Types of schools

Within the Polish school system, which is based on the 8-year primary school, the stage of lower secondary education is not formally distinguished; the 8-year primary school covers two levels: ISCED 1 (primary education) and ISCED 2 (lower secondary education). Education in the primary school ends with the eighth-grader exam. 

Upper secondary schools (referred to as post-primary schools) currently include: 

• 3-year stage I sectoral vocational schools (szkoła branżowa I stopnia), where pupils finishing the school receive a diploma upon passing vocational exams. They can continue education either in a stage II sectoral vocational school or in a general upper secondary school for adults, starting in Grade II. A stage II sectoral vocational school trains for an occupation that embraces a qualification common to the occupation for which pupils are trained in stage I and stage II schools.

• 4-year general secondary schools (liceum ogólnokształcące), where pupils who have finished the school can take the maturity exam leading to a maturity certificate. 

• 5-year technical upper secondary schools (technikum), where pupils can obtain a diploma upon passing vocational exams and can also take the maturity exam and obtain a maturity certificate. 

• 2-year stage II sectoral vocational schools (szkoła branżowa II stopnia), where pupils / learners can obtain a Technician diploma upon passing a vocational exam; the diploma confers vocational qualifications for an occupation that embraces a qualification common to the occupation for which pupils / learners are trained in stage I and stage II schools. Pupils / learners can also obtain a maturity certificate upon passing the maturity exam.

• 3-year special schools preparing for employment (szkoły specjalne przysposabiające do pracy) which take pupils with a moderate or severe intellectual disability and pupils with multiple disabilities, and award a diploma confirming preparation for employment (see also Educational Support and Guidance).

Post-secondary schools (providing post-secondary non-tertiary education)

• Post-secondary schools (szkoła policealna) for learners who have finished an upper secondary school, which offer vocational programmes lasting for 1 to 2.5 years and award a diploma to those who have passed vocational exams. 

Art schools

Art schools in Poland form a separate structure in organisational terms. They are supervised by the minister responsible for culture and national heritage. See also the chapter ‘Organisational Variations and Alternative Structures’.

Core curriculum for general education in secondary schools

The core curriculum for general education is one of the key legal instruments for the management of school education in Poland. 

The core curriculum for general education in secondary schools is laid down in the following regulations based on the Law on School Education (ustawa – Prawo oświatowe):

• for stage I sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools: Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 14 February 2017 on the core curriculum for preschool education and the core curriculum for general education in primary schools, incl. for pupils with a moderate and severe intellectual disability, and for general education in stage I sectoral vocational schools, general education in special schools preparing for employment, and general education in post-secondary schools); (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 14 lutego 2017 r. w sprawie podstawy programowej wychowania przedszkolnego oraz podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły podstawowej, w tym dla uczniów z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w stopniu umiarkowanym lub znacznym, kształcenia ogólnego dla branżowej szkoły I stopnia, kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły specjalnej przysposabiającej do pracy oraz kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły policealnej);  

• for general secondary schools, technical secondary schools and stage II sectoral vocational schools: Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 30 January 2018 on the core curriculum for general education in general secondary schools, technical secondary schools and stage II sectoral vocational schools) (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 30 stycznia 2018 r. w sprawie podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego dla liceum ogólnokształcącego, technikum oraz branżowej szkoły II stopnia).  

The core curriculum for vocational education in various types of schools (sectoral vocational schools, 5-year technical secondary schools and post-secondary schools) is established by the Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 16 May 2019 on the core curricula for vocational sector-based education and additional vocational skills for selected occupations identified within vocational sector-based education (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 16 maja 2019 r. w sprawie podstaw programowych kształcenia w zawodach szkolnictwa branżowego oraz dodatkowych umiejętności zawodowych w zakresie wybranych zawodów szkolnictwa branżowego). 

In the 2017 core curriculum, the aims of general education in stage I sectoral vocational schools include preparing pupils to acquire vocational qualifications and, as for the other types of schools, for work and life in the contemporary world. General education in a stage I sectoral vocational school initiates the process of lifelong learning. In addition to providing vocational training, a stage I sectoral vocational school should provide pupils with a body of general knowledge which lays the foundation of education, enabling learners further on to acquire various vocational qualifications and continue education in a stage II sectoral vocational school and, subsequently, enhance and adapt knowledge. General education in a stage I sectoral vocational school aims to enable pupils to (1) acquire a body of knowledge covering facts, rules, theories and practices; (2) acquire the ability to use the knowledge gained to carry out tasks and solve problems; (3) develop attitudes which are necessary for efficient and responsible functioning in the contemporary world.

Separate annexes to the Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 30 January 2018 (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 30 stycznia 2018 r. w sprawie podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego dla liceum ogólnokształcącego, technikum oraz branżowej szkoły II stopnia) lay down the core curricula for general education in:

• 4-year general secondary schools and 5-year technical secondary schools;

• stage II sectoral vocational schools for learners who have finished lower secondary schools existing before the recent school education reform;

• stage II sectoral vocational schools for learners who have finished post-reform 8-year primary schools.

