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EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Quality assurance
Poland

Poland

10.Quality assurance

Last update: 8 August 2025
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General information

There are three separate systems in Poland, each with different approaches to quality assurance: 

  • the childcare system for children aged 0-3 years, which is not linked to the school education system; 

  • the school education system, which includes preschool education for children aged 3-6/7 years, school education for children and young people, and adult education provided in schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools, as well as in specific types of other educational institutions; 

  • the higher education and science system. 

Outside the school education system, various entities provide adult education as part of economic activity or education-and-training activity related to the labour market. Mandatory quality assurance mechanisms which are in place in the school education system do not apply to such entities. 

Early childhood and school education

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Four childcare settings provide care to children aged 0-3 years: crèches and kids’ clubs, and day-care providers and nannies (see Chapter 3 ‘Early education and care’). Quality assurance arrangements do not apply to nannies (for formal and legal requirements for nannies, see Chapter 3.5 ‘Home-based provision’). 

The scope of quality assurance is determined by the requirements for the establishment and operation of crèches and kids’ clubs and the provision of services by day-care providers (see Chapter 3), the qualification requirements for staff who manage childcare institutions (see Chapter 9.1 ‘Management staff for early childhood and school education’) and who take care of children (see Chapter 3.5), childcare standards and other standards set in the national legislation.

A major change in recent years was the establishment of uniform childcare standards at the national level in 2023 (which had previously been left to the discretion of local authorities), although these were not initially mandatory. The standards, which were refined in 2024 and are now divided into essential (mandatory) and optional (quality improvement-oriented), will come into force on 1 January 2026 (or came into force on 1 June 2025 for new childcare institutions, including day-care providers, applying for registration). The standards have extended the scope of nationally regulated external and internal quality assurance, which previously covered only legal requirements (for example, requirements for hygiene and safety and facilities or premises, qualifications of staff, children-to-staff ratios), and currently also covers, for example, relations between children and staff, and learning, development and well-being of children. 

As part of external quality assurance, local authorities keep registers of crèches and kids’ clubs and of day-care providers and conduct inspections in these three types of childcare institutions. At the registration stage and during inspections, local authorities review compliance with the legal requirements for childcare services and – as from 1 June 2025 or 1 January 2026 (see above) – with the childcare standards and other standards (for example, standards for the protection of minors) established in the national legislation. 

The head of a crèche and kids’ club or a day-care provider takes overall responsibility for internal quality assurance. They should ensure compliance with the legal requirements for childcare services and – as from 1 June 2025 or 1 January 2026 (see above) – with the childcare standards and other standards. The essential standards require that staff self-assess their activities and performance in the area of work with children, and that a childcare institution conduct a satisfaction survey of parents at least once a year. The head of a crèche and kids’ club may conduct internal inspections or audits. Specific procedures are laid down in internal regulations of each childcare institution.

Preschool education and school education

The approaches in the school education system are identical for preschool and school education. However, some quality assurance mechanisms apply only to the public sector, whereas non-public nursery schools (and other non-public preschool education settings), schools as well as other non-public educational institutions within the school education system (jointly referred to as schools below) may put in place their own arrangements. 

External quality assurance includes inspections conducted in public and non-public schools as part of so-called pedagogical supervision, and performance appraisal of school heads. The national legislation applies to performance appraisal of heads of public schools and teaching heads (as opposed to non-teaching heads-managers) of non-public schools.

Pursuant to the legislation, inspections aim to assess (1) the level of compliance with the legislation on educational, childcare and other statutory activities of schools; (2) educational processes in schools; and (3) outcomes or effectiveness of educational, childcare and other statutory activities of schools. They are conducted by inspectors working in the pedagogical supervision body (which, for most schools, is the Regional Education Authorities (REAs), a government administration unit at the regional or province level). The general aims of inspections determine their overall thematic scope, and the Minister of National Education defines specific topics or foci of inspections for each school year in ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’. This provides the basis for the Head of the REA in each province to specify the number of schools undergoing inspections together with their topics in a pedagogical supervision plan for each school year. 

Performance appraisal of the school head is not mandatory; it may take place on the initiative of the head or at the request of the governing bodies of the school, the body administering the school or the pedagogical supervision body (for information about the governing bodies, see Chapter 1 ‘Organisation and governance’). Appraisal is conducted jointly by two external bodies, the school administering body and the pedagogical supervision body, against the criteria set in the legislation. 

Representatives of these two external bodies, as well as external experts, are also involved in the professional promotion procedure for teachers, which takes into consideration the outcome of a teacher’s performance appraisal and includes an assessment of his/her knowledge and skills during an exam or a qualifying interview. For details about promotion, see Chapter 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. 

Internal quality assurance includes inspections or audits conducted as part of internal pedagogical supervision and performance appraisal of teachers. The legislation concerning internal inspections applies to public schools only, whereas the legislation on teacher performance appraisal applies to both the public and non-public sectors. 

The aims determining the overall scope of internal inspections are the same as for external inspections. The head of a public school conducts, on a mandatory basis, inspections in each school year, and defines their topics in a pedagogical supervision plan for a given year, considering the aims of inspections, ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’, findings from pedagogical supervision in the previous year, and specific needs of the school. External inspections take into consideration outcomes of internal inspections. 

Teacher performance appraisal is mandatory for a novice teacher (a teacher carrying out an induction programme), and in case an appointed teacher (holding the first of the two professional promotion grades available to teachers) intends to apply for the chartered teacher grade (the second and highest grade). In other cases, performance appraisal may take place on the initiative of the school head or at the request of the teacher concerned, a school governing body, the school administering body or the pedagogical supervision body. The school head (together with a teacher holding a management position if the head is not a teacher) conducts an appraisal against the criteria set in the legislation. 

