General information

Care for children aged up to 3 years

The legislation sets requirements for the establishment and operation of crèches and kids’ clubs and the provision of services by day-care providers (jointly referred to as childcare institutions), childcare standards, other standards (for example, for the protection of minors), and arrangements for the supervision of childcare institutions by the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy and the local authorities. The legal requirements include, for example, requirements for premises, hygiene and safety, qualification requirements for management and childcare staff, and staff-to-child ratios. The childcare standards focus on qualitative aspects, addressing, for example, relations between children and staff, and children’s learning, development and well-being (see: Approaches and methods for quality assurance in Chapter 10.1 ‘Quality assurance in early childhood and school education’). 

The legal requirements and standards are, overall, aimed at ensuring that childcare institutions provide adequate conditions and quality care and protect the rights of children. The childcare standards are divided into essential and optional ones. The essential standards, which are mandatory for childcare institutions, are designed to ensure that a childcare institution complies with specific quality requirements, and the optional standards are development- and quality improvement-oriented recommendations. The standards come into effect on 1 January 2026. 

As part of external quality assurance or the supervision exercised through the registers of, and inspections at childcare institutions, the local authorities review compliance with both the legal requirements and – as of 1 January 2026 – with the essential standards. As part of internal quality assurance, childcare institutions should meet the legal requirements and the standards in their activities. 

Reforms in the last decade

In recent years, the national authorities established standards for the protection of minors and childcare standards. 

The standards for the protection of minors were established by the Act of 13 May 2016 on Counteracting the Threat of Sexual Offences and the Protection of Minors (Ustawa z dnia 13 maja 2016 r. o przeciwdziałaniu zagrożeniom przestępczością na tle seksualnym i ochronie małoletnich) amended in 2023. The standards address safe relationships between minors and staff of an entity conducting childcare and/or educational activities. All such entities were required to implement and publish their standards by 15 August 2024. 

Until 2023, childcare standards were defined by the local authorities. At the national level, childcare standards were for the first time defined in the Regulation of the Minister of Family and Social Policy of 19 September 2023 on the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years (rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 19 września 2023 w sprawie standardów opieki sprawowanej nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3), but they were not mandatory. The standards drew on the Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems and findings from a study on the quality of childcare provided by crèches and kids’ clubs and day-care providers, conducted by the Institute of Labour and Social Affairs. 

The Regulation of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy of 13 December 2024 on the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years (rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 13 grudnia 2024 r. w sprawie standardów opieki sprawowanej nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3), which comes into force on 1 January 2026, has established, as indicated above, mandatory and optional standards. Thus, the new Regulation has expanded the mandatory scope of external and internal quality assurance by addressing qualitative aspects of childcare. 

Preschool education and school education

Identical mechanisms are in place for preschool education and school education. They include the following three main elements which are covered by separate regulations and have different specific objectives, but all carry forward the overall goal of improving the quality of education and institutional performance:

• Pedagogical supervision

• Performance appraisal of school heads

• Performance appraisal of teachers

Pedagogical supervision aims to support the development of nursery schools and primary and post-primary schools (and other educational institutions) (hereafter jointly referred to as schools, wherever possible), contribute to better quality of education and equal educational opportunities, and enable comprehensive development of pupils and teachers. It also aims to support the national authorities in designing and pursuing education policy based on comparable data for the entire school education system.

Pedagogical supervision includes two types of mechanisms:

• inspections in schools, which aim to evaluate compliance of their activities with the legislation, educational processes and outcomes or effectiveness of educational, childcare and other statutory activities;

• support for schools, which aims to inspire and intensify performance improvement processes (for example, publication of findings from pedagogical supervision; organisation of conferences and meetings; dissemination of information on school education issues and legislation by the external pedagogical supervision body; assessment of the school’s performance and institutional development activities undertaken by the school head as part of internal supervision).

The section on approaches and methods for quality assurance in Chapter 10.1 ‘Quality assurance in early childhood and school education’ addresses only inspections as a quality assurance mechanism. 

Inspections and support are mandatory tasks for the pedagogical supervision bodies in relation to both public and non-public schools, and for heads of public schools, working together with other staff holding management positions and teachers, as part of internal pedagogical supervision. The legislation on internal pedagogical supervision does not apply to non-public schools which may put in place different approaches. Findings from internal inspections are taken into consideration in external inspections.

Performance appraisal of a school head is conducted by two external bodies: the pedagogical supervision body and the school administering body. The pedagogical supervision body takes into consideration the outcome of an appraisal in an external inspection.

The arrangements for performance appraisal are identical for teachers working in preschool education and school education institutions, and in both the public and non-public sectors. Performance appraisal is conducted by the school head. The head considers outcomes of teacher performance appraisals when drafting an annual pedagogical supervision plan, which includes internal inspections and support for teachers in the performance of their tasks (e.g. staff meetings and training activities). 

Reforms in the last decade

In the last decade, quality assurance was based on the three afore-mentioned mechanisms: pedagogical supervision and performance appraisals of school heads and teachers. However, in recent years, changes have been introduced in pedagogical supervision.

