Prague IB continuum school supports curiosity, creativity, and global citizenship in elementary education

The next academic year may still be several months away, but many parents kicked off their school search weeks ago, and for good reason. With so many options, it's easy to get overwhelmed, especially for those new to the city or the education system in the Czech Republic. 

For international families craving a high-performing school and familiarity for their kids, the choice is simple: the International School of Prague (ISP). 

ISP is the only school in Prague that offers the full International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum, starting with its Primary Years Programme, which provides early access to the globally recognized IB framework, allowing children to seamlessly acclimate into an new IB school regardless of where they are living in the world.

The role of ISP’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) is to shape young learners from Early Childhood Foundations (ECF) through Year 5 of Elementary by nurturing curiosity, creativity and global citizenship, fostering a learning environment where children explore, question, and collaborate as active participants in their own education. 

“ISP’s approach goes beyond the academic curriculum, placing significant emphasis on IB’s Approaches to Learning. These skills include thinking, research, self-management, communication, and social development,” says Dr. Cal Callaway, ISP’s current Deputy Director who will be promoted to Director of the school in August this year.

"The positive thing about enrolling in a full IB continuum school is that students start hearing the same language and the same philosophy from Day One.”

While ISP focuses on core competency skills—reading, writing, math—the balance between these competency skills and soft skills is really important.

The educational research is clear: children need to master core academic skills, and social and collaborative skills, to be successful in their future academic and professional careers. ISP does this exceptionally well.   

“It’s not just about being future-ready. It’s about being ready for today, and that’s what our teaching approach emphasizes,” adds Ashley Eames, Primary Years Coordinator at ISP. “We focus on explicitly teaching those skills, which are transferable in all different areas of a child’s life.”

ISP supports student curiosity and learning through discovery, which encourages exploration and independent thinking, and boosts problem-solving skills. This inquiry-based approach is rooted in the philosophy set in the school’s IB Programme, which connects learning across subjects.    

“While we have standalone math lessons, reading lessons, and writing lessons, when possible, we integrate those areas into projects or other subjects to deepen student engagement in learning,” says Laura Jo "LJ" Evans, Elementary School Associate Principal at ISP.

A recent learning unit completed by the school’s fourth graders offers a perfect example of ISP’s drive toward innovative teaching that incorporates core competencies and soft skills. 

Students were tasked with setting up a business as entrepreneurs selling products geared towards other children. They had to conduct market research on what was popular and then prototype the products they intended to sell. They had to set a budget and figure out how to make a profit. Twelfth-grade business students were then brought in to hear the fourth-graders’ product pitches. Based on the older students’ feedback, adjustments were made to the prototypes. The fourth-grade entrepreneurs eventually held a Market Day, where they raised CZK 20,000 for good causes. 

"Education today doesn’t necessarily look the way it did in the past. Students aren’t sitting in rows, passively receiving information from teachers. Instead, they have agency and control over their learning, guided by experienced educators. We approach education with inquiry in mind, where students are given complex questions and must find the answers," says Matt Woodward, Elementary School Principal at ISP. "The teacher is a facilitator of learning rather than simply delivering information, which helps build both skills and self-confidence in students."

Surrounded by nature in Prague’s 6 leafy Nebušice neighborhood, ISP’s purpose-built, single-site campus is full of spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity, and community engagement. Plans for a dedicated Elementary School Café & Multipurpose Space and a refurbishment of the main Cafeteria are in progress, as is a new STEM Design & Innovation Center, which is set to open in the fall of 2027.       

“We are at a pivotal moment in ISP’s storied history,” says Dr. Chip Kimball, Director of ISP. “As the world evolves at an unprecedented pace, we are committed to ensuring our students not only keep pace but thrive. Building on our strong foundation, we are creating new and upgraded facilities that embody the future of learning and empower our students to become global changemakers. These new spaces reflect a bold investment in our future and empower our students to become the curious, competent, and compassionate changemakers who will shape the world.”

In the meantime, students can take advantage of the school’s Learning Innovation Hub, Wonder Lab (a dedicated space for elementary students) and the Idea Lab, which are equipped with STEM tools and provide students with the space to learn collaboratively and explore.

“Our end goal is for students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners and to feel like they have ownership over their learning with the skills to explore what they are curious about,” says James Ebert, Language Arts Coordinator and Learning Coach at ISP. “We want to help them build the skills and competencies they will need to be successful, not just now but as they continue in life. Learning is not something that ends when you leave ISP.”