Official termination of the Czech Presidency of the Board of Governors of the European Schools

12/21/2015

The Board of Governors of European Schools approved final report of the Czech Presidency during the December meeting which took place in the office of Secretary General in Brussels. By this action the Czech Presidency in European Schools was completed.

All present representatives of the EU member states evaluated positively the course of the Czech Presidency and also appreciated the final report, its structure, clarity and accuracy.

As to the Czech Presidency it is possible to note that all priorities stated for the pedagogical fields were met. The most significant shifts occurred in the field of professional development and evaluation of teachers, in the curricula harmonization and evaluation of pupils´ education outcomes in the whole educational system.

Priorities of the Czech Presidency in the Board of Governors of the European Schools in the pedagogical field (school year 2015/2015)

1) Accredited European Schools

Opening new schools in Copenhagen, Brindisi and Culham (September 2014)
New project to be assessed

2) Professional development and teachers´ evaluation

Implementation of new standards for learning and teaching
Piloting of new evaluation tools in chosen schools in the school year 2015/2015

3) Status of locally recruited teachers

Finishing the negotiation about status and decision acceptance in the school year 2014/2015

4) Systematic and continuous provision of high quality education

Review, adaptation and harmonization of curricula
Proper curriculum implementation with regards to standards in education
Completion the system of evaluation tools and their coherence through all educational cycles
Internal and external school evaluation
Implementation of educational programme for pre-school education

5) Effective administration and management of working groups

Professional leadership, interconnection of groups and transparency

6) Reorganization of secondary cycle

Continuous work following the public demand

7) Implementation of decisions regarding the reform of European maturita

Discussion relating to digitalization of written exams (Autumn 2014)
Proposal of assessment scale based on relevant working group´s report (Autumn 2014)

Working groups composed of school inspectors, European school teachers, external experts and in some cases also parents were working on fulfilment of these tasks. The activity was executed in cooperation with the Office of Secretary General and was monitored by administrative bodies of European Schools, namely by the Council of Inspectors and Common Pedagogical Council.

Over the Presidency, the Czech School Inspectorate initiated two meetings within the frame of national debate on Quality School model and the Czech School Inspectorate organized two international seminars – one on the topic of SEN pupils´ education and the second on the topic of pre-school education.

Recommendations that are part of the final report resulted from the Czech Presidency, analyses of educational system, the whole year outcomes and other findings:

Final conclusions and recommendations

To continue in implementation of evaluation system in the primary cycle and gradually prepare new evaluation scale in the secondary cycle
To revise curricula until September 2018 and in the course of the revision to focus on cross-subject interconnection
To prepare a proposal for reorganization of the secondary cycle in grades S4 – S7
To accept necessary measures for modification of the framework for whole school inspection activity in European Schools
To complete tools for professional development and evaluation of teachers and to reform conception of further education
To adjust the status of locally recruited teachers
To implement effective way of assessment of written part of maturita exams with the use of ICT, to ensure quality of European maturita and to consider recommendations which are stated in the report submitted by the Chairwomen of the maturita commission 2015
To improve the system of information and support of accredited schools and to ensure their inclusion in the highest possible way into organized activities
To define obligatory structure of the Presidency report

The Czech Presidency of the European schools belongs already to the past. In the course of the Presidency many positive changes in several fields were achieved and it is necessary to go on with these trends in the next years. In the next school year the Presidency was overtaken by Danish colleagues who have built on the Czech success and continue in the positive transformation of educational system within European Schools.

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