Until 2020/2021, external and internal pedagogical supervision included four mechanisms: evaluations, which focused on the quality of school performance; inspections, which reviewed compliance of the activities of schools with the legislation; support for their activities; and monitoring of their activities. The amendments to the legislation abolished, with effect from the school year 2021/2022, two of the four mechanisms, evaluation and monitoring, while keeping inspections and support in place. The Ministry of Education and Science considered that benefits from evaluations were disproportionate to the time and workload necessary to conduct them. 

The amended legislation extended the scope of inspections, which had previously covered only compliance with the legislation, to include also evaluation of educational processes and the effectiveness or outcomes of educational, childcare and other statutory activities of schools. The legislation no longer defines specific criteria or aspects to be evaluated in external inspections focusing on educational processes and/or the effectiveness of educational, childcare and other statutory activities of schools. Such inspections can address any aspect falling within the scope of pedagogical supervision; for details, see: Approaches and methods for quality assurance in Chapter 10.1 ‘Quality assurance in early childhood and school education’. 

Responsible Bodies

Care  for children aged up to 3 years

Bodies responsible for external quality assurance

Pursuant to Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 2011 r. o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3, z późn zm.), the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy (the website available in Polish) exercises overall supervision of the childcare system. As part of his/her responsibilities related to quality assurance, the Minister: 

• monitors the implementation of the legislation; 

• disseminates information about childcare settings; 

• takes measures aimed at providing adequate conditions for, and assuring quality of childcare, and in particular, supports the competent commune authorities in the supervision of crèches, kids’ clubs and day-care providers; 

• inspires research, expert studies and analyses on the childcare system. 

To support the commune (gmina) authorities (the lowest level of local authorities) in the supervision of childcare institutions, the Minister sets, by regulation, for example, the requirements for premises, health and safety for crèches and kids’ clubs and childcare standards, and establishes training programmes for childcare staff to obtain the required qualifications. 

The commune authorities supervise childcare institutions (crèches, kids’ clubs and day-care providers) in respect of conditions and quality of childcare and the protection of children’s rights. As part of supervision, they keep registers of, and conduct inspections in childcare institutions, and enforce corrective actions when irregularities are detected. 

The commune council (the legislative and supervisory body of the commune) adopts a supervision plan. The mayor of the commune, city or town (the executive body of the commune) keeps registers of childcare institutions, and entry into the register is required for institutions to conduct their activity. The mayor registers an institution which complies with the legal requirements and – as of 1 June 2025 – the essential childcare standards defined in the Regulation of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy of 13 December 2024 on the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years (rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 13 grudnia 2024 r. w sprawie standardów opieki sprawowanej nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3). 

Inspections verify compliance with the legal requirements and – as of 1 January 2026 – the childcare standards and other standards (for example, for the protection of minors). Inspections are conducted by staff authorised by the mayor. If non-compliance with the legal requirements or standards or other irregularities are detected, the mayor sets a timeframe for a childcare institution to address them, and strikes it off from the register if it fails to do so. 

Childcare institutions submit activity reports to the commune authorities. Each commune reports on childcare to the province governor (the head of the government administration in the region), and province governors submit aggregate reports to the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

Bodies responsible for internal quality assurance

The head of a crèche or kids’ club (see Chapter 9.1 ‘Management staff for early childhood and school education’) or a self-employed day-care provider (see Chapter 3.5 ‘Home-based provision’) takes overall responsibility for internal supervision or quality assurance. They ensure compliance of the institution’s activities with the legal requirements, and – as of 1 January 2026 – the childcare standards and other standards (for example, for the protection of minors). The essential childcare standards require that staff self-assess their performance and activities carried out as part of their work with children at least once a year. 

The Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 2011 r. o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3, z późn zm.) authorises the parents’ council in a crèche or a kids’ club to, for example, propose initiatives and submit opinions and motions on all matters relating to the activities, and in particular educational activities, of the institution; to examine its documentation on nutrition norms; and to visit the premises where childcare is provided. If any irregularities or shortcomings are detected, the council may report them to the head of the institution, and if they are not eliminated, to the mayor of the commune, city or town. 

As stated in the essential childcare standards, parents should also participate in internal quality assurance through, for example, consultations on the care-and-education plan, which each institution is required to adopt, and satisfaction surveys on the atmosphere and relations between parents and staff to be conducted at least once a year. 

Preschool  education and school education

Bodies  responsible for external quality assurance

The bodies involved in external quality assurance and their responsibilities are specified in the following legislative acts: the 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.); the 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.); and the 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). 

The pedagogical supervision bodies have a key role in quality assurance. They include: 

• the minister responsible for school education (currently, the Minister of National Education), and the ministers responsible for culture and national heritage, agriculture and justice who supervise specific types of schools;

• the Heads of the Regional Education Authorities (REAs) (kurator oświaty) (the pedagogical supervision body at the regional level for most nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions) or other pedagogical supervision bodies established by the ministers other than the minister responsible for school education (see above).

These bodies conduct inspections and support nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions (hereafter jointly referred to as schools, wherever possible) as part of external pedagogical supervision. 

The Heads of the REAs and bodies administering schools also conduct performance appraisals of school heads, and are involved in the assessment of knowledge and skills of teachers as part of the professional promotion procedure. For information about the promotion of teachers, see Chapter 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. 

