English College in Prague

The English College in Prague – Anglické gymnázium, o.p.s. is a selective Czecho-British secondary school, providing education in the English language.^[1] The system of the College is designed for students of 13–19 years of age (the Czech students arrive from the 7th class in primary school), and so is a 6-year school.

The College schools around 370 students, of which around 70% are Czech, and 30% from foreign countries, such as those in Eastern Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, among others.

History

In 1990 the suggestion was made at a meeting of British diplomats with President Vaclav Havel to set up a new school in Prague similar to the English Grammar School, which had flourished intermittently in Prague between 1927 and 1954. In 1992 a new charity, The English College Foundation, began raising funds. The intention was to found a secondary school which would provide an academic education on British lines, meet the intense demand for English and contribute to the development of Czechoslovakia's emerging democracy. The project was endorsed by the three main political parties in the UK, and President Havel and the Prince of Wales agreed to be Joint Patrons of the English College. By 1994 a suitable building had been found, conveniently situated next to the metro station in Vysocany twelve minutes from the centre of Prague, and the school opened its doors in September that year.

The College is governed by a Board of Governors drawn from the Czech Republic and the UK.

Campus

The College is nowadays situated at the subway station Vysočanská and near a shopping centre with a food court. The school buildings include specialised science laboratories, an art centre and music room, a computer centre, a well-equipped library, a multi purpose hall and an all-weather outdoor area.

Curriculum

The curriculum is made of two leading educational programmes, the IGCSE and International Baccalaureate (IB). Along with finishing the IB in the sixth year, the students also get hold of the Czech Maturita, which is the legal document of achieving secondary education, and allows them to make their attempts to Czech universities.

Czech language is present as a part of the Maturita. Although for non-Czech speakers, a programme without it is prepared.

Extracurricular activities

The College provides numerous in-school and out-of-school activities including rock-climbing, chess and poetry slams etc and many opportunities to become involved in charitable activities.

References

Coordinates: 50°6′35.57″N 14°29′59.54″E / 50.1098806°N 14.4998722°E / 50.1098806; 14.4998722