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Základná škola Námestie mladosti 1, Žilina
Základná škola Námestie mladosti 1 is a primary school located in Žilina, a city in northern Slovakia. Established in 1991, the school serves approximately 500 pupils and is supported by a dedicated team of teachers, teaching assistants, psychologists, and special and social education professionals. Our school ethos, School – Community of Personalities, is embedded in every aspect of school life. Seven years ago, we began developing essential life and learning skills in our own unique way. Motivated to enhance our approach and seek new sources of inspiration, we decided to join the Global Accelerator programme. Last school year marked a significant milestone in the Slovak educational system as we began implementing one of the most comprehensive curriculum reforms. Our school is proud to be among the first to pilot and introduce this new national curriculum, which places a strong emphasis on skill development and competency-based learning. The primary objective of this reform is to modernise educational content and introduce more engaging teaching methods and approaches. The reform emphasises modernisation, diversification, and improved quality of education, with a strong focus on skill development. New areas such as Character and Metacognition have been incorporated into the State Educational Programme, underscoring the shift toward a more holistic and competency-based learning framework.
Participating in the Skills Builder programme reaffirmed that the path we chose several years ago was the right one. It allowed us to reflect, organise our efforts more systematically, and view our work from a fresh perspective. Last school year, thanks to Skills Builder Global, we made significant progress in skill development. Our main focus was on building connections with the local community, opening our school to the wider public, and encouraging greater parental involvement in our activities. We also value the opportunity to connect with schools from different parts of the world, allowing us to share experiences and draw mutual inspiration. Thanks to these factors, we had a considerable head start in implementing the reform compared to other schools. That is why we would like to serve as a model and offer a helping hand to others. We know from our own experience that this is neither a quick nor an easy process. Our work has gained further recognition through the Gold Award granted by Skills Builder Global, which also led to coverage in local media. We highly value this recognition and see this update as part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standard of practice required to retain this award. In the Autumn, we welcomed a visit from representatives of the Ministry of Education, who were interested in how we implement morning communities, support critical thinking, and bring the national curriculum reform into everyday practice. We have also hosted teachers from the Czech Republic as part of the Erasmus+ programme, who visited our school for a professional learning stay. Their feedback on our systematic approach to skills development was highly positive and affirmed the impact of our work in an international context. Due to its continued success, we once again organised EdukaFest – a nationwide educational event where our school opens its doors to teachers and educational professionals. Visitors had the opportunity to observe lessons, participate in workshops, and gain practical inspiration for implementing skill-based learning and educational reform.
All classrooms begin the day with what we call a Morning Community (SOVA), led by the class teacher. This time is dedicated to skill development through structured activities. A designated supervisor coordinates the content of SOVA, providing teachers with a set of activities and flashcards focused on a specific skill, tailored to the pupils' developmental stage. We created our own skills icons where we implemented details from our school logo with the colour scheme of Skills Builder. Each year level focuses on one essential skill, which is developed gradually through consecutive steps. The supervisor communicates regularly with teachers to monitor progress and suggest adjustments when needed. We value an individualised approach, as each class may progress at a different pace. In Year 8, pupils focus on presentation skills, while in Year 9, the emphasis shifts to professional skills. These lessons have been a stable part of our curriculum for several years. Starting in the pre-school year, each pupil creates a personal portfolio to collect outcomes, worksheets, and activities related to their skill development. These portfolios are regularly reviewed during meetings called RUŽA, where the pupil, teacher, teaching assistant, and parents discuss the child's progress. We have also enhanced student engagement through portfolios by introducing a new section titled “My Journey to Skills”, where pupils collect stickers as they achieve specific milestones. This simple visual system has proven to be highly motivating and supports students in reflecting on their own progress.
In addition to academic grades, our report cards also include a brief commentary that highlights the development of key skills. Starting last year, we introduced weekly reports for Year 1 students. This year, these weekly reports are used in Year 1 and Year 2. These reports provide an overview of the curriculum covered during the week, as well as updates on the pupil’s progress in the year-level skill focus. Each report includes self-assessment by the pupil, formative feedback from the class teacher, and input from the parent. Our aim is to gradually implement this system of weekly reports across all year groups. In higher year levels, students actively participate in the evaluation process by writing their own report cards. They assess not only their academic achievements—both in terms of grades and narrative comments—but also reflect on their personal development, cooperation with peers, and overall progress.