Minister of National Education

The Minister of National Education (the website available in Polish) exercises direct pedagogical supervision over specific types of schools and institutions (so-called Polish schools: schools at Polish diplomatic and military missions and consulates abroad; national public continuing education institutions; in-service teacher training institutions; and experimental schools and institutions). The Minister also oversees and coordinates pedagogical supervision activities across the country and, in particular, those undertaken by the Heads of the REAs. The Minister:

• sets the main lines of the national school education agenda to be implemented by the Heads of the REAs, and in particular those related to their pedagogical supervision tasks;

• monitors the efficiency and effectiveness of pedagogical supervision exercised by the Heads of the REAs and compliance with the legislation in this respect, and may give them written guidelines and instructions, except in individual cases which are subject to administrative decisions;

• may instruct the Heads of the REAs to provide information, documentation, periodic reports and reports on specific issues;

• may organise training courses, seminars and conferences for the Heads of the REAs;

• may publish in the official ministerial journal recommended standards for school equipment and facilities to be used in the teaching of general subjects.

In consultation with the other competent ministers, the Minister lays down, by regulation, detailed arrangements for pedagogical supervision, including inspections. For each school year, the Minister defines topics or foci of external inspections in schools in ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’ for each school year, and approves inspection sheets which specify criteria for external inspections. 

The Minister also manages an electronic pedagogical supervision platform, which includes, for example, information on activities of schools and other educational institutions collected in external inspections, and findings from, and outcomes of, external inspections. Access to the platform is open to staff in the bodies responsible for external pedagogical supervision, and – to the extent necessary for their involvement in inspections in individual schools – their administering bodies, heads, teachers, pupils and parents.

The other ministers mentioned above exercise pedagogical supervision over specific types of schools according to their remit (for example, agricultural and forestry schools). However, such schools are subject to pedagogical supervision based on detailed arrangements laid down by the minister responsible for school education in consultation with the other competent ministers. The other ministers may also establish specialised pedagogical supervision units.

Heads of the Regional Education Authorities

The REAs are organisational units of the government administration at the regional or province (województwo) level. 

The province governor (wojewoda) (the head of the central government administration body at the regional level) holds a competition to select a candidate for the Head of the REA. The Minister of National Education appoints and dismisses the Head of the REA at the request of the province governor. Where no candidate has entered or has been selected in a competition, the Minister may appoint a person he/she has selected who fulfils the competition requirements set in the legislation, after consultation with the province governor. The Minister may also dismiss the Head of the REA on his/her own initiative. Thus, Heads of the REAs are not independent from the national authorities.

The Heads of the REAs exercise pedagogical supervision over public and non-public schools within their provinces. They perform their tasks in accordance with detailed regulations on pedagogical supervision and ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’, including topics for external inspections, established by the Minister for each school year.

As part of his/her pedagogical supervision responsibilities, the Head of the REA:

• develops a pedagogical supervision plan for a given province for each school year, specifying, among other things, the topics of external inspections and the number of schools undergoing inspection, and submits annual reports on findings from supervision to the Minister; 

• appoints external inspection panels from among inspectors working in the REA and considers objections to their reports which may be raised by heads of the schools concerned.

If, for example, an external inspection reveals irregularities or that a school is underperforming in terms of educational effectiveness, the Head of the REA instructs the school head to develop a performance improvement programme within a specified timeframe. If the school head fails to eliminate shortcomings in the timeframe set, to develop or implement a performance improvement programme or address the comments and conclusions presented, the Head of the REA takes steps which lead to the dismissal of the school head. Where a school is administered by a natural person or a legal person other than a local government unit, failure to carry out the instructions may provide the basis for the Head of the REA to cancel the permit for establishment and, consequently, to close down the school concerned.

The Head of the REA (or his/her representative) also: 

• conducts, together with the body administering a given school, a performance appraisal of the school head, and appoints a panel to consider an appeal against the outcome of the appraisal filed by the head; 

• appoints panels which consider appeals filed by teachers against outcomes of performance appraisals conducted by school heads (see Bodies responsible for internal quality assurance below); 

• is involved in the promotion process for teachers, which takes into consideration the outcome of the teacher’s performance appraisal conducted by the school head; for information about the promotion of teachers, see 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. 

School administering bodies

The school administering body (a local government unit, for most schools), together with the Head of the REA, conducts performance appraisal of the school head. 

Like the Head of the REA, the school administering body is also involved in the promotion process for teachers, which takes into consideration the outcome of the teacher’s performance appraisal conducted by the school head. For information about promotion, see Chapter 8.2. 

Bodies  responsible for internal quality assurance

The regulations on internal pedagogical supervision do not apply to non-public schools which may put in place their own arrangements. In the public sector, the responsibility for internal pedagogical supervision, which includes inspections and support, rests with the head of a school (or a teacher holding a management position if the head is not a teacher), working together with other teachers who hold management positions.

Pursuant to the 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.), the head of a public school, together with other management staff, conducts internal inspections or audits on a mandatory basis in each school year and uses their findings to improve the school's performance. Heads also support teachers in the performance of their tasks; for example, they analyse the performance of the school, design development measures, including continuing professional development activities for teachers, and implement such measures (for example, training activities and staff meetings).

