Education system
in Poland

The education system in Poland includes
nursery schools
primary schools
secondary
schools
post-secondary
schools/high schoos
vocational or technical
schools

• In Poland a higher education system
(colleges and universities) belongs to a
separate department of the government
administration. It isn't ranked among the
educational system because it is being
granted constitutional autonomy

• In accordance with records of the
Constitution of the Republic of Poland
everyone has right to learn. Education is
compulsory from the age 7 to 18 years
old, but the status of compulsory
institutions is given only to a primary
school and the secondary school.
Learning in public schools is free of
charge .

• Activities and the
organization of the
system are specified in
the act from 7
September 1991 about
the educational system .
A new structure of
education was
introduced in 1999 .

Nursery schools
• Children attend the
nursery school from the
age 3 to 6.
• A „zero class" is
compulsory for children
at the age of 6. „Zero
classes" are established
mostly at nursery
schools, and also in
some primary schools.

Primary schools
• The six-year school is divided
into two three-year stages .
The first stage includes
classes from I to III; the main
part is the block called
„integrated education ” –
these classes are being
conducted by one teacher
who is also acting as the
class tutor. Each class lasts
for 45 minutes and then there
is a 10 minutes break. Lunch
break is usually at 11.30 or
12.30 and lasts for 20
minutes.

• Pupils can take part in
classes of the religion or
ethics. Parents decide
whether their children
attend them.
• Children usually start
learning a foreign language
in class 1.
• Some pupils also
participate in
compensatory classes or
physiotherapy exercises.
• Extra curricular classes
may be organized
according to the pupils’
interests or needs

• In IV-VI classes different
teachers teach various
subjects, out of those, one
(class tutor) is responsible for
their class.
• The subjects are all
compulsory:
• Polish
• Foreign language (usually
German or English)
• Maths
• General Biology
• History and Society
• Music
• Arts
• Technical skills
• Information Technology
• Physical Education

• From the class V, pupils
with their parental
consent can take part in
classes of sexual
education (in the context
of family life preparation)

• The reform of the educational
system from 1999 created the
secondary school. Pupils
attending the secondary school
are between the ages of 13 - 16.
Educating at this stage has a
general character, all the
following subjects are obligatory:
• Polish
• History
• Knowledge about society
• Art
• Music
• Foreign language
• Maths
• Physics and Astronomy
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Geography
• Information Technology
• Technical skills
• Physical Education

• Attending classes of
religious education,
ethics or sexual
education (preparation
for family life) is not
compulsarory and
parents make the
decision of their
children’s attendance.

• The learning at the
secondary school ends with
an examination, written by
students of class III in April.
Every year a director of the
Central Examination Board
setts the date of the test. The
examination paper consists
of three written parts:
humanistic subjects and
mathematical-environmental
subjects and a foreign
language (since 2009). The
exam results don't affect the
final school results, but they
are significant for the
recruitment to post-
secondary schools (the
comprehensive secondary
school, profiled secondary
school, the technical
vocational school and a
vocational school).

Post-secondary education
a) two-year fundamental vocational schools,
b) three-year comprehensive secondary schools,
c) three-year profiled secondary schools,
d) four-year technical vocational schools,
e) two-year supplementing comprehensive secondary schools,
f) three-year supplementing technical vocational schools,

Grading
• The annual (semester)
classification grades
from educational
classes, start being
given in class of the IV
primary education.They
are set according to the
following scale:
• perfect – 6
• very good – 5
• good – 4
• satisfactory- 3
• ‚barely there’– 2
• Insufficient (fail) – 1

• Annual classification grades
for the behaviour:
• perfect
• very good
• good
• correct
• inappropriate
• reprehensible
• In classes I-III of the primary
school a descriptive
evaluation is applied.

• Most high schools finish
with a ‚matura’ exam
that enables the
students to attend a
higher education
institution and obtain the
degree of Bachelor (3-
year course) or Master
(5-year course)