On this page:
- List of schools
- Types of international schools
- What are international schools?
- Main features of international schools/classes
When choosing a private international school for your child, it’s worth considering what this name means. Will learning in a private preschool, elementary school, or high school meet our expectations only because their name contains the Polish word “międzynarodowy” (international) or the English word "international," and their students are cheerful smiling children from all over the world? As usual, it’s all about the details, or rather the provisions of Polish educational law.
Types of international schools
There are many private international schools in Poland. Their number has been growing with the country’s economic development and the influx of foreigners—diplomats, investors, and employees of various international companies that have opened in Poland. These schools include a very large number of private preschools, and many private primary schools and secondary schools, many of which are bilingual schools and some international schools.
The difference between bilingual and international schools seems to be small, because both are attended by children from different countries, including Poland, and their names include the word “international,” but their curricula are different.
Bilingual schools use the Polish core curriculum, usually supplemented by elements of programs from other countries and learning—as the name suggests—is conducted in two languages, while in international schools or international classes, teaching is conducted in a foreign language (usually English) according to the selected foreign curriculum. For this reason, an international school would be a better fit for kids who don’t speak Polish, although they will learn it anyway—at least at the primary school level.
What are international schools?
Polish education law doesn’t use the concept of an international school, but only of an international class. The regulations distinguish between a bilingual class and a bilingual school—i.e., one in which all classes are bilingual. By analogy, we can then say that an international school is a school where all classes are international.
According to Art. 21 of the Education Law Act, international classes may be established in public and non-public schools, with the exception of art schools, and their operation requires a permit from the minister of education. A characteristic feature of international schools is that they can teach only in a foreign language and in accordance with the curriculum of a foreign educational institution, while in a bilingual school teaching is done in a foreign language and in Polish.
Moreover, these schools may also use their own grading system. The exception is when Polish children attend an international school or class—then the school is obliged to provide them with Polish-language lessons and elements of Polish history and geography in Polish.
International schools are also required to teach Polish to foreign children. It should also be remembered that the authorization to establish an international class in a primary school may be granted if the curriculum established by a foreign educational institution implemented in this class enables students to gain knowledge and skills necessary for them to take the eighth-grade examination.
In practice, private international schools use mixed systems and apart from foreign education systems, such as British, American, French, or German, as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) (read about the IB Diploma Programme and IB schools in Poland), they also use the Polish curriculum. For this reason, they often operate as bilingual schools (whose rules of operation are described in Polish regulations slightly differently), with international classes.
Both international and bilingual schools educate students from all over the world, including Poland, creating a wonderful international school environment. Studying in international schools fosters the development of linguistic, communicative, and social competences of children.
Main features of international schools/classes
Studying in private international schools can be an excellent solution for children who, for various reasons, found themselves in Poland, offering them not only a high standard of education, but also the possibility of comprehensive development. In many of them, teaching is based on American, British, French, German, or international curricula, usually using the Polish core curriculum simultaneously.
For this reason, international schools are also an excellent option for residents of many Polish cities such as Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, Łódź, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, and Rzeszów.
Here are the basic features of education in international classes:
• Foreign curriculum: international schools and international classes teach in accordance with the foreign curriculum—most often these are national British, American, and Canadian curricula, but also French, German, or Japanese.
• Foreign language as a language of instruction: In international schools, teaching is conducted in a foreign language. The exception is when Polish students attend the school—then Polish must be taught, as well as Poland’s history and geography in Polish. International schools also teach Polish to foreigners.
• Own grading system: International schools may conduct education according to a selected foreign education system and use their own grading system for children and youth. The exception here is primary school education and the associated eighth-grade exam, which is compulsory.
• Multicultural environment: International schools and classes are attended by children from all over the world, creating a well operating multicultural environment. Learning together, students form very strong relationships with their peers, learn mutual respect and tolerance, gain knowledge about other cultures and customs, and, above all, expand their social competences.
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