For each school year, the school head develops a pedagogical supervision plan which is submitted to the school's teaching council (a body composed of the head as its chair and all teachers). The plan should take into consideration the aims of inspections set in the legislation, ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’ established by the Minister of National Education, and findings from pedagogical supervision in the previous year. Aside from that, school heads are free to determine specific topics and the number of internal inspections in line with the needs of their schools. After the end of the school year, the head reports on findings from internal pedagogical supervision to the teaching council. The legislation does not define explicitly the role of the teaching council or individual teachers in internal inspections.

Pursuant to the 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), the school head also conducts teacher performance appraisal (together with a teacher holding a management position if the head is not a teacher), and the relevant regulations apply to both the public and non-public sectors. The teacher may appeal against the head’s decision to the external pedagogical supervision body, which, in most cases, is the Head of the REA (see above).

Approaches and methods of quality assurance

Care for  children aged up to 3 years

The scope of both external and internal quality assurance is determined by requirements for the establishment and operation of crèches and kids’ clubs or the provision of services by day-care providers (jointly referred to as childcare institutions), childcare standards and other standards set in the national legislation. Other standards include, for example, those for the protection of minors, which address safe relationships between children and staff in each entity conducting care and/or educational activity. 

The legislation sets, for example, detailed requirements for fire safety, hygiene and safety and premises, the age of children to be admitted, the maximum number of children at a kids’ club, the staff-to-child ratio (see Chapter 3 ‘Early childhood education and care’), qualifications of staff managing childcare institutions (see Chapter 9.1 ‘Management staff for early childhood and school education’) and taking care of children (see Chapter 3.5 ‘Home-based provision’). (Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 2011 r. o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3, z późn zm.); and Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 10 July 2014 on the requirements concerning premises and health and safety conditions for creches and kids’ clubs, as subsequently amended (rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 10 lipca 2014 r. w sprawie wymagań lokalowych i sanitarnych, jakie musi spełniać lokal, w którym ma być prowadzony żłobek lub klub dziecięcy, z późn. zm.). 

The Regulation of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy of 13 December 2024 on the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years (rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 13 grudnia 2024 r. w sprawie standardów opieki sprawowanej nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3), which comes into force on 1 January 2026, sets essential (mandatory) standards and optional standards (development- and quality improvement-oriented recommendations). Both types of standards cover work with children, organisation of work for staff and collaboration between staff and parents as the three main areas: 

• Work with children (based on a care-and-education plan to be developed by each childcare institution): respect for children’s rights in everyday work; safe and respectful relations with children built by staff; support for children in developing a sense of belonging and mindfulness of others; conditions created for children to learn about and experience the surrounding world; an environment created for children to encourage speaking, listening and communication; an environment created for children to enhance physical fitness and engage their senses; conditions provided for children’s creative expression and contact with various products of culture and artworks. 

• Organisation of work for staff: organisation of work enabling the upgrading of qualifications and skills; care taken by staff for children’s safety and health; space arranged in an aesthetic way and consistent with the care-and-education plan; adaptation of children in a way suited to their individual needs. 

• Collaboration between staff and parents: collaboration based on mutual respect and openness to build a coherent environment for the development of children; conditions created for parents to participate in the life of a childcare institution; conditions created for parents to improve their parenting competences. 

The Regulation describes in detail the scope of the standards in each of the three main areas. The fourth area is the monitoring of the implementation of the standards for the three main areas. 

External quality assurance

Supervision of childcare institutions aims to verify their compliance with the requirements and standards established by the legislation. It is based on a supervision plan which is adopted by the commune council (the legislative and supervisory body of the lowest-level local government unit) and implemented by the mayor of the commune, city or town (the executive body of the commune). The commune authorities exercise supervision by keeping registers of crèches and kids’ clubs and of entities employing day-care providers and self-employed day-care providers, and by conducting inspections at childcare institutions. 

Pursuant to the Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years, the mayor keeps registers of childcare institutions. An application for entry onto the Register of Crèches and Kids’ Clubs includes, among other things, basic information (for example, the number of places and children to be enrolled, working hours, facilities for children with special needs if available); decisions of the competent authorities or services confirming compliance with the requirements for premises, hygiene and safety (for example, at least one room; space for rest for children; conditions for eating hygiene) and fire safety; and a statement on compliance with the childcare standards. The essential childcare standards require that new institutions have a care-and-education plan, which describes methodological aspects of the work with children, and rules and procedures for the organisation of work for staff and collaboration between staff and parents. The procedure for registration includes a review of submitted documents. 

An application for entry onto the Register of Entities Employing Day-Care Providers and Self-Employed Day-Care Providers includes, among other things, basic information (for example, the number of children to be cared for, working hours); a statement on compliance with formal requirements (for premises, hygiene and safety) and qualification requirements; and a statement on compliance with the essential standards (the same as for crèches and kids’ clubs; see above). The procedure includes a review of submitted documents, but before registering a day-care provider, staff appointed by the mayor may visit the place where childcare will be provided.

Registered childcare institutions are required to update entries in the register if there are any changes in the information provided. The Registers will include information about compliance with both the essential and optional childcare standards for existing childcare institutions. 

