History

On April 1994, a business plan and a mission were created for the school. The mission of the school was based on its founders’ understanding of what a good school is.  In the founders’ view, a good school was the opposite of the type of school and education available, where the founders had worked before.

The founders wanted to incorporate liberal ideas in the structure of their new school. They felt fostering students’ emotional and psychological comfort, as well as, developing ideas about integrating children with special needs into the school were necessary to create a well-balanced environment.

 

On April 25, 1994, “Patnis” Ltd. received state certification to operate as a business.

 

On June 17, 1994, a rental agreement was signed with Riga Lighting Equipment Factory giving “Patnis” permission to utilize its’ kindergarten facility for their new primary school. This agreement was a significant stage in the development of the school’s financial structure, as funds used for capital repairs and improvements were subtracted from the rent fee. This well composed and executed agreement was one of the main driving factors that allowed the school to operate in highly competitive circumstances without outside financial resources.  “Patnis” sincerely praises and owes thanks to its’ impressively competent legal team, whose savvy and professionalism has afforded the school great success.

 

On June 28, 1994, “Patnis” was granted a state license (No.01012) to officially operate as a private school.

 

In July and August 1994, building renovations began.  All teachers willingly participated in renovations. United in goal, a cohesive, friendly team of colleagues was created.

The first enrolment of pupils took place in July and August. All who wanted to study at the school, and who could afford the fixed fee, were enrolled.

 

On September 1^st, 1994, school officially opened with one pre-school class (11 children), one 1st grade class (with 8 pupils), and one 2nd second grade class (with 3 pupils).

 

On October 3rd, 1994, one more morning pre-school class (with 5 pupils) and another afternoon group (with 7 pupils) were opened. The classes remained small, as the mission of the school was to have 10-12 pupils per class. Enrolment of pupils continued through 1994/95 to fill the incomplete classes, as more students were necessary to improve the schools’ financial standing.

Another kindergarten class was opened in October, as well as, an adult aerobics sports class to help improve the school’s finances.

A lot of effort was put into marketing the school, and by the end of the first academic year, 50 students were enrolled at “Patnis”.

 

In 1995/96, although, the founders felt the children were attending school with pleasure, they were still not clear on whether they had created a good and up-to-date school - one where the student felt emotionally secure, as well as, being successfully educated. Thus, research began to try to understand the effectiveness of the education process, management and administration of the school. The results and recommendations of this research were incorporated in the structure and daily operations of the school. The role of a Project Manager was developed, and proved to have great significance in the evolution of the “Patnis” management team. Project management had just begun to develop in Latvia, and “Patnis” saw this role as an invaluable one. The Project Manager was responsible for creating and establishing new, untraditional educational methods, through organizing teachers’ education. This ultimately raised interest in the school and further solidified the school’s financial stability.

 

During these same years a few school traditions developed. For example; the celebration of the first day of school on September 1st, the Christmas celebration together with parents, the family sports festival, and the end of the year concert.

 

 

From 1996/97 until 1999/2000 “Patnis” was running systematically on a daily basis. However, the school needed 4 years of smooth operation before it could be considered a successful school.   The school’s first two years had proved its economic, as well as, academic sustainability. During the remaining two years, the administration concentrated on stabilizing personnel and internal procedures; educators focused on teaching pupils how to learn; a new marketing model was created; and a “Patnis” school culture naturally developed.

 

During the academic year 2007/2008 the number of pupils at “Patnis” was 184 and the number of teachers was 36.