Geographical accessibility

Pupils fulfil their compulsory school attendance in catchment primary school in the school district where they have permanent residence unless their parents choose a different primary school. If a municipality does not found a primary school, a common school district can be established with neighbouring municipalities. That means that pupils can also complete their compulsory school attendance in a primary school outside the catchment school district. The headteacher of the school to which the pupil was admitted, shall announce the fact to the municipality of the pupil’s permanent residence.

The geographical accessibility of primary school is reflected in the primary school network, which is created by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic as stipulated in the Act on State Administration in Education and School Self-government (Zákon č. 596/2003 Z. z. o štátnej správe v školstve a školskej samospráve). Several aspects are taken into consideration in its creation, e.g., primary 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 primary school.

The Education Act (Školský zákon) allows the organisation of education at the first stage of primary school in a classroom attended by pupils of several grades. The above-mentioned organisation is used predominantly in regions where population density is far below the national average. Unless the municipality of the pupil’s permanent residence founds a primary school, travel costs connected with commuting to the school of the pupil’s compulsory school attendance and back are reimbursed to parents by the state. This does not apply to the pupils who are provided free-of-charge bus transportation by the municipality or the self-governing region.

A pupil who is studying at a school outside the territory of the Slovak Republic or at a school established by another state in the territory of the Slovak Republic with the consent of the embassy of another state may carry out a commission examination. Pupils who are individually educated abroad will take an examination in all compulsory subjects of the curriculum of the respective grade, except for subjects with a predominance of educational focus for each relevant school year. For serious reasons, especially because of difficult access to the parent school, a student may take the examination at another school in the Slovak Republic, following the agreement between the pupil’s parent or an adult pupil with the principal of the pupil’s parent school and the headteacher of the school in which the examination is to be taken.

Admission requirements and choice of school

A child who has met the conditions for starting compulsory school attendance and whose admission, based on enrolment, has been requested by the pupil’s guardian, is admitted to primary school. According to the Education Act, compulsory school attendance starts at the beginning of the school year following the day on which the child reaches the age of six and the school readiness.

If the child has not achieved school readiness after reaching the age of six, the headmaster of the pre-primary school decides on the continuation of compulsory pre-primary education in the pre-primary school with the written consent of the general practitioner and the written consent of the pupil’s parent. If the child has not achieved school readiness even after further compulsory pre-primary education at kindergarten, he/she will start compulsory school attendance in a primary school no later than 1 September following the day on which the child reached the age of seven.

Exceptionally, a child who has not reached the age of six and has completed compulsory pre-primary education may be admitted to primary education, always after the opinion of the relevant counselling and prevention centre and pediatrist. In the case of a child who has completed pre-primary education abroad, the parent will provide the headmaster of the school where the student belongs with a document stating the name and address of the pre-primary school confirming that the child has attended the respective pre-primary school.

Parents are obliged to register their children for compulsory school attendance at primary school (hereinafter referred to as "enrolment"). Enrolment takes place from 1 April to 30 April preceding the beginning of the school year in which the child is to start compulsory school attendance. Pupils fulfill compulsory school attendance in primary schools in school catchment areas of their permanent residence (hereinafter referred to as ‘catchment schools’) unless their parents choose a different school. The defining criterion for determining the way of fulfilling compulsory school attendance is solely children’s permanent residence, not their nationality or their parents’ nationality or permanent residence. Children can fulfill compulsory school attendance in a school other than the catchment school provided they are admitted to primary school by the school’s headmaster.

The headmaster of a catchment primary school is obliged to give admission priority to pupils who have permanent residence in the catchment school district up to the maximum number of pupils in the class of the respective grade. If the number of pupils at the age of compulsory school attendance is higher than the capacity of the catchment school they should attend, the catchment school for the pupil will be provided by the state administration body in education – the regional office of school administration. If a statement of non-admission to primary school is issued, parents can appeal.

The headmaster decides on the admission of a child with special educational needs based on a written request from the parent and a written statement from the counselling and prevention facility issued based on the child's diagnostic examination. Before admitting a child with special educational needs to a school with an educational programme for pupils with special educational needs, the headmaster will instruct the parents about all the possibilities of their child's education.

In Component 6: Accessibility, Development, and Quality of Inclusive Education, the Plan of Recovery and Resilience set the main goal of reducing the number of pupils who do not reach the basic skill level, reducing socioeconomic influence on pupils’ education results, and supporting equal opportunities in education at all levels. Other goals include reducing the rate of early leaving from education and training with special focus on children with disabilities and socially disadvantaged children, adapting education to the individual needs of every child, and reducing the rate of transfer of disadvantaged children from mainstream education to special schools. The component reacts to specific recommendations calling for better quality and inclusiveness of education at all levels and providing equal access to quality education.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

Primary school is organised in classes according to age from grade 1 up to grade 9. 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. Primary 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 primary 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 primary school (Vyhláška MŠVVaŠ SR č. 223/2022 Z. z. o základnej škole).

The primary school has nine grades. It is organised into the first stage and the second stage whose duration is set by the state educational programme.

• the first stage of primary school (1. – 4. Grade, ISCED 1) is usually attended by 6 – 9-year-old pupils and
• the second stage of primary school (5. – 9. Grade, ISCED 2) is usually attended by 10 – 14-year-old pupils.

The highest number of pupils in a primary 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 lowest average number of pupils in first-stage classes is 13. The lowest average number of pupils in second-stage classes is 15. The number of pupils in a class may be increased when

• a pupil’s permanent residence changes during the school year,
• a pupil repeats a grade,
• a pupil is transferred from another school during the school year,
• a pupil’s compulsory school attendance takes place abroad,
• a pupil skips a grade,
• a pupil is transferred to the primary school during the school year.