Inspections conductedin childcare institutions verify their compliance with the legal requirements and – as of 1 January 2026 – the childcare standards and other standards (for example, for the protection of minors). Inspections can be planned or undertaken on an ad-hoc basis. The legislation does not specify the frequency of inspections, leaving this matter to the discretion of the local authorities. 

Inspections are conducted by staff appointed by the mayor. Staff may visit the place where childcare is provided, examine personnel records and request additional information and clarifications.

If an inspection reveals that a childcare institution fails to meet the legal requirements, the childcare standards or other standards established by the law, the mayor as the supervision body instructs it to eliminate the shortcomings. The institution concerned may submit motivated objections to an inspection report. If the institution does not eliminate the shortcomings within a specific timeframe, the mayor strikes it off from the relevant Register.

Internal quality assurance

Pursuant to the Act on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years, the head of a crèche or kids’ club or a day-care provider is responsible for compliance with the legal requirements and the standards set in the legislation. The head of a crèche or kids’ club can conduct internal inspections or audits. 

The essential childcare standards require that a childcare institution develop a care-and-education plan for the area of ‘Work with children’, consult the plan with parents or the parents’ council (if established in a crèche or kids’ club; see also Responsible bodies above), and to review the plan once a year and adjust it to the capacity of the institution and the needs of children. The standards also identify the following tools for quality monitoring: 

• self-assessment of activities supporting children’s autonomy and tasks concerning interactions with children, conducted by staff; 

• self-assessment of performance conducted by staff; 

• a satisfaction survey of parents on the atmosphere in the childcare institution and relations between parents and staff. 

When the standards come into effect (1 January 2026), self-assessments and a parents’ satisfaction survey will be conducted on a mandatory basis at least once a year. Findings from a satisfaction surveys should be used in the work of the childcare institution. 

The local authorities will also consider the monitoring of the implementation of the standards in the three main areas (see above) in their inspections.  

Preschool education  and school education

This chapter describes the following quality assurance mechanisms:

• external quality assurance: inspections as part of external pedagogical supervision, and performance appraisal of school heads; 

• internal quality assurance: inspections as part of internal pedagogical supervision, and teacher performance appraisal.

The teacher evaluation system does not include appraisal mechanisms for candidates wishing to join the teaching profession; entry requirements for the profession are discussed in Chapter 8.1 ‘Initial education for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. The procedure for the professional promotion of teachers includes an exam or an interview to assess their knowledge and skills, and takes into consideration the outcome of a performance appraisal conducted as part of internal quality assurance. For information about promotion, see Chapter 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. 

External quality assurance

Inspections

Pursuant to the 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.), inspections aim to evaluate:

• compliance with the legislation on educational, childcare and other statutory activities of nursery schools and schools;

• educational processes in nursery schools and schools;

• outcomes or effectiveness of educational, childcare and other statutory activities of nursery schools and schools.

External inspections are conducted at public and non-public nursery schools and schools (hereafter jointly referred to as schools wherever possible) (and other public and non-public institutions within the school education system). 

Scope, thematic foci and frequency of inspections

Inspections may address any topic or area of the activity of schools which falls within the scope of pedagogical supervision exercised by the Minister and Heads of the Regional Education Authorities (REAs) (or other pedagogical supervision bodies; see Responsible bodies above). Pursuant to the 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.), pedagogical supervision covers, in particular:

• qualification requirements for teachers to conduct classes assigned to them;

• implementation of the national core curricula and outline timetables;

• compliance with the rules for pupil assessment and promotion and external exams, and with the legislation on full-time and part-time compulsory education;

• compliance with the statutes of a school;

• respect for children’s and pupils’ rights, and dissemination of information about children’s rights;

• safe and hygienic conditions for education and care.

As inspections aim to evaluate, among other things, the outcomes or effectiveness of educational processes, they can consider results of external exams taken by pupils. For information about external exams, see Chapters 4.3 ‘Assessment in single-structure education’, 5.3 ‘Assessment in general upper secondary education’ and 5.6 ‘Assessment in vocational upper secondary education’. 

For each school year, the Minister of National Education defines topics for external inspections in ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’. The Head of the REAs in each province develops a pedagogical supervision plan for each school year, considering findings from the pedagogical supervision in the previous year, and ‘The directions for the implementation of the school education policy’, including topics for inspections, established by the Minister. The plan includes the number and topics of inspections in specific types schools. 

The legislation does not specify the frequency of inspections in individual schools. Inspections are conducted on a scheduled and ad-hoc basis. The REAs conduct scheduled inspections every school year on a mandatory basis, but their topics and the number of schools undergoing an inspection vary between years. Ad-hoc inspections take place when there is a need to take action which is not included in a pedagogical supervision plan for a given school year.

Inspectors

Pursuant to the afore-mentioned Regulation on pedagogical supervision, inspections are conducted by an inspector or a panel of inspectors appointed by the Head of the REA from among those working in the REA (however, a joint panel can be set up for schools and institutions supervised by more than one body, such as art or agricultural schools; see Responsible bodies above).

For information about the qualification requirements and conditions of services for inspectors, see Chapter 9.2 ‘Staff involved in monitoring educational quality for early childhood and school education’. 

