When Petr Paták, Principal of the Secondary Pedagogical School and Secondary Vocational School in Kladno, guided me through the building, I found myself quietly envying the students. Cutting-edge yet highly practical facilities, teaching perfectly aligned with real-life practice, a relaxed atmosphere – and an immensely enthusiastic principal and staff. It is no surprise that in January he won the Golden Amos award for the Central Bohemian Region. This autumn, he plans to extend his influence in education further by running for the Kladno city council on behalf of ODS.
Let’s begin with your Golden Amos title. What was it like?
I was absolutely delighted that the nomination came directly from our students. They had to collect several hundred signatures and submit them together with the application. The regional round took place at the Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region in Kutná Hora. The students had to present their nominee – me - in an unusual way. I must say that the trio of students who represented me prepared their presentation brilliantly and managed to involve many of their classmates. I admit that I had tears in my eyes. It was truly beautiful.
How many students does your school have?
We currently have 625 students; our capacity is 660. Entrance exams are under way for five graduation programs and one vocational track. We profile ourselves as both a secondary pedagogical school and a secondary vocational school. When I took over eleven years ago, the situation was far from ideal. The graduation pass rate was around forty percent, the school had only about 380 students across twelve fields of study, and the offer was too broad to allow for systematic development. Over the past few years, we have optimized our educational portfolio to reflect both real applicant demand and labor market needs. At the same time, we had to stabilize the school’s finances. The first four years were the most challenging.On the other hand, the teachers who remained were strong – what was missing was a clear direction and firm leadership. Today, we rank among the ten highest-rated schools in the region, and in some indicators we even outperform grammar schools. For three consecutive years, we have achieved a 96 percent graduation success rate and a 100 percent success rate in final vocational exams.
You offer a cook–waiter vocational program. What facilities do you have for training?
This is something I am truly proud of. We have significantly advanced the program, particulary in linking theory with practice. We built a school restaurant, so we do not operate as a traditional school cafeteria. Students design the menu, cook, and serve the guests.Two years ago, we opened Café Beneš, further expanding hands-on training. Professional-grade kitchen equipment is a given. A modern culinary studio is also part of the new extension we opened on December 3, 2025. We have invested tens of millions of crowns in developing these facilities.Collaboration with leading figures in the field plays an important role as well. Top experts visit us regularly – Roman Paulus, Zdeněk Pohlreich, pastry chef Iveta Fabešová, and we have long-standing cooperation with Mirka van Gils Slavíková.
What major changes have you made recently?
Over the past eleven years, we have completely renovated the school’s interior. Outside the standard budget, we have invested approximately 350 million crowns, secured through active participation in projects and grant programs. Our newest project is being implemented in cooperation with the Danish foundation Villum Fonden, which approved two million euros in funding at the beginning of January to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process. We are developing our own AI tutor for both students and teachers. The project is unique in the Czech and European context. In February, we completed another project worth approximately 37 million crowns focused on vocational education development. Last December, we opened a new extension costing more than 40 million crowns, including the culinary studio and six specialized classrooms – robotics, physics, classrooms – robotics well as a consultation center for the school counselor and prevention specialist. Another major investment was the complete replacement of the electrical system throughout the building, worth 92 million crowns. And we have just opened a school fitness center.
What is the focus of the pedagogical school?
The pedagogical branch includes Early Childhood and Extracurricular Pedagogy and the Pedagogical Lyceum. The former prepares future kindergarten teachers and specialists in leisure education. The Pedagogical Lyceum is primarily designed for students who plan to continue at university, especially faculties of education.The vocational branch includes Logistics and Financial Services, Social Services, the Combined Lyceum, and Cook-Waiter. The Combined Lyceum is essentially a hybrid between a grammar school and a vocational school. For the first two years, students follow a general curriculum similar to grammar schools; at the end of the second year, they choose either a science or humanities track. Across all programs, demand consistently exceeds capacity. I am proud that we have become a truly selective school. Our motto is to be open, efficient, functional, and modern. Today, we have 93 employees, ten of whom are our graduates. And I myself am a graduate of this school.
How do finance and logistics fit within a pedagogical focus?
The Logistics and Financial Services program belongs to the vocational branch and has a long tradition. In the Czech Republic, only eight schools are members of the Association of Logistics Schools – and we are one of them. The curriculum includes logistics, finance, banking, and accounting, reflecting current labor market needs. It is a highly sought-after field. These days, a major logistics company, Dachser, has approached us about cooperation, which confirms the program’s strong practical relevance.
You are a member of the Stochov council, but if I am not mistaken, you want to move a step higher…
Yes, I will run in the municipal elections in Kladno. Education will naturally be my main priority – investment, capacity building, and improving the quality of schools at all levels. Stable funding for non-teaching staff is also essential, as schools cannot function effectively without them.
You also cooperate with the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at Czech Technical University…
I am very proud of that cooperation. We signed a memorandum last September and became a faculty partner school. The dean recently visited us, and we presented both the school and our further development plans. Our students already participate in workshops and excursions, and the faculty plans to support us in staffing certain specialized subjects.
Seeing how enthusiastic you are about the school, I imagine you would not mind staying here for decades…
Not at all. But let me tell you something. I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old son. A few days ago, my wife asked the older one what he wanted to be. He confidently replied: a school principal – definitely not a lawyer like his mother. I told him, “I’m forty-one. By the time you are old enough to become principal, I’ll be ready to retire. So Petr Paták will be succeeded by Petr Paták.” (laughs)
Summer camps
Petr Paták remains highly active even during school holidays. He organizes team-building events for staff and children’s camps. “It gives me enormous energy,” he says. “I believe it is important during the year to change the environment for a while, to put aside the role of principal and be more open – not only toward colleagues but also toward students. Such moments often strengthen relationships more than months of routine.” He also serves as head leader of the PA(R)ŤÁCI children’s camp, organizing programs for around 120 children each summer. Camps have accompanied him throughout his life – he first attended at the age of six, became a trainee at fifteen, and later a camp leader.
CV BOX
Petr Paták (born August 7, 1985, in Kladno) is Principal of the Secondary Pedagogical School and Secondary Vocational School in Kladno.
He graduated from a higher vocational school in Kladno and later studied teaching of general education subjects - mathematics for lower and upper secondary schools - at the Faculty of Education of Charles University in Prague, as well as special education at Jan Amos Comenius University in Prague.
Since 2006, he worked as a teacher at the Secondary Vocational School in Kladno-Vrapice. He has served as principal since January 1, 2015.
He is Vice-Chair of the Regional Education Committee and mentors new school principals. On Instagram, he runs the platform #reditel_v_akci, where he regularly informs the public, students, and school leaders about developments in education.
He has been a member of ODS since 2005 and became a councillor in Stochov in 2018.
He is married to Veronika and has two sons. He enjoys working with children, gardening, tennis, hockey, and cycling.
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