In special cases, the founder of the primary school may lower the minimum stated number of pupils in the class. These include:

• reduced school accessibility: reduced school accessibility means that the length of the train or bus route to school from the place of the pupil’s residence is longer than 6 kilometres,
• education in national minority language: if there is no primary school with a national minority language of instruction within 6 kilometres of the place of pupil’s permanent residence,
• education in the national language, if there is no primary school with the national language of instruction within 6 kilometres of the place of pupil’s permanent residence,
• education of pupils from socially disadvantaged backgrounds: if more than 80 % out of the total number of pupils in the school are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, or
• another reason: if, from his resources, the founder pays for the cost of education of the number of pupils in a class that corresponds to the difference between the lowest defined average number of pupils and the real number of children in the class.

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.

For religion or ethics, pupils from different classes of the same grade may be merged and create groups of up to 20 pupils. If the number of pupils per group drops under 12, the groups may also involve pupils of different grades. For foreign languages, informatics, and technics, the class is divided into groups if the number of pupils in the class is more than 17. The groups may be comprised of pupils from more classes of the same grade.For physical and sports education, classes are divided into two groups for each lesson if the classes consist of more than 25 pupils or if the school educational programme defines a different division. The groups may merge pupils from several classes of the same grade. Separate groups may be created for boys and girls in compliance with the school educational programme. If physical and sports education is taught in separate boy and girl groups and it is not possible to group at least 12 pupils of the same grade, pupils of successive grades may be grouped. If it is not possible to group pupils of successive grades, the group can merge pupils from different grades from the same primary school stage. For Slovak language and Slovak literature taught at primary schools with Hungarian language of instruction classes are divided into groups for each lesson if the number of pupils in the class is more than 17. The groups may be comprised of pupils from more classes of the same grade.

Instruction in each first-stage class is usually provided by one teacher. Teachers can teach one class throughout the first stage (4 - grades) or specialise in teaching in one first-stage grade (usually the first grade). 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.

Upon the founder’s approval, primary schools can set up an introductory grade. The introductory grade is designed for pupils with mild communication disorders and pupils with mild development disorders who reached the age of 6 before the 1 September, completed compulsory pre-primary education, and are deemed incapable of completing the first grade.

Upon the founder’s approval, primary schools for intellectually gifted children can also set up an introductory grade. The introductory grade is designed for intellectually gifted pupils who reached the age of 5 before 1 September or intellectually gifted pupils who reached the age of 4 before 1 September and are deemed capable of completing the first grade of primary school before reaching the age of 6.

The introductory grade can be set up for at least four and at most ten pupils. Pupils are admitted to the introductory grade by the headteacher based on the statement by a counselling and prevention centre and with a prior parent’s consent. The completion of the introductory grade does not fall within compulsory school attendance. After the completion of the introductory grade pupils continue learning in the first grade of primary school with other pupils.

Upon the founder’s approval, primary schools can set up a specialised class, which is designed for pupils who are not deemed capable of successfully mastering the content of a respective grade. These pupils are placed in the specialized class by the headmaster based on the class teacher’s proposal and the educational counsellor’s opinion and with the informed consent of the pupil's parent for the necessary time, for a maximum of one school year. A specialised class can be set up for at least four and at most eight pupils from one or more grades. If the number of pupils in a specialised class is less than four, the specialised class will be cancelled.
 

Organisation of the school year

The school year starts on 1 September and ends on 31 August of the next year. It is divided into the instruction period and the holiday period. The period of school instruction begins on 2 September and ends on 30 June of the following calendar year. It consists of the 1st term and the 2nd term. The first term begins on 2 September and ends on 31 January of the following calendar year. The second term begins on 1 February and ends on 30 June of the current calendar year.

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 by Act no. 245/2008 Coll. on education and training (Education Act) and Decree no. 231/2009 Coll. on details and organisation of school year in primary schools, secondary schools, basic schools of arts, practical schools, vocational secondary schools, and language schools (Vyhláška MŠ SR č. 231/2009 Z. z. o podrobnostiach o organizácii školského roka na základných školách, na stredných školách, na základných umeleckých školách, na praktických školách, na odborných učilištiach a na jazykových školách). Exact dates are published annually in the School Year Guide (Sprievodca školským rokom) for the respective school year and on the website of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic.
 

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. In classes with extended teaching of physical education and sports, the headteacher may schedule the lessons to start at 7:00 a.m. twice a week. In special cases, with informed consent from pupils’ parents, it is possible to schedule classes in subjects that merge pupils of various classes and second-stage grades as a zero class with the start at 7:00 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.

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. The Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic is taking steps to eliminate double-shift instruction. It opened a call for applications for funding from the recovery and resilience mechanism for the elimination of double-shift instruction in primary schools. The call aims to expand primary school capacities through new buildings, expansions, extensions, and renovation of the existing buildings.

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 lasts 45 minutes except for afternoon shift lessons which last 40 minutes. Lessons can be shorter or longer than 45 minutes if approved by the pedagogical board. 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 30 minutes. The lunch break lasts at least 30 minutes. The lunch break starts no later than after the fifth lesson for the first- and second-grade pupils and no later than after the sixth lesson for pupils of grades 3-9. 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 primary 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 5.2 Teaching and learning in single-structure education). Schools can increase the weekly number of lessons by up to 12 lessons for the whole first stage (1.- 4. grade) and by up to 15 lessons for the whole second stage (5.-9. grade).

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 primary school

Sample timetable – the second level of the primary school