Primary education or single-structure education, comprising ISCED 1 and 2 levels, is compulsory for all children. In the school system which has been gradually introduced since 1 September 2017, the new 8-year primary school (szkoła podstawowa) takes children aged 7 to 15 years. Subsequently, young people continue education in post-primary schools (secondary schools) or in other settings, as defined by law, such as practical vocational training at a workplace, combined with theoretical training, or vocational qualification courses (education is compulsory until the age of 18).
Primary or single-structure education is divided into two stages:
No compulsory test or examination is taken between the two stages.
Until the end of 2016, at the end of the then existing 6-year primary school, pupils took a compulsory external test (set by the Central Examination Board and administered and assessed by the Regional Examination Boards). It was primarily designed to provide teachers and parents with information about pupils’ achievements. Results of the test had no impact on completion of primary / single-structure education. The test was abolished as of 1 September 2016 as part of the ongoing school system reform. The new 8-year primary school established as part of the reform prepares pupils for the eighth-grader exam which will serve the same functions as the exam taken at the end of lower secondary education in the pre-reform school system. See also: Poland: National Reforms in School Education
General education in the primary school aims to:
Key skills developed as part of general education in the primary school include:
Early school education aims to support comprehensive development of children. The education process in grades I to III of the primary school enables children to discover their own abilities and the meaning of activity and gain experience on the way towards the truth, goodness and beauty. Education at this stage is designed so as to cater to pupils’ natural developmental needs. The school recognises that the pupil is at the centre of the process of building individual knowledge and transition from childhood to adolescence. With such support, children achieve readiness to start education at Stage II.
The aims of education at Stage II (grades IV to VIII of the primary school) are multi-faceted and refer to individual subjects taught at school. Currently, the national legislation places a strong emphasis on pupils’ reading competences and proficiency in foreign languages (a second foreign language, and a bilingual teaching option in grades VII and VIII).
Legislation
The basic legislative act for primary or single-structure education is ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe (Act of 14 December 2016, the Law on School Education), supplemented by ustawą z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty (School Education Act of 7 September 1991) (which is still partly in force). Detailed arrangements are laid down in Regulations of the minister responsible for school education. The most important ones include:
Specific arrangements for the functioning of primary schools in view of the coronavirus epidemic threat are laid down in rozporządzenie z dnia 20 marca 2020 r. Ministra Edukacji Narodowej w sprawie szczególnych rozwiązań w okresie czasowego ograniczenia funkcjonowania jednostek systemu oświaty w związku z zapobieganiem, przeciwdziałaniem i zwalczaniem COVID-19 (Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 20 March 2020 on the specific arrangements for the duration of temporary restrictions for the functioning of school education institutions in connection with the measures to prevent, counteract and fight against COVID-19).
The implementation of the above-mentioned school system reform is spread over the years 2018-2022. Aside from the phasing out of lower secondary schools (gimnazjum) (which was completed on 31 August 2019), the reform involves extending the duration of Stage II of primary education and education in secondary schools (post-primary schools, earlier referred to as schools above the lower secondary level). During the reform implementation period, schools are governed by ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Przepisy wprowadzające Prawo oświatowe.(Act of 14 December 2016, Provisions introducing the Law on School Education). Pursuant to the Act, a number of Regulations based on the legislation adopted before 1 September 2017 (the starting date of the school system transformation process) will remain in force on a transitional basis. They still apply to students in post-primary schools who were enrolled in the pre-reform school system. However, they do not apply to the newly established 8-year primary schools.
As far as school financing is concerned, key arrangements are laid down in an annual Regulation of the minister responsible for school education on the distribution of the school education part of the general subsidy for local government units. The level of the general subsidy for the communes (gmina), that is local government units which are the administering bodies for most primary schools, is fixed in the annual ustawa budżetowa (Budgetary Act).
Primary schools administered by private entities receive grants from local government budgets. Relevant provisions are included in ustawa z dnia 27 października 2017 r. o finansowaniu zadań oświatowych (Act of 27 October 2017 on the Financing of School Education Tasks) and resolutions adopted by communes.