On 20 - 21 February, the Litomyšl Castle Hill was filled with pedagogical workers from all corners of the country. The reason was a unique event, the education festival Kick Up Your School, which focuses on new educational trends and their implementation in practice.
The amount of experience, practical skills and contacts gained was what most of the participants of the Nakopněte svůj školu festival, which took place in the modern conference halls of Litomyšl's Zámecký návrší (Castle Hill) in the past few days, appreciated the most. This was the first year of the festival, which has the ambition to become one of the most popular educational events among the professional public. Most of the participants, who filled the capacity of the festival in record time after registration opened, were principals of primary schools or their representatives. The subtitle of this year's event was School for All - How to do it. The participants were educated through lectures and, above all, more than twenty professional workshops in sections dedicated to mathematical and reading literacy, good relations in school and the topic of how to run a school for all. "I very much appreciate the opportunity to get inspiration from so many experts in one place, such two days bring additional motivation to our work" said one of the participants Tereza Bedřicha Veselá about the programme. The programme featured twenty leading Czech experts in the field of new educational trends. The organisers decided to bring the events of the festival closer to the wider public through a public lecture by Ondřej Šteffl, Director of Scio. Jan Sýkora from Hučák Primary School in Hradec Králové told us about the professional aspect of the event. In addition to the content, the participants also appreciated the environment where the festival took place and its organization. "I was curious to see what a festival of this size in historic buildings would be like, and I have to say that I am incredibly surprised by the high standard and the pleasant, modern environment. Moreover, the way the participant receives information and navigates is very sophisticated and intuitive, which is not always the rule." Mirka Maierová, who works in Lucie Ernestová's studio, which is dedicated to creating fun and educational games for children, told us. The festival was personally opened by the head of the Department of Education of the Pardubice Region, Mr. Martin Kiss, and was also supported by the Governor Martin Netolický. The aim of the festival is to offer an opportunity for development and practical help to schools, which are so often criticized nowadays, to contribute to the introduction of modern educational trends in Czech schools. The motivation for organising this event is also the mission of the Chateau Hill organisation and the historical legacy of the place, which has long been an important centre of education and learning.
