Geographical accessibility

Pupils fulfil their compulsory school attendance in catchment basic school in the school district where they have permanent residence unless their parents choose a different basic school. If a municipality does not found a basic school, a common school district can be established with neighbouring municipalities. If a municipality does not provide a school and a pupil has to commute, transportation is subsidised; the subsidy is not provided if free transportation is available.

The geographical accessibility of basic school is reflected in the school register, which is created by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic as stipulated in the Act on School Administration (Zákon č. 321/2025 Z. z. o školskej správe). Several aspects are taken into consideration in its creation, e.g., basic school should be as near as possible to the pupil’s residence so that the distance from the school is maximally reduced and the pupil can use public transport. This fact is particularly emphasized for pupils attending the first stage of basic school.

In less densely populated areas, schools may organise classes with pupils from multiple grades of the first stage. If a school does not offer all grades, the pupil continues at a school that provides the subsequent grades.

Admission requirements and choice of school

Every child who reaches the age of six by 31 August of the relevant year and has permanent residence in Slovakia must be enrolled in compulsory school attendance, regardless of whether they have attained school readiness. If a child has not reached school readiness by the age of six, a parent may apply for the child to continue with compulsory pre-primary education. The application must include the consent of the relevant counselling and prevention centre, the written consent of a paediatrician, and the parent’s informed consent. The kindergarten head will then decide whether the child may continue attending the kindergarten to fulfil their compulsory pre-primary education. A child under the age of six may, in exceptional cases, be admitted after completing compulsory pre-primary education and upon submission of the required statements.

Applications for basic school places are submitted between 1 February and 31 March. A legal guardian may submit the application electronically via the ePrihlášky portal or in paper form using a form approved by the Ministry. A standardised electronic system, ePrihlášky, is used for the admission of children to the first year of basic school. On the ePrihlášky portal, parents can search for basic schools by location and other criteria. In a single electronic application, they may list several basic schools and rank them in order of preference. Parents do not need to complete a separate application form for each school. Once the application has been registered, the child attends enrolment on a date set by the school’s founder. The school head will then issue a decision on whether the child has been admitted or not. An appeal may be made against this decision.

The local catchment school gives priority to children from its catchment area until its capacity is filled. If it is unable to admit them, the relevant school administration authority will ensure that compulsory school attendance is fulfilled at another school.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

Basic school is organised in classes according to age from grade 1 up to grade 9. It is divided into the first stage (ISCED 1) and the second stage (ISCED 2), the duration of which is specified in the state educational programme. The classes are coeducational. Each grade is attended by pupils of the same age, the only exemption being the pupils who repeat the grade or gifted pupils who are allowed to skip some grades. Basic schools that do not have all grades (not fully organised schools) can create classes with pupils from more first-stage grades.

At school, the education and training take place in classrooms and vocational classrooms equipped according to the needs of individual subjects, particularly in laboratories, school workshops, school premises, training kitchens, gyms, and school playgrounds. The vocational classroom may also be a classroom. Details of the organization of the basic school are defined by Act no. 245/2008 Coll. on education and training (Zákon č. 245/2008 Z. z. o výchove a vzdelávaní) and the Decree of the Ministry of Education no. 223/2022 Coll. on basic school (Vyhláška MŠVVaŠ SR č. 223/2022 Z. z. o základnej škole).

The highest number of pupils in a basic school class is

• 24 in a class in where there are pupils of several first-stage grades,
• 25 in the first to fourth-grade class,
• 29 in the fifth to ninth-grade class.

The number of pupils in a class may be increased in cases such as when pupil is transferred from another school during the school year, a pupil repeats a grade, a pupil is moved up to a higher year without having completed the previous year, and so on.

In exceptional cases, the founder of a basic school may reduce the minimum number of pupils per class, particularly where transport links to the school are limited, where education is provided in the language of a national minority, or where more than 80 per cent of the pupils come from a socially disadvantaged background.

Classes can be divided or merged into groups according to the character of the educational programme. The number of groups and number of pupils per group are defined according to spatial, personnel, and financial conditions of the school, according to the nature of pupils’ activity, and according to demands of the subject regarding health protection and labour safety requirements.