Inspection procedure

The procedure includes a site visit to the school. Pursuant to the 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.), inspectors can:

• visit a school;

• examine its documentation concerning educational and childcare processes and the organisation of work, and documents confirming qualifications of teachers and other staff to conduct specific types of classes;

• attend meetings of the school’s teaching council if the school head is informed prior to the meeting;

• observe classes, other educational, childcare and other activities organised by the school;

• conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of educational and childcare activities of the school.

Inspectors use so-called inspection sheets, approved by the Minister of National Education, which include evaluation criteria. 

After an inspection, an inspector or a panel of inspectors prepares a protocol which contains a factual description, including the irregularities or shortcomings identified, conclusions and recommendations, together with the timeframe for their implementation. The Head of the REA forwards the protocol to the school head who can submit written and reasoned objections. The protocol is amended if the head’s objections are justified. If the Head of the REA does not consider favourably any or some of the objections, this is explained in a written statement provided to the school head.

Consequences for schools

In accordance with the Law on School Education, if an inspection (or any other action taken by the pedagogical supervision body) reveals that the school fails to comply with the legislation, the Head of the REA instructs the school head to eliminate the shortcomings or irregularities within a specified timeframe. 

If the effectiveness or outcomes of educational activities are not satisfactory, the Head of the REA instructs the school head to develop a performance improvement programme and a schedule for its implementation. The school head prepares such documents in consultation with the school administering body and should address comments and conclusions presented by the Head of the REA; the programme implementation schedule should be approved by the Head of the REA. 

If the school head fails to eliminate shortcomings within the timeframe set, to develop or implement a performance improvement programme in line with the approved schedule or to address the comments and conclusions presented, the Head of the REA submits a motion for dismissal of the head to the school administering body. The motion is binding upon the school administering body. If a school administered by a natural person or a legal person, except for a local government unit, fails to comply with the instructions from the Head of the REA, the Head may cancel the permit to establish the school; consequently, the school is struck from the register and closed down.

Publication and use of inspection protocols

Information on the scope of inspections and their findings, including any irregularities and/or shortcomings identified, and conclusions and recommendations, are collected on the online pedagogical supervision platform. Staff of the ministries responsible for pedagogical supervision and their units and bodies, and staff of the REAs involved in pedagogical supervision (see: Responsible bodies above) can access the platform to the extent that is needed to use the supervision tools in inspections, analyse data and summarise findings. Bodies administering schools have access to the tools available on the platform insofar as these are related to the pedagogical supervision of schools which they administer. School heads, teachers, pupils and parents may access such tools during an inspection in a given school to provide information in response to questions covered by the supervision tools.

Each year, the Heads of the REAs prepare reports for the Minister of National Education, which contain findings from pedagogical supervision, including inspections, in their provinces and publish summary reports on their websites. The Heads of the REAs use findings to develop a pedagogical supervision plan for the next school year, including specific measures aimed at quality improvement in schools. Their reports enable a comparative analysis of the activities of schools at the national level, and are used by the Minister to set ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’, including pedagogical supervision tasks, for the next school year.

Performance appraisal of the school head

The legislation on performance appraisal applies to heads of public schools, including those administered by natural persons or legal persons other than local government units, and to teaching heads (as opposed to non-teaching heads or so-called heads-managers; see Chapter 9.1 ‘Management staff for early childhood and school education’) in non-public schools.

Pursuant to the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela, z późn. zm.), performance appraisal of the head is not mandatory. The legislation does not specify frequency of appraisal, stating only that it may take place any time, but not earlier than a year after the previous one.

Performance appraisal can be undertaken on the initiative of the school head or at the request of:

• the pedagogical supervision body (which, for most schools, is the Head of the REA) or

• the school administering body (which, for most schools, is a local government unit) or

• the school council (composed of representatives of teachers, parents and pupils) if established, or the teaching council (composed of the school head and all teachers) or

• the parents’ council (composed of representatives of parents of all pupils; this applies only to nursery schools and schools for children and youth).

The pedagogical supervision and the body administering a given school jointly conduct an appraisal (see Procedure, outcomes and consequences of performance appraisal below). An appraisal takes place after consultations with the school council and trade unions operating within the school.

Scope and criteria of performance appraisal 

As stated in the Teachers’ Charter, appraisal covers the performance of duties of the head and, additionally, duties of the teacher for teaching heads, as specified in the legislation. 

The 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) sets criteria for performance appraisal of the school head. The mandatory criteria address the duties of the head in the following areas: 

• institutional management: organisation of work; collaboration with other governing bodies of the school; duties resulting from the labour law; financial management; 

• pedagogical supervision (for a teaching head; otherwise, this applies to a teacher holding a management position); 

• conditions created for the school to perform its tasks, and related documentation, and measures taken to improve the performance of the school; 

• conditions created for respecting children’s and pupils’ rights; 

• measures taken to support pupils’ development and encourage their participation in the life of the school;  

• educational and problem-prevention activities/measures, and conditions created for health promotion activities; 

• organisation of psychological and educational support for pupils; 

• support for teachers in professional development, and development of the head’s own management competences; 

• cooperation with the local community and social partners, and activities aimed at building a positive image of the school. 

If a teaching head conducts classes and other educational and childcare activities, the appraisal also covers the mandatory criteria for the performance appraisal of teachers and one criterion chosen by the head from among additional criteria for the teacher appraisal (see Internal quality assurance: teacher performance appraisal below). 

