School Curriculum Revision and Project Days: Applying the Revised Czech RVP

What changed in the rollout timetable?

In March 2026, the Czech Ministry of Education postponed mandatory implementation of the revised framework curricula by one year. The new date for nursery schools is 1 September 2027; for special basic schools it is 1 September 2028. For basic schools, the phased mandatory rollout begins on 1 September 2028, at least in grades 1 and 6, and reaches all grades by 1 September 2032. During the transition, other grades may continue under the previous Czech RVP. Source: Ministry of Education / Edu.cz – revised timetable.

The extra time can be used to test joint planning and assessment. A revised ŠVP needs to show which school-level expected learning outcomes (OVU) pupils develop, in which subjects or other educational formats, and how these outcomes connect. The revised RVP ZV explicitly accommodates projects, block teaching and excursions among possible forms of education. Source: National Pedagogical Institute (NPI) – general sections of the RVP ZV.

Are project days compulsory under the revised RVP?

No. The RVP ZV does not prescribe a set number of project days. It defines educational goals, expected learning outcomes and rules for developing them into the ŠVP. A project day is one possible organisational format. It makes sense when pupils tackle a task that reveals what they can apply from several subjects, and the teacher gains material for feedback. Attendance alone, photos of the event or a finished poster do not yet evidence achievement of an outcome. Source: NPI – RVP ZV general sections.

The revised Czech RVP ZV has three cross-curricular themes: Care for Self and Others (Péče o sebe a druhé), Society for All (Společnost pro všechny), and Sustainable Environment (Udržitelné prostředí). The Czech names in parentheses make the official material easier to locate. Their expected outcomes are set at grade 5 and grade 9 level. Schools develop these into school-level outcomes in subjects or other formats and connect them with key competences and foundational literacies. This gives curriculum revision a clearer basis than a general statement that project days "cover" cross-curricular themes. Source: NPI – cross-curricular themes.

Example: a project day on improving the school environment

For grade 5, one possible link is outcome PTU-000-000-ZV5-002 in the Sustainable Environment theme. It concerns planning and carrying out, with classmates, a measure to improve sustainability in the school, community or surrounding landscape. The related grade 9 outcome PTU-000-000-ZV9-003 also includes selecting and evaluating a measure. One day does not by itself prove mastery of the entire outcome; follow-up and transfer to other situations matter. Source: NPI – Udržitelné prostředí.

A five-step planning sequence

1. Choose a real problem. Examples include mixed waste in classrooms or a part of the playground that overheats in summer. Gather observations and available data before assuming a cause.
2. Write a school-level outcome. An illustrative version is: "Using evidence, the pupil proposes a feasible change, explains its benefits and limits, and agrees with the team how its effect will be checked." This is an example, not official RVP wording.
3. Decide on evidence of learning before activities. Each team records the starting point, two possible measures, reasons for its choice and a way to check the effect later. Each pupil adds a short individual reflection, so assessment does not rest solely on the group product.
4. Take one small, safe step. Pupils could test a sorting routine or prepare a proposal for school leaders. Changes to school operations need approval from responsible adults; a proposal and an implemented change are different outcomes.
5. Return to the result. Later, compare new data with the baseline. Ask pupils what changed, what the evidence cannot establish and how they would revise the proposal.

Assessment criteria may cover use of evidence, reasoning, feasibility, collaboration and acknowledgement of uncertainty. Keep these distinct from the visual polish of a presentation. The teaching team should also connect the project to specific subject outcomes and its own ŠVP; there is no universal list that fits every school. On evidence of learning, see NPI – cross-curricular themes.

What should be recorded during ŠVP revision?

If project days are a regular part of a school's provision, its ŠVP should make their place in the timetable or another educational format, planning responsibility, links to school-level outcomes and approach to assessment clear. The precise solution depends on the school's curriculum design. The NPI guide to creating an ŠVP and model ŠVP examples can help. NPI provides subject-based, integrated and thematic models; the current working versions are intended for pilot testing and are non-binding examples.

Schools should use the current RVP ZV text, which NPI identifies as incorporating the ministerial measure of 28 August 2026. English no longer has to begin in grade 1; schools must start it by grade 3 at the latest, while maintaining the required A1 level in grade 5 and B1 in grade 9. A further foreign language must be offered to all pupils by grade 7 at the latest; schools decide in their ŠVP whether it is compulsory or optional. These language rules do not determine the design of a project day, but they matter when the same ŠVP is revised. Sources: Ministry of Education – RVP ZV, NPI – current RVP ZV.

A short checklist for the teaching team

• Does the project have a clear school-level outcome linked to the current RVP?
• Is there enough time and evidence for investigation, decisions and later reflection?
• What individual evidence of learning will each pupil produce?
• Who will review the results, and how will they inform subsequent teaching or ŠVP revision?
• Are practical and safety arrangements appropriate to the pupils and the school?

Frequently asked questions

Must every individual project day be described in the ŠVP?

The RVP calls for a clear account of educational content, organizational forms and school-level outcomes. The level of detail depends on the school. A day plan can be a separate working document, but its connection to the current ŠVP should be traceable. Source: NPI – general sections.

Can a school pilot a project day before the mandatory rollout?

Yes. Schools may test teaching methods now. They still need to distinguish which ŠVP and RVP govern the relevant grade; a pilot project day is not, by itself, a formal transition to the revised RVP. Source: Ministry timetable.

How can a teacher tell whether pupils learned anything?

Decide in advance what each pupil will demonstrate or explain immediately and after some time. Compare initial thinking, working evidence, the final decision and an individual reflection.

Related reading: The existing AI project day at school article offers a separate practical example of using AI.

As of 28 October 2026: Time-sensitive information is based on the cited Ministry and NPI sources. This article concerns Czech education policy only.