Townshend International School is a private, Baháʼí-inspired International school located in Hluboká nad Vltavou in the Czech Republic.
Founded in 1992, the school draws some 140 students from approximately 30 countries each year. The school uses the Cambridge curriculum at all grade levels from Kindergarten through secondary school, and is recognized as Cambridge International Examination Centre. The school is named after the Irish scholar and humanist George Townshend, who was a Hand of the Cause of God in the Baháʼí Faith.
Boarding students reside in either one of the two dormitories.
Organisation
Board of Directors
As a non-profit organisation the school is overseen by a Board of Directors whose primary task is to set general policy in line with the vision and mission of the school, and to guide and support the work of the School Director.
Further information on the Board of Directors can be found here.
School Director
Appointed by the Board of Directors, the School Director is responsible for the daily operations of the school, and its strategic growth into the future. The Director, together with the Academic Director and the Residential Director, make up the school’s management team, who meet daily to guide the progress of the students, faculty, and staff.
Head of Secondary
Leading the Secondary programme of the school, the Head of Secondary is responsible for ensuring that students and faculty have the resources needed to meet the high standards set by the Cambridge curriculum, and for supplementary courses developed by Townshend. Through coordinating the activities of the faculty members and the teaching and learning environment, the Head of Secondary plays a major role in the life of each student.
Head of Primary
Instrumental to the organisation and running of the Primary school is the Head of Primary. Ensuring that the curriculum is delivered in a creative and systematic way, the Head of Primary shapes and leads the teaching and learning as well as the overall structure and routine of the Primary school. During the course of the term, the Head of Primary is an accessible and pivotal point of reference for parents and students.
Residential Director
Responsible for the well-being of the dormitory students, the Residential Director works with a staff of dorm parents, counselors, medical professionals, and youth volunteers to enrich the lives of students entrusted to the school. The Residential Director stays in close contact with students, parents, and staff, and has a finger on the pulse of campus life.
Educational Board
The Educational Board is comprised of a nominee of the Director, a teacher elected by the teachers, and a parent elected by the parents. It is a requirement of Czech law that relates to our school from Grade 1 to 9. Among other tasks, the Educational Board gives its opinion on the proposals of teaching programmes and their implementation, and participates in drawing up strategic objectives for school development.
History
Townshend International School was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1992 by dedicated parents who had moved to South Bohemia from their home in Austria, seeking to contribute to the social and economic development of the country after the fall of communism. In a desire to provide an enriching educational experience for their then 11-year-old daughter, they opened Townshend International School, named after the great Irish scholar and humanist, George Townshend (1876-1957).
With the support of the town of Hluboka, the school started in a rented wing of the local elementary school, with 23 students spanning grades 7, 8, and 9. Inspired by a vision to combine academic excellence with character development, the school began to attract families from around the world, growing rapidly into an International School serving students from Pre-K through high school.
It soon became clear that the school was quickly outgrowing its rented facilities, and a search began for a suitable location for a dedicated school campus. Ground was broken in 1999 on a field overlooking the peaceful lakes and forests of Hluboka, and beyond to the hills of South Bohemia and Austria.
In the summer of 2001 the new campus, with its 5000 square meter building housing classrooms, laboratories, seminar and meeting rooms, administrative offices, library and dining hall, along with two dormitory buildings, was dedicated before an audience of families, friends and dignitaries from around the world.
In 2009 Townshend adopted the internationally renowned Cambridge curriculum and became an associate member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). With the Cambridge curriculum, students receive an internationally recognized credential of the highest caliber that is welcomed in schools and universities worldwide.
Over the years, Townshend has attracted students from 106 countries and territories, who have gone on to study and work around the world.
Currently, the school serves 140 students, from pre-K through high school, with 70 boarding students ages 12 and up.