Curriculum, subjects, number of hours
The scope of primary / single-structure education is determined by two elements regulated by the national legislation: the core curriculum and outline timetables. The core curriculum establishes curricular contents for primary education. It provides a list of teaching and learning aims, and knowledge, skills and competences that pupils should acquire at a given education level. The outline timetable specifies the weekly number of hours for pupils in individual grades (semesters) in a given type of school that are allocated to classes, in particular compulsory general education classes (see below).
In the post-reform school system, 8-year primary / single-structure education is based on the new core curriculum, laid down by the 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).
The core curriculum aims to set out general and specific requirements (learning outcomes) that determine the range of knowledge and skills for pupils. The knowledge and skills that pupils acquire are assessed objectively by examination boards conducting so-called external exams (the eighth-grader exam at the end of the primary school, based on the legislation currently in force).
All schools are required to follow the national core curriculum. It is implemented through school curricula which describe how the aims and contents of education are implemented as part of individual classes. Teachers may implement curricula which they develop independently or other curricula which they choose, provided that they are approved for use by the school head, after consultation with the teaching council (rada pedagogiczna).
A curriculum can be:
- developed by the teacher individually or in cooperation with other teachers;
- chosen by the teacher from among the set of curricula developed by other author(s), for example, from among those available on the market;
- developed by other author(s) and modified by the teacher.
The curriculum proposed by the teacher or a team of teachers should be adapted to the needs and abilities of the pupils concerned.
The head of a given school approves curricula for the use at the school at the request of the teacher (or a group of teachers), after consultation with the school's teaching council.
Learning process in the primary school
Stage I of the primary school covers grades I, II and III. Teaching at this stage aims to ensure smooth transition from preschool education to school education. It is organised on an integrated basis.
Classes are taught according to a timetable prepared by the teacher, with the duration of lessons and breaks determined by pupils’ activity. The next stage (grades IV to VIII) comprises education divided into subjects.
Based on the Law on School Education (ustawa – Prawo oświatowe), an ongoing curriculum reform is linked to a thorough transformation of the school education model in Poland. For further details, see the section ‘Teaching and Learning in Single-Structure Education: Curriculum, subjects, number of hours’ above.
Outline Timetables
- Grades I to III of the primary school (Stage I: early school education), the weekly number of teaching / class hours in the 3-year period:
Compulsory integrated teaching (Polish language, Social education, Natural sciences, Mathematics, Technology, Modern foreign language, Music education, Art education, ICT education, and Physical education): in total,60 hours per week in the 3-year period. Hours are distributed among the individual types of classes by the generalist teacher who conducts classes.
No. | Compulsory classes | Weekly number of hours by grade | Total in the 3-year period | ||
I | II | III | |||
1 | Early school education | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 |
Hours to be allocated by the school head | 3 | 3 | |||
Total | 63 | 63 | |||
As part of compulsory classes in grades I to III, 3 hours per week are allocated to physical education.
Separate regulations specify the number of hours for subjects such as Religion or Ethics; National or Ethnic minority language / the regional language; National or Ethnic minority history and culture, and geography of the country with which a national minority identifies itself; Sports classes; Additional classes; Sign language classes; and Counselling (psychological and educational support). These are not included in the total duration of compulsory classes.
- Grades IV to VIII of the primary school (Stage II), the minimum weekly number of teaching / class hours in the 5-year period:
- Polish language: 25 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII;
- Modern foreign language: 15 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII (plus, additionally, 4 hours in total in grades VII to VIII for a foreign language which is the second language of tuition in bilingual primary schools);
- Music and art: 4 hours for each per week in total in grades IV to VII;
- History: 9 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII;
- Civic education: 2 hours per week in grade VIII;
- Natural sciences: 2 hours per week in grade IV;
- Geography: 5 hours per week in total in grades V to VIII;
- Biology: 5 hours per week in total in grades V to VIII;
- Chemistry: 4 hours per week in total in grades VII to VIII;
- Physics: 4 hours per week in total in grades VII to VIII;
- Mathematics: 20 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII;
- Computer science / ICT: 5 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII;
- Technology: 3 hours per week in total in grades IV to VI;
- Physical education: 20 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII;
- Safety education: 1 hour per week in grade VIII;
- Class hours / Hours with the class tutor: 5 hours per week in total in grades IV to VIII.