If the head does not conduct classes and other educational and childcare activities, the appraisal also covers two mandatory criteria for teacher appraisal. The two criteria refer to the knowledge and safeguarding of children’s rights, and the development of pupils’ respect for other people, awareness of their rights, and civic, patriotic and prosocial attitudes. 

Procedure, outcomes and consequences of performance appraisal

Appraisal is conducted by the pedagogical supervision body in collaboration with the school administering body. Where the pedagogical supervision body is, at the same time, the school administering body, appraisal is conducted by the former.

The two bodies conduct so-called partial assessments, which focus on specific management duties, and jointly evaluate the performance of some other duties: 

• the pedagogical supervision body: the mandatory criteria for the school head that refer to pedagogical supervision, conditions for respecting children’s and pupils’ rights, and activities supporting pupils’ development and active participation in the life of the school; and mandatory and additional criteria for teacher performance appraisal; 

• the school administering body: the mandatory criteria for heads that address financial management and duties resulting from the labour law; 

• the pedagogical supervision body in consultation with the school administering body: the mandatory criteria for heads referring to the following aspects: organisation of work and collaboration with other school governing bodies; conditions for the school to carry out its statutory tasks, and related documentation, and measures taken to improve school performance; psychological and educational support for pupils, and educational, problem-prevention and health promoting measures and activities; support for professional development of teachers, and development of the head’s own management competences; cooperation with the local community, and building a positive image of the school. 

The two bodies use scores in assessing the extent to which the head’s performance meets the criteria (the Regulation mentioned above provides a detailed scoring system).

Like the teacher performance appraisal, the appraisal of heads ends with one of the following grades (referred to as a descriptive statement), depending on the number of points:

• outstanding: at least 90% of the maximum number of points;

• very good: between 75% and 89.99%;

• good: between 55% and 74.99%;

• negative: below 55%.

The school head may appeal against the outcome of the appraisal to the pedagogical supervision body. Appeals are considered by a team appointed by the pedagogical supervision body, which consists of representatives from the pedagogical supervision body, the school administering body, the school council or (if the school council has not been established) the parents' council and, at the head's request, a teacher-methodological adviser or teacher-consultant (for information about teachers-advisers and teachers-consultants, see Chapter 8.3 ‘Continuing professional development for teachers working in early childhood and school education’), and a representative of the trade union.

Where the final grade is Negative, the school head is dismissed by the body that has appointed him/her to the position.

Internal quality assurance

The same arrangements for internal inspections are in place for both preschool education and school education, but apply only to public nursery schools and schools (hereafter jointly referred to as schools, wherever possible) (and other public educational institutions within the school education system). All types of non-public institutions may develop different approaches. The arrangements for teacher performance appraisal apply to both the public and non-public sectors.

Inspections

Internal inspections are conducted as part of pedagogical supervision and have the same aims as external inspections (see above) (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.). 

Like external inspections, internal inspections are conducted on a scheduled and ad-hoc basis. The school head conducts scheduled inspections on a mandatory basis in each school year. 

The school head develops a pedagogical supervision plan for each school year and submits it to the school’s teaching council (composed of the head as its chair and all teachers). The plan includes topics and dates of scheduled inspections and a schedule of class observation. It should integrate ‘The directions for the implementation of the national school education policy’, set by the Minister of National Education for each school year, and findings from the pedagogical supervision in the previous year. Within this framework, the head defines topics for inspections in line with specific needs of the school.

The legislation does not prescribe the procedure for inspections in detail. It states only that the school head carries out inspections in collaboration with other management staff, and, as part of an inspection:

• analyses documentation on the educational process;

• observes classes, other educational and childcare activities conducted by teachers and other activities as defined in the statutes of the school.  

In practice, this means that the head can observe both classes and other activities such as teacher-parent meetings.

The head submits a report on pedagogical supervision, including findings from internal inspections, in a given school year to the teaching council. Findings are not published, but the head should use them to improve school performance, and they are taken into consideration in external inspections. 

Teacher performance appraisal

Pursuant to the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela, z późn. zm.), performance appraisal is mandatory for novice teachers: teachers who have the qualifications required for the teaching profession, but do not have the grade of appointed teacher (the first of the two professional promotion grades for teachers) and carry out an induction programme (see Induction in Chapter 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’). A performance appraisal is conducted in the second and final year of the induction period (and in the final year of an additional induction period if a teacher undertakes it as (s)he did not meet the requirements for its completion laid down in the legislation).

A performance appraisal linked to the promotion to the grade of chartered teacher (the second and highest professional promotion grade) is conducted at the request of an appointed teacher who intends to apply for promotion. Such an appraisal is not described as mandatory in the legislation, but at least a Very Good grade received in the appraisal is one of the preconditions for promotion. An appraisal covers 3 years of work preceding the appraisal. See Promotion, advancement in Chapter 8.2. 

In other cases performance appraisal is not mandatory. In accordance with the Teachers’ Charter, it can be carried out at any time, but not earlier that a year after the previous appraisal. An appraisal is initiated by the school head or conducted at the request of:

• the teacher concerned;

• the pedagogical supervision body (the Head of the REA, for most nursery schools and schools);

• the body administering a given school (a local government unit, for most nursery schools and schools);

• the school council (composed of the school’s teachers and pupils and their parents);

• the parents’ council (composed of representatives of parents of all pupils).