Higher education

External quality assurance includes processes at the level of the institution, unit (a doctoral school) or programme. Most of the processes are mandatory for higher education institutions (HEIs) (or for other research institutions which operate a doctoral school). The mandatory processes can also be described as accreditation processes (although the legislation uses the term only as referring to programme evaluations in the fields of Nursing and Midwifery) as they end with a formal decision granting or refusing an authorisation for a non-public HEI to be established or operate, for a public or non-public HEI to establish or continue to deliver a programme, or to continue to operate a doctoral school.

The following mandatory external quality assurance processes are in place: 

  • Entering non-public HEIs into the Register and extending the validity period of the entry: Registration is required for non-public HEIs to be established and operate. The Polish Accreditation Committee (PAC) assesses applications and the Minister of Science and Higher Education takes decisions, enters HEIs into the Register and renews the registration. 

  • Granting of permits for the establishment of programmes: Mandatory permits or authorisations are granted for the establishment of first-, second- and long-cycle programmes in all fields of study to new non-public HEIs, and to existing public and non-public HEIs which do not meet the requirements set in the legislation to establish autonomously a programme in a given field of study (see Approaches and methods of quality assurance: Granting of permits for the establishment of programmes in Chapter 10.2 ‘Quality assurance in higher education’). Except for the cases laid down by the law, the Minister of Science and Higher Education grants permits based on applications from HEIs assessed by PAC. For programmes in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, the Minister of Science and Higher Education also consults the Minister of Health. Accreditation awarded by the Minister of Health is additionally required to establish programmes in Nursing and Midwifery; it is based on an evaluation conducted by the National Accreditation Council for Schools of Nursing and Midwifery (NACSN&M).

  • Ex post programme evaluation: This is a periodic evaluation of ongoing first-, second- and long-cycle programmes in all fields of study provided by public and non-public HEIs. PAC conducts evaluations and takes decisions in the process, with no involvement of the Minister of Science and Higher Education. 

  • Accreditation of both newly established and ongoing programmes in the fields of Nursing and Midwifery: The accreditation process aims to verify compliance with the standards for programmes set in the national legislation. The Minister of Health grants accreditation based on an evaluation conducted by the NACSN&M. 

  • Evaluation of the quality of education in doctoral schools: The Science Evaluation Committee (SEC) (which is also responsible for research evaluation) conducts evaluations and takes decisions in the process. First evaluations were carried out in the final quarter of 2024. 

HEIs can also apply, on a voluntary basis, to PAC to conduct the following types of evaluation: 

  • Comprehensive evaluation: Evaluation focuses on the effectiveness of internal quality assurance in all areas where an HEI provides education. The legislation has established general evaluation criteria, but detailed standards have yet to be developed. 

  • Ex ante programme evaluation: This is a process for new first-, second- or long-cycle programmes which have not been delivered yet. It aims to help HEIs to improve a programme to be offered and ensure its compliance with PAC’s standards. PAC will conduct such evaluations as from the academic year 2025/2026. 

The national legislation addresses only some elements of internal quality assurance. As part of its responsibilities, the senate of an HEI evaluates the institution’s performance. The mandatory internal quality assurance mechanisms include a periodic evaluation of classes by students and doctoral students, graduate tracking and periodic performance appraisal of academic teachers. HEIs adopt detailed arrangements in their internal regulations. PAC and the NACSN&M consider internal quality assurance in their external evaluations.

Adult education

Quality assurance arrangements for schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools (which take adults but are not classified as schools for adults in the national legislation), and institutions providing continuing education in non-school settings within the school education system are the same as for school education for children and young people (see above).

The legislation does not lay down any mandatory or recommended quality assurance arrangements for entities providing continuing education in non-school settings outside the school education system, as part of economic activity or labour-market training activity. Each institution can put in place its own approaches.

Institutions within the school education system and entities outside the system identified in the legislation may apply on a voluntary basis for accreditation of specific types of continuing education programmes or courses, which is granted by the Head of the REA. 

Legislation

NB.: In January 2021, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education were merged into the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), and in January 2024 the MES was divided into the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Thus, regulations on school education and higher education were issued by different ministers. 

Care for children under the age of 3 

Preschool education and school education

  • Act of 14 December 2016, The Law on School Education, as subsequently amended (Ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe, z późn. zm.): regulates key aspects of school education, including adult education provided in schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools, post-secondary schools and other educational institutions operating within the school education system. For quality assurance, it outlines the overall scope and rules for pedagogical supervision of nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions; detailed arrangements are laid down in a relevant Regulation by the minister responsible for school education.

  • Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter, as subsequently amended (Ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela, z późn. zm.): regulates key matters for teachers in the school education system and sets a general framework for teacher appraisal; detailed arrangements are laid down in a relevant Regulation by the minister responsible for school education.

  • Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 25 August 2017 on pedagogical supervision, as subsequently amended (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 25 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie nadzoru pedagogicznego, z późn. zm.): lays down detailed arrangements for pedagogical supervision, incl. inspections, and tasks of the bodies responsible for external and internal pedagogical supervision. 

  • Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 25 August 2022 on the teacher performance appraisal (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 25 sierpnia 2022 r. w sprawie oceny pracy nauczycieli): lays down the procedure and criteria for the performance appraisal of teachers and heads of nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions within the school education system.

Higher education

Adult education

Schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools, post-secondary schools and other adult or continuing education institutions within the school education system are governed by the legislation for the school education (early childhood and school education) system; see above.