Instruction in each first-stage class is usually provided by one teacher.  If there are enough teachers, some subjects in first-stage classes can be taught by several teachers who meet the qualification requirements for teaching the respective subjects. For example, second-stage teachers can teach first-stage subjects, e.g. a foreign language or informatics. The instruction of second-stage subjects is conducted by teachers-specialist with the required qualification.

Education in the class is coordinated by a class teacher. Class teachers, with other teachers, monitor pupils’ achievements, help pupils deal with problems, and keep the class record.  They use the information to prepare pupils’ characteristics at the transition to secondary school. They closely cooperate with the pupils’ parents, the paediatricians, the school support team, and the counselling and prevention centre staff.

With the consent of the school’s founder, a preparatory year may be established in a basic school for 4 to 10 pupils with specific developmental needs or general intellectual giftedness. Completion of this year is not regarded as the first year of compulsory school attendance, and the pupil subsequently proceeds to the first grade. A specialised class may be established for a maximum of one school year for 4 to 8 pupils who are unable to cope with the curriculum of the relevant grade.

Organisation of the school year

The school year begins on 1 September and ends on 31 August. The school year is divided into two terms and generally ends on 30 June. School holidays include the autumn, Christmas, half-term, spring, Easter and summer holidays. The exact dates of the holidays are published annually by the Ministry.

During the instruction period, the headteacher can grant children or pupils up to a 5-day holiday due to serious reasons, particularly organisational and operational reasons. Under exceptional circumstances or in a state of emergency, the headteacher can grant children more than a 5-day holiday; the number of days will be determined by the ministry. The school holiday period consists of autumn, Christmas, mid-year, spring, Easter, and summer holidays. If during the instruction period, some unpredicted event occurs, mainly a natural disaster, energetic crisis, or some other serious events, the Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic can exceptionally interrupt or change the instruction period in schools and school facilities for the time required.

The details of the organization of the school year are governed Decree no. 231/2009 Coll. on details and organisation of school year (Vyhláška MŠ SR č. 231/2009 Z. z. o podrobnostiach o organizácii školského roka).
 

Organisation of the school day and week

After the discussion with the pedagogical board, the headteacher creates the timetable depending on the needs of the school with regard to the school educational programme. The headteacher takes into consideration the character of the daily and weekly pupils’ physiological performance as well as their demands on psycho-hygiene.

The school week has 5 days, and the instruction takes place from Monday to Friday. The school classes as a rule start at 8:00 a.m. Under local requirements i.e. the needs of the pupils and their parents, the headteacher may set the daily instruction to start between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. 

If the school capacity does not permit it to provide classes for all pupils in the morning, the school can provide double-shift instruction, except for in first-grade classes. The afternoon classes end at 5:00 p.m. at the latest. Two-shift instruction is exceptional and cannot be organised in the first year.

The education and training process at school takes place according to the timetable. The timetable is published in each classroom of the respective grade and, where possible, on the school website too. 

School premises can be used for educational activities in school facilities, school clubs, leisure centres, or school dormitories. Other activities organised on school premises include regular activities focusing on learning and homework, regular leisure time activities that meet and develop children’s individual needs, or occasional activities, particularly in the form of events, competitions, excursions, and exercise.  

A lesson usually lasts 45 minutes  Each lesson is followed by a break. The order and length of breaks are determined upon the discussion in the pedagogical board. The main break lasts from 15 to 45 minutes. The lunch break lasts at least 30 minutes. During the main break, if the conditions allow it, pupils stay outside the classroom on the premises of the school building, or spend the break outside in the schoolyard, i.e. in the fresh air. 
 

The sample timetable is for first-grade basic school pupils who have 22 lessons a week. Pupils can attend the afterschool club before and after the lessons.

The minimum weekly number of lessons for each grade is defined in the framework teaching plan (chapter Teaching and learning in single-structure education).

Pupils can attend the afterschool club before and after the lessons. Afterschool clubs operate from 6 a.m. at the earliest until 6 p.m. at the latest. Afterschool clubs are school facilities that provide education to children outside of the regular instruction time. They create conditions for the positive use of children’s leisure time and the development of children’s interests as well as the fostering of healthy mental and physical development.

Leisure centres provide activities for children outside the school. They direct the development of children’s and other people’s interests, create conditions for the development and improvement of practical skills, teach children to use their free time usefully, and organise children’s and pupils’ competitions as needed.
 

Sample timetable – the first level of the basic school

Sample timetable – the second level of the basic school