No. | Compulsory classes | Weekly number of hours by grade | Total in the 5-year period | ||||
IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | |||
1 | Polish language | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 25 |
2 | Modern foreign language | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
3 | Second modern foreign language | - | - | - | 2(+2)* | 2(+2)* | 4(+4)* |
4 | Music | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
5 | Art education | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
6 | History | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
7 | Civic education | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
8 | Natural sciences | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
9 | Geography | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
10 | Biology | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
11 | Chemistry | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
12 | Physics | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
13 | Mathematics | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 |
14 | Computer science / ICT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
15 | Technology | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
16 | Physical education | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 |
17 | Safety education | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
18 | Hours with the class tutor | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Total for compulsory classes and hours with the class tutor | 24 | 25 | 25 | 32(+2)* | 31(+2)* | 137(+4)* | |
Hours to be allocated by the school head | 4 | 4 | |||||
Total | 141 (+4)* | ||||||
* Additional hours are allocated to increase the number of hours for a modern foreign language which is the second language of tuition in bilingual classes.
- Weekly number of teaching / class hours:
(1) The number of compulsory teaching / class hours for pupils in individual grades at Stage I is 20 for grades I, II and III. Additionally, throughout the early school education period, 3 hours are distributed or allocated by the school head.
(2) The number of compulsory teaching / class hours for pupils in individual grades at Stage II (grades IV to VIII):
- grade IV: 24,
- grade V: 25,
- grade VI: 25,
- grade VII: 32 (plus 2 additional hours for the foreign language of tuition in bilingual schools),
- grade VIII: 31 (plus 2 additional hours for the foreign language of tuition in bilingual schools).
(3) The number of rehabilitation class hours for disabled pupils is defined separately.
- The number of hours to be allocated by the school head is defined by the school head for each school year, based on separate regulations.
- Separate regulations define the number of teaching / class hours for Religion or Ethics; Education for family life; National or Ethnic minority language, or Regional language, and National / ethnic minority history and culture; and Sports activities in sports classes or sports schools, or schools of sports championship.
For more information, see the annually updated Eurydice publication “Recommended Annual Instruction Time in Full-time Compulsory Education in Europe 2020/21”.
Teaching methods and materials
Pursuant to the legislation, teachers are free to choose forms and methods of teaching, based on achievements in education sciences. Methods depend largely on the number of pupils per class and the equipment available in the school (for example, the number of computers, audio-visual equipment and other teaching aids). Schools are free to choose teaching aids to be used in classes. Pupils should be divided into smaller groups for some classes (for example, foreign languages, computer science). See the section “Age levels and grouping of pupils” above.
Teachers may choose to use or not to use a textbook, other educational resources or exercise materials in implementing the curriculum. Other educational resources replace or supplement a textbook; these could be, for example, contents downloaded from the Internet, copied or created by the teacher to conduct classes (slide shows, presentations, notes, excerpts from literature, etc.). Textbooks for primary education should be chosen from among those approved for the use at school by the minister responsible for school education. The school head publishes annually the list of textbooks and / or other educational resources and exercise materials to be used in a given school from the beginning of the next school year.
Pupils in primary schools receive publicly funded textbooks and exercise materials for general education. All primary school pupils have access to free textbooks based on the regulations in force since 1 September 2017. Such materials funded from State-budget grants can reduce the costs of education incurred by parents.
Practically all primary schools in Poland have access to the Internet and enable teachers and pupils to use it. Thus, schools are required by law to install special Internet safety software in computers used for teaching and learning purposes. The software should protect pupils, in particular, against pornography, brutal and aggressive contents, and contents breaking social norms and promoting hatred and discrimination.