Scope and criteria of performance appraisal

As stated in the Teachers’ Charter, a performance appraisal covers the performance of teaching, other educational and childcare duties and other duties related to the activities of a school as defined in the legislation. The legislation lays down mandatory and additional criteria for performance appraisal. An appraisal covers all of the mandatory criteria and one of the additional criteria chosen by the school head and by the teacher according to the specificity of his/her work.

The criteria for appraisal are defined in the 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). The mandatory criteria cover the following areas: 

• subject-specific and methodological competence in conducting classes and other educational and childcare activities;

• safe and healthy conditions created for learning, other educational and childcare activities;

• knowledge of children’s rights and respect for their rights in the teacher’s work;

• support for the development of each pupil, including a pupil with disability, and conditions created for active and full participation of each pupil in the life of the school and the local community;

• instilling in pupils respect for other people, raising awareness of their rights, and developing their civic attitudes, a sense of patriotism and social engagement;

• collaboration with other teachers in the implementation of the school’s tasks;

• compliance with the national legislation and internal regulations of the school;

• activities undertaken to broaden the teacher’s professional knowledge and improve his/her professional skills;

• collaboration with parents (this applies only to teachers working in nursery schools and schools for children and youth).

The additional criteria address, for example, the use of active learning methods in planning, organising and teaching classes; development and implementation of innovative curricula or innovative teaching approaches; assessment of pupils’ needs and abilities and individualisation of work with the pupil; analysis of one’s performance and improvement of the education-and-childcare process; classes and other activities extending beyond the compulsory teaching load. 

Procedure and outcomes of performance appraisal

Pursuant to the Regulation mentioned above, a performance appraisal is conducted by the head of a school (or the school head together with a teacher holding a management position if the head is not a teacher). During the appraisal, the school head:

• consults the parents’ council (in the types of nursery schools and schools where such a council is established);

• can consult the pupil self-government organisation;

• can consult on his/her own initiative, or consults at the teacher’s request, a teacher-methodological adviser about the performance of the evaluated teacher (for information about methodological advisers, see Chapter 8.3 ‘Continuing professional development for teachers working in early childhood and school education’); where this is not possible, consults another appointed or chartered teacher;

• for a novice teacher carrying out an induction programme: consults the mentor of the evaluated teacher.

The parents’ council and the mentor submit their written opinions within the timeframe specified in the legislation. If they do not submit such an opinion, this does not suspend the appraisal process.

The school head decides on the outcome of the appraisal after a discussion on a draft appraisal report with the teacher, during which the teacher can make comments and objections.

The school head gives a performance score for each criterion (the afore-mentioned Regulation describes in detail the scoring system). Depending on the total number of points, an appraisal ends with one of the following four grades (referred to as an overall statement):

• Outstanding: at least 90% of the maximum number of points;

• Very Good: between 75% and 89.99%;

• Good: between 55% and 74.99%;

• Negative: below 55%.

The teacher may appeal against the outcome of the appraisal to the pedagogical supervision body (which, for most schools, is the Head of the REA; see Responsible bodies above). This body appoints a panel to consider an appeal. Each panel consists of representatives of the pedagogical supervision body, the teaching council and the parents’ council of the school (one per each), a teacher-methodological adviser or teacher-consultant, and – at the request of the evaluated teacher – a representative of the trade union operating in the school, chosen by the teacher. The decision of the pedagogical supervision body is final.

Consequences of performance appraisal, and use of appraisal outcomes

A novice teacher should receive at least a Good grade in the performance appraisal in the final year of the induction period for the promotion to the grade of appointed teacher. Similarly, at least a Very Good grade received in the performance appraisal is one of the preconditions for the promotion of an appointed teacher to the chartered teacher grade. For details about promotion, see Chapter 8.2 ‘Conditions of service for teachers working in early childhood and school education’. 

Pursuant to the Teachers’ Charter, a Negative grade received in a performance appraisal leads to dismissal (the termination of an employment relationship), regardless of whether the appraisal is linked to promotion. 

Furthermore, in case a novice teacher received a Negative grade in the performance appraisal in the second year of the induction period, he/she may not be re-employed in the same school until he/she obtains the grade of appointed teacher. If employed in another school, he/she carries out an induction period for the duration specified in the legislation (see Chapter 8.2), which does not include the induction period that has already been carried out.  In case a novice teacher received a Negative grade for performance in the final year of the induction period and is employed in another school, he/she carries out an additional induction programme.

Teachers use outcomes of performance appraisals when applying for the school head position in a competition. School heads use appraisal outcomes as the basis for incentive allowances and awards to be granted in accordance with internal school regulations, and to support their motions for awards which are granted to heads or teachers by higher-level bodies.

General findings from teacher performance appraisal also feed into the planning of school activities. School heads consider findings from performance appraisals in annual pedagogical supervision plans which cover internal inspections and support, including teacher in-service training or professional development (see General information about pedagogical supervision on the introductory page of Chapter 10.1 ‘Quality assurance in early childhood and school education’ and details about inspections above).