During the conference on April 3, the Deputy Minister of National Education announced that compulsory schooling for Ukrainian children residing in Poland will be introduced from September 2024. For parents from Ukraine, the process of enrolling in a Polish school may seem complicated. That is why it is so important to be well-informed about the education system, available support options and necessary steps. Below is a detailed guide on how to enroll your child in a school in Poland, what documents are needed and what rights students from Ukraine have.
Step 1: Collect documents
Children and young people from Ukraine aged 7-18 have the right to free education in public schools in Poland. Lack of knowledge of Polish is not an obstacle. Schools organize additional, free language lessons if necessary.
Before enrolling a child in school, parents should gather all available documents regarding the child’s previous education. These may be school reports, certificates and other documents confirming the completed years of education. In the absence of these documents, parents can write a statement in which they describe the total number of years of education and the name of the institution where the child studied. Documents may require translation into Polish, but it does not have to be a certified translation.
Step 2: Select a school and submit your application
Parents should contact the selected Polish school and submit an application for the child’s admission. The decision on admission is made by the school principal. In the case of primary schools, the district school, i.e. the one closest to the place of residence, is obliged to accept the child. Other primary schools and secondary schools accept students depending on the availability of places.
If there are no places in a given class in the chosen facility, you should contact the community office where you live and ask for the name of the school where your child will be able to start education. The community is obliged to help find a place in school for each child.
Parents may also ask the principal to admit their child to a lower class than the sum of the years of school completed, for example due to the child’s age.
The rules for accepting students from abroad are regulated by law. The type of document entitling you to stay in Poland, such as a temporary or permanent residence permit, long-term EU resident status, a residence permit for humanitarian reasons, refugee status or subsidiary protection, does not affect the possibility of enrolling a student in a public school or the availability of additional forms of educational support.
Additional support
Students coming to Poland from abroad can count on additional forms of support that are worth taking advantage of.
Polish language lessons
Schools organize additional Polish language lessons, which are free of charge. In addition, so-called preparatory departments can be created, which aim to help students from Ukraine adapt and learn the language.
Compensatory classes
Foreign students can take compensatory classes in various subjects (for no longer than 12 months). This gives them the opportunity to catch up and better understand the material.
Help from a Ukrainian-speaking person
Students from Ukraine can benefit from the assistance of a person who speaks the language of their country of origin and is employed as a teacher’s assistant – this person does not need to have teaching qualifications.
Psychological and pedagogical assistance
Students and their parents can count on psychological and pedagogical support, especially in connection with refugee and migration experiences. This support is provided by psychologists, pedagogues and pedagogical therapists.
The decision to grant appropriate forms of support to a student is made by the school principal in consultation with the body managing the institution.
In addition, diplomatic and consular missions of the student’s country of origin and cultural and educational associations may organize classes in the language and culture of the country of origin at school. Such activities require the consent of the school principal and the governing body. The school provides premises and teaching materials free of charge.
Contact info
All official information regarding the rights of foreigners in Poland can be found on the website gov.pl. For additional information, call +22 34 74 708 or send an e-mail to: ukraina-szkola@mein.gov.pl
