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Dr Gaëlle Vassogne

Head of History

Dr Vassogne grew up in Alsace and was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, the Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle and H.E.C. Paris. After receiving the agrégation (the competitive examination for the civil service in public education)** in the German language and a Master’s degree in Business, she realised that her true passion was teaching and research and went on to complete a PhD in German Studies.

Dr Vassogne specialises in German and Central European History. She was an assistant professor of German Studies at the Université Grenoble Alpes and has taught at the Universität Heidelberg, the Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Since moving to Prague in 2009, she has taught History at NYU Prague, Charles University and the Anglo-American University.

She has published a monograph on Max Brod as well as several co-edited volumes, book chapters and articles.

Dr Vassogne specialises in German and Central European History. She was an assistant professor of German Studies at the Université Grenoble Alpes and has taught at the Universität Heidelberg, the Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Since moving to Prague in 2009, she has taught History at NYU Prague, Charles University and the Anglo-American University.

She has published a monograph on Max Brod as well as several co-edited volumes, book chapters and articles.

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Martina Filipovičová

Attendance Officer

Martina joined the English College in 2006 as Secretary to the Deputy Headsand subsequently worked as Academic and Examinations secretary.She left on maternity leave in 2013 and, since September 2020 has worked as the school’s Attendance officer. 
Originally from Tabor, she grew up in Prague and before coming to the ECP  worked at the State Social Security Administration Office in Prague.In her spare time she enjoys road-running & dancing, building aquariums and gardening, reading and spending time with her children.

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Kilian McGrath

Head of Biology; Science

 

Kilian grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Graduating from Queen’s University Belfast with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and an MSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, he received his PGCE from Sheffield Hallam University via the Teach First Programme. After two years teaching Sciences in Hull, England, he then spent two years in an international school in Yangon, Myanmar. During this time, he acquired an MA in Education Leadership via the University of Manchester. Over the past few years, he and his fiancée have grown fond of Prague and they became determined to work here eventually. Thankfully, both have now been fortunate to get jobs at two excellent schools in this beautiful city.

Kilian plays the cello, guitar and sings. He loves sports and currently plays for a Gaelic football club here in Prague. Football is his main sport, but he also enjoys touch rugby and is an avid runner. He loves travelling and would consider himself a big movie buff.

 

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Alison Vella

Head of Business Studies & Teacher of Geography

Alison started her teaching career in Malta in 1998, where she spent sixteen years teaching Geography at A-level. As a qualified EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher, she has also had a parallel career teaching English in language school settings in Malta. Alison left the island in 2017, moving first to Budapest where she taught English as an Additional Language and then to Vienna to teach Geography (IB DP), Environmental Systems and Societies (IB DP) and Individuals and Societies (MYP).

In her free time, Alison likes singing and going to the gym. She is also a certified scuba diver and loves exploring the underwater world when she can. In the near future, part of her spare time will be dedicated to learning Czech, a challenge she is looking forward to taking up!

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Anna Štrosová

HR Manager

Anna comes originally from Eastern Slovakia. After studying Preschool Pedagogy and Psychology at Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia in St Petersburg, she worked with children in a psychological counselling centre. 

After moving to Prague in 1992, she started working in Human Resources and at the same time, completed her HR education at the British Institute of Personnel Development in 1996. Anna began her career in the private sector in retail, as a Recruitment Officer, later working as an HR manager for several international companies in the insurance and automotive sectors and, most recently, for a Swiss pharmaceutical company.

She and her husband Dominik spent four years in Brussels, where they had two children who are now studying at King’s College London and the University of Glasgow. She considers the comprehensive development and meaningful education of children to be all parents’ most important contribution.

Anna very much welcomed the opportunity to join the ECP and to return to an educational environment. In her spare time, she enjoys studying, reading, attending theatre and film festivals and getting to know new cities and people. She also likes cycling and yoga.

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Libor Jícha

Caretaker

After leaving school, Libor worked for almost 10 years as a zootechnician (animal husbandry) in agriculture. After the Velvet Revolution, he worked in various trades, in particular, the implementation of large-screen projection, which became his lifelong hobby. Since 2009 Libor has been working in education in various positions at the Jedlička Institute, the University of Economics and as a lecturer at a mobile planetarium. In a way, education has grown to his heart. In addition to audio video projection, in his spare time he enjoys archery and climbing and spending time with his children.

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Matthew Jarvis

Teacher of Mathematics

Matt Jarvis is British and grew up in the East Midlands. He graduated from the University of Wales, College of Cardiff in the 1980s where he studied Mathematics, Computing and Statistics. After doing voluntary work in Northern Ireland, he completed his PGCE at Loughborough University. He has taught Mathematics since 1991 – in England, Kuwait and Oman. Matt arrived in Prague in 1998. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, researching his family tree, learning Czech, programming, listening to fiddle music, running and cycling.

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Veronika Bucharová

Teacher of Czech Language and Literature & Czech as a Second Language

Veronika originally comes from East Bohemia, birthplace of many Czech authors (B. Němcová, A. Jirásek, J. Škvorecký). After graduating from Náchod Grammar School, she studied Czech and English at the Pedagogical Faculty of Hradec Králové University. Veronika wanted to gain more experience as an English teacher so she worked at St Elphin’s School in Matlock in the north of England. She observed how modern foreign languages are taught in the UK and helped with the boarding side of the school as a housemistress. After her return to the Czech Republic, Veronika spent 15 years teaching at Riverside School in Prague. During this time, she organised trips to help in a children’s home in West Bohemia. She also travelled to Tanzania, Uganda and China helping schools and children’s homes. She joined the English College in Prague in 2014 as a teacher of Czech Language and Literature and Czech as a Second Language. She has been involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award since 2005 and currently coordinates the ECP’s DofE programme.

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James Foster

Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Spanish & German

James is originally from Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, where he developed a passion for languages and chose to make language learning core to his future career. After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in German & Spanish in 2018, James decided to complete his PGCE at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln the following year. After this, the sense of adventure acquired throughout his year abroad during undergraduate study led to the desire to work in Prague. He later completed his Masters in Education degree whilst working at ECP. In his free time, James enjoys cycling and exploring the city by foot as well as travelling whenever possible.

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Katy MacLeod

Head of Arts Faculty

Katy MacLeod was brought up in a large family from the Scottish Highlands. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh after studying Drawing & Painting simultaneously with History of Art. After a year as a Royal Scottish Academy scholar in Florence, Italy, and convinced that one day she would live overseas again, Katy returned to Edinburgh to study a PGDE in Primary and Secondary Art & Design, deciding that the best way to address Picasso’s challenge on how to remain an artist when you have grown up was to get a proper job and become an Art teacher!

Three schools later, including a rewarding yet challenging time spent working in a community school in one of Scotland’s most deprived areas, a series of fortunate events led to her arrival in Prague in August 2013 – a city which captivated, and continues to indulge her interests in scenography, film, architecture and the Arts. 
Delighted to join the staff at ECP, Katy has a broad range of educational experiences having worked in primary, secondary and adult Art education. A passionate advocate for the Arts, and experienced in developing artistic and cultural departmental profile, she is familiar with the challenges of managing exhibitions, festivals and projects on a variety of scales, with a range of target audiences and stakeholders. She maintains strong interests in current Arts education practice, and is a contributing member of the International Society for Education through Arts, IJADE conferences, and the National Society for Art & Design Education.