A unique educational opportunity will be offered to teachers, parents and the general public on 20 - 21 February 2017 in Litomyšl. Kick Up Your School is a festival of education that aims to introduce current trends and, above all, to help put them into practice. Leading Czech experts will present a total of more than twenty lectures and workshops divided into thematic sections - literacy and numeracy, how to have good relationships at school and how to run a school for all.

In the unique environment of Litomyšl's Castle Hill, the first year of the Kick Up Your School festival will take place from 20 to 21 February 2016 with the subtitle School for All - How to Do It? The title suggests that it will be about how to respond to current trends, the needs of pupils and parents, the demands of professionals and the obstacles that teaching staff have to face. The festival aims to facilitate schools in implementing practices that promote inclusion, literacy and numeracy, a healthy social school environment and critical thinking. In addition to expert lectures, it will bring a range of practical workshops, sharing of experiences and examples of good practice. The event will answer the questions of how to lead each pupil to his or her personal best, how to teach success within individual capabilities and how to run a school in which every child, parent and teacher is respected.The lecture and practical sessions will be presented by leading Czech experts in the field of education - Ondřej Šteffl (Director of Scio), Silvie Pýchová (Success for Every Pupil initiative and Director of SKAV, z.s.) Ondřej Hausenblas (certifier of the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking programme) Hana Košt'álová (programme director of the Helping Schools to Succeed project) Jitka Michnová (co-author of the Hejný mathematics textbooks for primary school level 1) and many others. The festival's events will be divided into four thematic sections:How to achieve literacy? - promoting critical thinking, skills to work with texts and information, How to achieve mathematical literacy? - Hejný mathematics, which respects that every child has a different potential, How to achieve good relationships at school? - A welcoming atmosphere and safety as essential prerequisites for every student's learning and every teacher's performance in the profession, and How to run a school for all - about strategies towards a school for all from the perspective of school management. The expert guarantor of the whole event was Věra Krejčová, who works at the Faculty of Education at the University of Hradec Kralove.The festival is intended for teachers, assistants, managers, parents - not only in home education, students of pedagogical faculties and the general public. It offers participants the opportunity to improve their qualifications and obtain a certificate within the accredited programme Development of Literacy in the Czech School. The festival will bring participants to the historical environment of Litomyšl, the event itself will take place in the premises of the Castle Hill, which has been associated with education since the 17th century thanks to the Piarist Order. The whole area is located in close proximity to the Renaissance jewel - the Litomyšl Castle. The aim of the organisers is to make new trends in education available to the widest possible range of professional and lay public. The two-day event, including all lectures and workshops, two lunches, cofee breaks, an evening banquet and entrance to the Piarist Church with a unique view of Litomyšl, will cost participants CZK 700. Those who will not be able to attend the entire festival will have the opportunity to soak up the inspiring atmosphere during the public lecture by Ondřej Šteffl, which will take place on 20 February 2017 at 17:30 in the castle riding hall. The organisers recommend booking a place in the hall in advance on the festival's website www.nakopnetesvojiskolu.cz , where you will also find the registration form, all the necessary information and, above all, detailed annotations of the individual lectures and workshops.Education has concerned, concerns or will concern almost all of us through our own children. Paying sufficient attention to this process, which is so important for the development of a healthy, responsible individual and society as a whole, is increasingly desirable. So please accept the invitation to Kick Start Your School and come together for an intensive two days of sharing, great ideas and experiences. We look forward to seeing you in Litomyšl!