Building a new network of grammar schools and schools
Our vision is to provide students with an education that prepares them for the modern world and motivates them to seek and develop their own interests and talents.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Parallel to the opening of our first grammar school in Prague, we asked the Ministry of Education for the possibility to establish other schools throughout the Czech Republic.
We want to use our know-how and experience in building successful private schools so that students in all regions can be educated in an environment that emphasizes the integration of practical experience into teaching, curriculum flexibility, fostering creativity and partnerships between teachers, students and parents.
"I met people in Foster who really want to change education and teaching for the better."
Ing. Lucie Svobodová, Deputy Director for Projects and Customer Care
Now here lies a unique opportunity to grow with us and create new schools. To breathe life into them, to put your heart into them, and to experience the great feeling of working on something that has great meaning.
To keep our teachers sharp
Because foster in English means to promote growth.
Personalities who motivate and lead students to success
We create an environment that fosters students' self-confidence, independence, uniqueness and fulfills their thirst for knowledge. For such an environment to be effective, the people who create it must be authentic, fair and open. Our team is made up of teachers and practitioners who want to pass on to students not only their know-how but also their life experiences. To be role models and equip them with the principles and skills that will help them find their place in the world and succeed in it.
What is important to us is empathy and the ability to not only draw students into their subjects, but especially the ability to allow students to discover and develop their strengths.
Freedom to learn and create on your own terms
Fostra won most of us over with its environment built on freedom, creativity and autonomy. Before the first school year, we defined the Fostra Framework Standards together, but how we translate them into our lessons is up to each of us. We have the freedom to choose our textbooks, our tools, the way and form of teaching, or even whether we tick or swear at our students. We are free to make our teaching our own, and for many of us that was the reason we returned to teaching after many years or started teaching.
Cool team
Just as the quality of each teacher's teaching is crucial to us, the maturity of their personality is also extremely important. This principle was imprinted on us by our founders, who believe that the greatest value of a school is not the building or the grounds, but the people. As a result, we have managed to create a cohesive team in the choir room that pulls together. We appreciate that we can rely on each other, communicate openly with each other and behave naturally without being judged. Even though we teach different subjects, at different times and in different ways, we like to collaborate in the classroom and advise each other or share our best practices. If you teach Czech and you feel it would be fun to link your lesson with a history lesson, just get in touch.
We believe that a positive and constructive attitude gives our team confidence, encourages creativity and helps us to succeed.
Perfect background for growth
Our positive mindset is not about blind optimism, but rather about realizing that by trying and working we can influence our destiny and achieve goals that may have seemed too ambitious at the beginning. All it takes is our own willingness to learn, to innovate and to take in feedback from colleagues, students or teachers. In return, we offer you the perfect environment where we don't see teachers as an afterthought, but instead actively help them to focus on the work itself and develop. If you need to arrange something, such as a trip, a project day or to buy new equipment, just get in touch with one of the management team and we will help you.
Interview with co-owner Stanislav Pavlín
"The real value of our schools is the people and their ability to work together."
You have been in the education business since 2008. What do you think is the most important thing in this sector?
The real value of our schools is not the buildings or the technical equipment, but the passionate people and their ability to support the development of students, work with colleagues and inspire each other. By this I mean the teachers, the headteacher, but also all the non-teaching and support roles of the team, with whose help we can fulfil our mission to develop in children a desire for education, success and a happy life. Without them we would not fulfil our mission, they would be just another ordinary school.
At the same time, I firmly believe that the key person in every school is the headmaster or headmistress. We try to fill this position before we have a building selected and at the stage when we are creating the whole school concept. It is important for us that the principal or headteacher can be involved in building the whole school from A to Z, leave their mark on the school and build a team of teachers with whom it will all work well. Such an assignment is a big challenge and it is not for everyone, we are aware of that.
What kind of people is this mission suitable for?
The basic requirement is enthusiasm. An inner desire to overcome the status quo. Even though we are growing and there are over 100 of us together, we still maintain the character of a family business. Everybody does everything and we help each other. We value people who share the same values of belonging, respect, willingness to help each other and to invest a little extra in their work. Not because you have to, but because it feels normal.
Where do you get your inspiration? Who, if anyone, do you consult when developing schools?
I think it's very important that our schools move forward and take the best of the world around us and keep up with it. We are working on this on several levels. First of all, the Anglo-Saxon education system is a great inspiration for me personally and I would like to transfer certain schemes to the Czech environment.
A lot of inspiration also comes from within our team. The vast majority of the good ideas and innovations we have implemented in the past period have come from our colleagues. I am very happy about this because it is just a confirmation that these are the right people in the right place.
In addition, we have an advisory board of people from outside our schools. It is mainly made up of people who are close to education and also inspire us in other areas in which they are experts. Together we identify and address new challenges, for example currently how best to integrate artificial intelligence into teaching.
We are building a Fostra academy for our teachers, which provides them with an opportunity for continuous development, learning and a source of innovation. Through all of these mechanisms, we want to influence the culture of how we teach in our schools.
Building a school is a long haul. How do you evaluate whether you're succeeding?
The success of a school cannot be measured by one metric. I try to look at the whole ecosystem around the school. I talk to students, I talk to teachers, I talk to parents. The feedback is very valuable to me and it lets me know if we are moving in the right direction. Currently, I am proud to say that the students and their parents are very happy with us. This gives me confidence that we are moving in the right direction. Personally, I always see room for improvement. The worst thing that could happen to us is to stagnate, to stop wanting to improve. But that won't happen to us (laughs).
In September 2023, you opened the first Fostra Gymnasium in Prague's Žižkov district. What are your plans for the future?
We have many plans, because we want to move Czech education to higher standards. We have asked the Ministry of Education for the possibility to open several more grammar schools. We are also preparing technical lyceums. Lyceums have almost disappeared from our education system, and I think that's a pity. In our submission, it is a form of education that is qualitatively comparable to a grammar school, and in addition, the student will gain technical knowledge. So if you want to study, for example, architecture at university, this is the best choice for you. Given the current situation in Europe, we have also submitted a project for a Czech-Ukrainian grammar school to the Ministry and a project for a European grammar school under the auspices of the European Commission representation.
What would you personally like to achieve with the grammar school?
My goal is to create a network of secondary schools of exceptional quality, which will be positively evaluated by students and their parents. Through the schools, I would like to move the Czech education system towards world standards and thus expand the opportunity to study in the Czech Republic at a grammar school of international quality. And I personally would like students to remember their years here as the best in their student life.
Better to experience it once than hear about it a hundred times
We are demanding and expect our colleagues to be able to engage, use modern technology and work actively with students to give their best.
So if you decide to join us, we want to experience your teaching. We've all had the same experience and have given other colleagues a demonstration lesson at interview. We need to experience how you interact with students, what methods you like, how you talk and how you handle even difficult situations. We then review your lesson on the spot so you know what we liked or vice versa.
There is a very good background for us and we feel solid ground under our feet. We can put all our energy into developing our subject and teaching skills.
Fostra Academy
With the planned expansion of our schools into the regions, we are preparing our own internal development platform for teachers. We want to provide them with didactic and methodological support to ensure a uniform level and quality of not only teaching but also communication with students or parents in all schools. Fostra Academy will combine both full-time and distance learning and offer professional meetings and workshops with coaches, lecturers or psychologists to strengthen the competences of all our teachers and principals.
Only Prague for now, but other places coming soon
Our first gymnasium found a home in Prague's Žižkov district. Today we have three branches - two in Prague 3 and one in Prague 5 - and we are still opening more. We carefully select all locations to be easily accessible and offer quality facilities for both students and teachers.