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ZŠ Nám. Jiřího z Poděbrad

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ZŠ Nám. Jiřího z Poděbrad
Context
Our school is located in the heart of Prague, directly on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square. The school building forms one of its landmarks. With 530 students, it ranks among medium-sized schools. Our team consists of 39 teachers, 13 teaching assistants, and 8 after-school care educators. An integral part of the school is also our caretaking couple, kitchen staff, and cleaning staff.
Overall impact
The program strengthened communication across the teaching staff and became one of the main topics of the school year. In classrooms, hallways, and the entrance hall, infographics gradually began to appear, becoming a natural part of school life. As a team, we are gradually realizing that the same terminology associated with using individual skills is becoming part of our daily life.
Principle 1: Align
This principle was absolutely key for us, as it anchored us to the need for a gradual implementation of the methodology, and we felt that a gradual and gentle rollout was important for both teachers and children. Legal guardians learned about the implementation of the methodology and its terminology as early as the open house day in spring 2025 and during meetings with future first-graders. In September, we informed parents via a letter, and in November, we organized a parent cafe on the topic "Skills Builder: Why soft skills matter to us at Jiřák."
Principle 2: Plan
We started implementing the methodology at the beginning of the school year, with all first-grade classes involved, joined voluntarily by other teachers, who ultimately formed the majority of the teaching staff. Thanks to this, we managed to have at least one teacher using the methodology in every class across the school. The hardest part was following the rule to persevere. Thanks to regular joint meetings, we shared successes and failures and supported each other.
Principle 3: Measure
We most frequently used oral feedback; some classes used a sticker system. For the 3rd quarter evaluation, we created "Playful Self-Assessment" for primary grades and "Structured Self-Assessment" for lower secondary grades, in which we placed soft skills self-assessment at the forefront.
Principle 4: Teach
Each month, during a joint meeting, we agreed on which skill to develop across the school, setting specific steps individually according to the needs of classes and individuals. In the second semester, we agreed that the needs of teachers and individual groups were varied enough that we began selecting skills based on specific needs.
Principle 5: Practise
We continuously revisit individual skills based on daily situations and needs. We incorporate skills not only into regular lessons, but also into class and school-wide projects—especially sports week, during which lower secondary students engaged in various sports activities, strengthening communication skills across grades, teamwork, and problem-solving in unpredictable situations. Students similarly reinforced these skills on the ski trip. Another major event was preparing for the Christmas market, where we focused on fostering collaboration across different grade levels. Another major school-wide project was "Jiřák's Got Talent"—focusing on collaboration, problem solving, presentation skills, and ambition. Students also consciously strengthened presentation skills during the open house, guiding dozens of parents and presenting our school to them.
Principle 6: Apply
We continuously inform parents about the rollout of the methodology. A parent cafe was dedicated to this topic, we discussed it during the Open House, and homeroom teachers update parents during parent-teacher conferences. The ski course was planned to foster connection among students from 6th to 9th grade. Many activities focused on strengthening teamwork, collaboration, and communication. These skills were also consciously reinforced during school sports week. Currently, children are building these skills through the school-wide project "Jiřák's Got Talent."
What's next
This school year has shown us that introducing soft skills makes great sense. At the same time, it is important for us to consolidate the methodology, move forward with it, and share experiences continuously. Established collaboration will therefore continue in the next school year. We will focus on developing additional skills that received less attention this year. We will definitely focus on regularly monitoring progress and reinforcing a unified language. We would love for soft skills to become a natural part of teaching and school life.
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