The core curriculum for the 4-year general secondary school and the 5-year technical secondary school (established by the aforementioned Regulation of 30 January 2018) considers general education in a post-primary school as a coherent whole in curricular terms. It lays foundations for education, enabling pupils to acquire various qualifications for future employment and, subsequently, to upgrade or modify them, and thus initiating the lifelong learning process. General education in a general secondary school and a technical secondary school aims to:

1. treat structured and systematic knowledge as the basis for skills development;
2. improve thinking and language skills such as reading comprehension; creative writing; formulating questions and problems; using criteria; substantiating judgements; explaining; classifying; reasoning; defining; using examples, etc.;
3. develop personal interests and integrate subject-area knowledge gained in various disciplines;
4. develop skills to formulate independent and considered judgments, and substantiate one’s own and other people’s judgments in the process of dialogue within a community of enquiry;
5. combine critical and logical thinking skills with imagination and creativity skills;
6. develop social, moral and aesthetic sensitivity;
7. develop thinking tools which enable pupils to commune with, and understand, culture;
8. develop pupils’ respect for knowledge, arouse their passion for exploring the world, and encourage them to apply in practice the knowledge gained.   

The list of skills to be acquired by pupils in upper secondary schools (referred to as post-primary schools) comprises, for example, ICT skills, including respect for copyrights and safety in cyberspace; skills necessary to independently retrieve, select, combine and judge the value of information, and use sources in a reliable way; and skills for communication in the national language and foreign languages, including both speaking and writing skills.

Based on the arrangements in place since 1 September 2019, external examination boards assess the level of competences to be acquired by the end of an education stage, as set out in the core curriculum, through the maturity exam at the end of education at a general secondary school, technical secondary school or stage II sectoral vocational school (education stage III). 

Vocational education and training (VET) system

Pupils who have finished an 8-year primary school can choose the following educational paths within the vocational education and examination system in Poland: 

• primary school leavers can continue education in a stage I sectoral vocational school, where they obtain a vocational diploma and a basic vocational (sectoral) education qualification (and thus are qualified to take up employment); 

• interested stage I sectoral vocational school leavers can continue education in a stage II sectoral vocational school, where they obtain a Technician diploma and can take the maturity exam. 

The VET system is based on the following basic principles: 

• Close link between the core curricula for vocational education established by the legislation and the Classification of Occupations for Vocational Education: this provides a clear structure for regulations implementing the Law on School Education (Prawo oświatowe), and prevents a situation where there are no up-to-date core curricula for newly created occupations; 

• Cooperation between schools and employers and their organisations: schools and employers can conclude agreements and establish so-called patronage classes where pupils are trained for a given occupation or specialism to meet the needs of a particular employer; 

• Official labour market demand forecasts: local administration bodies (regional labour market councils) are tasked with monitoring and assessing training needs in vocational schools; this element is necessary to assess the relevance of any new education programmes to be established for specific occupations, and to maintain education programmes in existing schools; 

• Compulsory vocational exams: to finish a school, each pupil or learner in a vocational school should pass an exam. 

Legislation

The main legislative act for secondary education is the Act of 14 December 2016, The Law on School Education (ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe) (and, for a limited range of matters, the Act of 14 December 2016, The Provisions Introducing the Law on School Education (ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – przepisy wprowadzające Prawo oświatowe). It is supplemented by the provisions of the School Education Act of 7 September 1991 (ustawa z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty) (as subsequently amended) that are still in force.

Detailed arrangements are laid down in regulations issued by the minister responsible for school education. These include, in particular, the following legislative acts: 

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 14 February 2017 on the core curriculum for preschool education and the core curriculum for general education in primary schools, incl. for pupils with a moderate and severe intellectual disability, and for general education in stage I sectoral vocational schools, general education in special schools preparing for employment, and general education in post-secondary schools (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 14 lutego 2017 r. w sprawie podstawy programowej wychowania przedszkolnego oraz podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły podstawowej, w tym dla uczniów z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w stopniu umiarkowanym lub znacznym, kształcenia ogólnego dla branżowej szkoły I stopnia, kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły specjalnej przysposabiającej do pracy oraz kształcenia ogólnego dla szkoły policealnej) 

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 30 January 2018 on the core curriculum for general education in general secondary schools, technical secondary schools and stage II sectoral vocational schools) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 30 stycznia 2018 r. w sprawie podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego dla liceum ogólnokształcącego, technikum oraz branżowej szkoły II stopnia) 

• Regulation of the Minister of Education of 20 May 2024 on the outline timetables for public schools (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji z dnia 20 maja 2024 r. w sprawie ramowych planów nauczania dla publicznych szkół)

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 22 February 2019 on pupil assessment, eligibility for assessment and promotion in public schools (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 22 lutego 2019 r. w sprawie oceniania, klasyfikowania i promowania uczniów i słuchaczy w szkołach publicznych)

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 9 August 2017 on the rules for the organisation and provision of psychological and educational support in public nursery schools, schools and educational institutions  (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 9 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie zasad organizacji i udzielania pomocy psychologiczno-pedagogicznej w publicznych przedszkolach, szkołach i placówkach)

Schools providing vocational education are governed by the following regulationsbased on the Law on School Education:

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 13 March 2017 on the classification of occupations for vocational education) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 13 marca 2017 r. w sprawie klasyfikacji zawodów szkolnictwa zawodowego)

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 15 February 2019 on the general aims and tasks of sector-based vocational education and the classification of occupations for sector-based vocational education (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 15 lutego 2019 r. w sprawie ogólnych celów i zadań kształcenia w zawodach szkolnictwa branżowego oraz klasyfikacji zawodów szkolnictwa branżowego)

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 16 May 2019 on the core curricula for sector-based vocational education and additional vocational skills for selected occupations identified within vocational education (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 16 maja 2019 r. w sprawie podstaw programowych kształcenia w zawodach szkolnictwa branżowego oraz dodatkowych umiejętności zawodowych w zakresie wybranych zawodów szkolnictwa branżowego)

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 6 October 2023 on continuing education in non-school settings (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 6 października 2023 r. w sprawie kształcenia w formach pozaszkolnych.)