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ZŠ a MŠ Višňové, okres Znojmo, p.o
The school in Višňové is a public school for children from 3 – 15 years old. It consists of four parts: a nursery school, a primary and a lower secondary school, an after-school club and a school canteen. It is located in the Znojmo district, the South Moravian Region, the Czech Republic. There are 175 pupils from eight villages learning at the school. Our school is “open” to the public, to new ideas, and to innovations. It creates a safe and friendly environment by focusing on healthy relationships between children and all the people involved in education. Families are important partners for our school. We support this cooperation by sharing information, using open communication, and creating chances for informal meetings. We believe that encouraging a proactive attitude, an enterprising spirit and building essential skills are the key to success in both life and learning. That is why we joined the Skills Builder Accelerator program. We started to work on eight key skills: listening, speaking, problem solving, creativity, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork.
Skills Builder helps us name the skills we have been trying to develop more intuitively. It also gives us tools to work with these skills in a clear and long-term way. Thanks to this, pupils gain more self-confidence, become aware of their strengths, and can cooperate better. We find joining the program as a big benefit for the whole school team – not only for the children, but also for the teachers. We also believe that the parents of our pupils will soon see the positive effects on their children’s behaviour and thinking. We are proud to be part of a community of schools that prepare children for life – not only with knowledge, but also with practical skills.
The skills, their steps and logos are clearly visible in common areas of the school, as well as in all classrooms. The language of essential skills is used all over the school. The skill which is currently being developed by the whole school is also shown and regularly reminded, for example, during the traditional morning announcements. Every month, teachers meet at staff meetings to share their ideas and experiences, talk together, and prepare for the next month and the next skill.
Teachers regularly check the level their pupils have reached in each skill and record everything in the EDOOKIT information system. In this system, Skills Builder is set up as a “subject” in every class, and all teachers who work with that class have access to the assessments. This way of tracking progress works very well, because teachers can easily see which skills and steps the pupils have already practised, how well they did, and what can be done next. Pupils and their parents are also well informed about this at the same time. In addition to this, teachers' feedback is often used directly in lessons, as well as peer assessment and, of course, different forms of self-assessment. All this is then summed up in a three-way meeting, where the pupil, his/her parent, and the class teacher discuss it together.
Each month, the whole school focuses just on one skill. In January and June, we go back to the skills that have been practised so far. When choosing specific activities, we use the Skills Builder resource bank or our own materials. We operate themed Skills Builder Days that we organise twice a school year. For example, during an activity focused on Leadership, pupils tried the role of team leaders in practical challenges, they organised groups, planned their steps, and evaluated how well the cooperation worked. At the end, they shared what they had learned and reflected on their experience.
These days are popular not only with pupils, but also with teachers, because they allow a deeper focus on one specific skill in the context of a real task and situation.
Regular practice happens in lessons. Teachers often choose activities that connect the development of an essential skill with learning new content or that are related to the subject in some way. In Czech language lessons, pupils practise active listening and presenting.
In art lessons, they develop creativity, and in group projects, they learn to work together and divide roles effectively. Various project days and other school events are also linked to essential skills development – for example, creating the school magazine.
One of the most successful activities of the year was the “Essential Skills Week”. During this week, older pupils (Years 11 – 15) were working in teams like in small companies – they planned, designed, and presented their own ideas for improving the school environment. They worked consciously with specific steps from the Skills Builder framework and evaluated their own progress. With younger children, teachers used stories and movement games to help them practise skills such as listening or asking for help. Pupil-led projects are also closely connected with essential skills development – for example: Outdoor Classroom, Edible Garden, From Egg to Eggs, and others. As well as many events for the public that are planned and run by pupils, such as St. Nicholas Celebration, School Ball, Carnival Party with costumes and music, walking event. named Višňovská 15, School Canteen Day, and Graduation Projects.
We see the essential skills development as a key thing for our school in the coming years.
From September 2025, we plan to include our kindergarten in the Skills Builder programme.
We also want to expand essential skills development into after-school education – that means our school club and after-school care.
