six years of study, and in the future, each of us will at least try to unite today’s polarised world. May we, in the next twenty-five years, return to school and say that we have lived our lives through the philosophy that the teachers instilled in us. Think critically. Don’t be afraid to express your own opinion, but listen patiently to others. Help others. Do not tolerate unfair treatment. Studying at the ECP gave me a new perspective on education. At other schools I did not find teachers so enthusiastic, experienced and willing to help. The 25th anniversary reminded me of what the school was trying to give us in addition to education and how I had to behave in order to represent it with dignity. To take full advantage of the development opportunities it offers me. Not only for academic advancement, but also for growth as a human being.”
It is these principles that have provided the foundation for an ECP education over the past three decades. Throughout that time, we have been grateful for the ongoing support we have received from successive British Ambassadors, ever since Laurence O’Keeffe attended that first meeting with President Havel at Prague Castle. Indeed, we are honoured that the former Deputy British Ambassador, Denis Keefe, is now our Chairman of Governors. We were therefore delighted that the current British Ambassador, Matt Field OBE, sent us this message of congratulations on our 30th anniversary. We look forward to welcoming him to the College this autumn to address our Model United Nations.
Some of ECP’s MUN team members (Eileen, Simon, Alex, Annas, and I) all of whom are organising the second year of our very own ECPMUN conference, which will take place from the 11th – 13th of October, were invited to the 19th edition of GLOBSEC Think Tank (30 Aug – 1 Sep). It is an international conference where world leaders discuss pressing world issues. For us, this was a unique opportunity to learn about what is going on in the world. We could hear about various perspectives of all kinds of presidents, prime ministers, and other inspirational guest speakers and hear their views and solutions to these respective issues.
US elections
We attended over 20 sessions and presentations and got to stand and sit next to all kinds of world politicians. It was a truly incredible experience. Some of my favorite sessions focused on the US elections and their impact on the world. One of the interesting side sessions was titled “Shifting Transatlantic Attitudes in an Election Year.” During this session, we quite literally sat around one table with, for example, the Former Minister of Defense of the Netherlands or the President of the Chicago Council & Former US Ambassador to NATO. I learned so much about the impact of the US elections and the vital importance of fostering strong transatlantic relationships between the US and Europe in order to build a safer and more peaceful world.
Human Rights
Additionally, the food at the conference was delicious, and during one of the snack breaks, we also got the chance to talk to the former Tibetan Prime Minister, Mr. Lobsang Sangay. This was one of many pinch-me moments for me during the three days at GLOBSEC. Amongst all of the fascinating sessions we attended, there was one more that stood out to me: GLOBSEC Chat. It focused on how to face and eliminate terrorism in Africa. It was led by Mr. Ahmed Abdi, Member of Parliament & Secretary of the Somali Defence Committee. As a result, I learned a lot about EU’s involvement in fighting terrorist groups and protecting vital infrastructure across Africa, but mainly in Somalia.
I’m very passionate about Human Rights. For this reason, I love to debate in committees focusing on Human Rights issues, which are almost always related to Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, I was excited to learn something new and hear a real politician from the region talk about the situation there. I cannot wait to apply this knowledge in my future MUN debates.
I still cannot believe that we were able to attend such a prestigious event. As Ms. Kister said, got to “rub shoulders” with some of the most influential people in the world who are shaping and fighting for our future. I left GLOBSEC feeling more inspired to make a positive difference than ever before. I hope to become a change-maker myself one day, just like all the inspirational guest speakers we had the chance to listen to and meet.
We are pleased to report an excellent set of IB results again this year. A total of 75 ECP students sat the IB exams in May, achieving an average of 34. This is four points more than the world average of 30, out of a possible 45. Very impressively, 30% (23) of ECP students scored 38 points or more. 38 is usually the minimum entry requirement of the world’s top universities. In addition, 16% (12) achieved 40 points or more.
Maximum points
One student in particular has good reason to be very pleased with her results. Lily Huong Mac is one of those very rare students who achieved the almost impossible maximum score of 45 points. Only around 1% of students worldwide manage this very exceptional result.
At our Graduation Ceremony in Betlémská kaple, Lily won not only the Professor Helena Illnerová Prize for Biology and the Psychology Prize, but also the coveted Chairman of Governors’ Prize for Academic Achievement. In the citations for these prizes, Lily was lauded as “embodying the essence of a ‘renaissance’ student, excelling in diverse disciplines from science to art, showcasing a rare blend of talent and diligence.” She was described as “having an insightful and analytic understanding of human behaviour”. It is therefore very apt that she has chosen to study Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the London School of Economics.
University Destinations
But as well as Lily’s place at LSE, ECP students will be starting the new academic year at many other outstanding universities. They are bound for the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe as well as the USA and Canada. 17 will be heading off to the UK to attend top Russell group universities such as LSE, UCL and Edinburgh. 6 are embarking on courses at excellent North American institutions such as UBC. The Netherlands continues to be a popular destination, with 25 students opting to study a wide range of courses at UvA, Groningen and Leiden. Another 12 students will be attending universities in Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Austria. Finally, 13 will be staying in the Czech Republic to study courses including Medicine and Law at Charles University.
We offer ECP’s Class of 24 our hearty congratulations on their results and every success in their future studies and careers.
The English College in Prague has published a new issue of The ECP Newsletter.
Read the latest issue of the ECP newsletter. It brings information about the Graduation Ceremony, student successes, ECP Olympic Festival, the Earth theme, arts activities and so much more. You can access the newsletter via this link.
Summary:
HM’s message
Graduation Ceremony
Student successes
Trips
Sports at ECP
News
The Earth theme
Arts
Book Talk
ECPN
You can look at the archive of ECP newsletters here.