Each student has the opportunity to develop their skills not only during the Morning Community (SOVA), but also through a variety of classroom activities integrated into everyday learning. Teachers meet regularly and participate in continuous professional development to ensure that skill-building becomes a natural and consistent part of every lesson. To support this effort, we have developed our own original tool – the CO-box – a resource box containing materials and activities designed to enhance cooperation and collaboration among students. Parents are kept informed about ongoing activities and student progress through social media, the school website, and regular in-person meetings. Student progress is monitored and evaluated through various assessment and self-assessment tools. A dedicated team of supervisors oversees the entire process to ensure that it runs smoothly, systematically, and that both students and teachers are fully engaged and actively involved. To ensure consistency and quality, we have introduced new internal tools for teachers. One of them is a set of observation bookmarks, used during peer lesson observations, where teachers regularly visit each other’s lessons. These help focus attention on key aspects of teaching, including whether skills are being developed systematically and intentionally in every lesson. This year, teachers are also working in creative working groups, collaborating on projects that support school development. One example is the creation of learning progress maps, which are closely linked to our focus on formative assessment.
What makes our school unique in the region is our strong focus on developing basic skills. These are not taught only in separate lessons but are naturally integrated across all subjects. We actively support independence, as well as critical and creative thinking, through methods such as inquiry-based learning—for example, in our Expedition project or peer to peer education. A key element of success is our team of mentors who have completed specialized training. They observe lessons, offer feedback, and hold regular consultations with teachers. A key step forward has been whole-staff professional development. All teachers, teaching assistants, and members of the support team have completed two-part training as part of in-service education. The first part focused on the importance of soft skills development, while the second was dedicated to applying the Skills Builder principles in everyday teaching practice. Basic skills are also cultivated through extracurricular activities and events involving not only students but also parents, grandparents, and members of the local community. We regularly share these experiences on our social media and school website. We intentionally support the development of essential skills not only through lessons but also through clubs, competitions, volunteering opportunities, community projects and school events. This whole-school approach helps students recognise that essential skills are relevant across all aspects of school life.
We also develop skills through community activities, such as cleaning our neighborhood or organizing Challenge Days—eight of which take place during the school year. We actively involve our local community through events like reading for grandparents, Christmas gatherings, and our Open Day. To bring real life into the classroom, we invite guests from various professions to speak with students. Our support team—made up of school psychologists, a social pedagogue, and special educators—provides comprehensive care for students with special educational needs. They offer consultations for students, teachers, and parents, and we’ve created special rooms tailored to individual needs. Thanks to their work, we can confidently say that skill development at our school includes every child. We are also a training school for a local university, hosting teaching students for their practical training. From the start, we emphasize that skill development must be a key part of their approach. Our teachers have even shared their experience of integrating skills into lessons at a workshop for colleagues from a neighboring district.
We would like to continue building on the system we have established. Next year, every single class will already be engaged in morning community time and targeted skill development from the very beginning of schooling. The difference between students who have followed this approach from the start and those who joined later is clearly visible. In addition, we are eager to inspire other schools to join the programme, as it can significantly support them in implementing educational reforms. We are beginning to be approached by schools in our region that are only starting to introduce morning communities, educational reforms, and the development of soft skills. For this reason, one of our future goals is to focus on supporting and training colleagues from other schools. Looking ahead, we have identified two key development goals. Firstly, we plan to transform the Skills Builder reflective questions into a set of practical tools – including teacher cards and visual aids for classrooms. Secondly, we are developing a “buddy system”, in which older students will take on a mentoring role for younger pupils, further strengthening relationships and peer learning. At the same time, we continue to maintain and develop our established practices, such as morning communities, thematic days, experiential learning, and project-based work in Year 8. These remain a stable and essential part of our approach to building a school culture focused on skills, relationships, and meaningful learning.
