Teachers are required to develop their professional competence in line with the needs of their schools. Professional development is a statutory duty of every teacher; thus, a teacher may not refuse to participate in professional development / in-service training activities related to his / her position.

Continuing professional development (CPD) activities can take place in the country and abroad.

Participation in in-service training / CPD activities is also necessary for professional promotion as the assessment of the teacher’s professional achievements, conducted as part of the promotion procedure, covers the extent to which the teacher has implemented an agreed professional development plan. (See the section “Promotion, advancement”)

Theoretical vocational subject teachers and practical vocational training teachers, who work in vocational schools and vocational training institutions and centres, are required to enhance their professional skills by taking sector-specific training courses, provided in 3-year cycles, with the total duration of 40 hours per cycle.

Teachers take sector-specific training courses to:

• update their professional and specialist knowledge in the area of new technologies used in the sector corresponding to the occupation for which they train pupils; technical equipment, including machines, devices, tools, and materials used in manufacturing processes or services; and the specific characteristics of work in the sector concerned;
• acquire new skills relevant to the occupation for which they train pupils;
• familiarise themselves with the quality assurance system for a given manufacturing or services sector, and arrangements for occupational safety and health at employers’ organisations in a given sector;
• enhance their interpersonal skills in direct contact with staff working at an employer’s organisation or on a private farm;
• improve the ability to apply their professional and specialist knowledge in practice;
• identify needs and employment opportunities for school graduates on the regional or local labour market;
• establish professional links so that they can develop and improve collaboration with employers or individuals running private farms as part of the vocational education and training process.

Organizational aspects

In-service teacher training is provided by in-service teacher training institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) and other institutions whose statutory tasks are related to continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers.

The CPD system for teachers covers three levels: central / national, regional and local:

1. CPD at the national level:

• national-level in-service teacher training institutions;
• national-level training projects for teachers;

2. CPD at the regional (province) level:

• systemic support measures for teachers in the area of teaching methodology;
• systemic measures supporting teachers in the implementation of national-level training projects;

3. CPD in local government units:

• focusing on the development of local school education systems;
• focusing on school development plans.

In-service teacher training institutions are considered as an element of the entire support system, which consists of various institutions, including counselling and guidance (so-called psychological and educational support) centres and educational resources centres / libraries.

As part of their statutory tasks, public in-service teacher training institutions operating at the national level:

• design and implement national in-service training programmes for teachers and heads of schools and other educational and training institutions, in line with the needs of the school education system;
• support public in-service teacher training institutions, counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and educational resources centres in the implementation of national school education policies;
• support public in-service teacher training institutions, counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, educational resources centres and teachers-methodological advisers in the following activities:
• providing support to schools and educational institutions;
• establishing and maintaining collaboration and self-training networks for teachers and heads of schools and educational institutions; the national legislation laying down detailed operational arrangements for public counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and detailed operational arrangements for public educational resources centres;
• establish collaboration and self-training networks and conduct other types of in-service training activities for heads, teachers-consultants and teachers-methodological advisers in public in-service teacher training institutions, and for heads and teachers in public counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and educational resources centres, in the following areas:
• directions of national school education policies;
• changes introduced in the school education system;
• statutory tasks of public in-service teacher training institutions, counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and educational resources centres;
• develop and disseminate information and methodological resources on the establishment of collaboration and self-training networks and other types of in-service training activities, for heads, teachers-consultants and teachers-methodological advisers in public in-service teacher training institutions, and for heads and teachers in public counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and educational resources centres;
• support schools and other educational institutions in the performance of their tasks, including the development and publication of information and methodological resources;
• provide training to prospective experts of qualification and examination boards involved in professional promotion procedures for teachers; training is based on the regulations on the outline training programme for prospective experts sitting on examination and qualification boards for teachers who apply for professional promotion, the procedure for keeping a register of experts and the procedure for including experts in, and striking them from, the register.

Some public national-level in-service training institutions provide services to teachers working in the Polish diaspora and among the Poles living abroad and children of migrant workers. As part of their tasks, such institutions:

• support and provide in-service training to teachers in the following areas:
• issues related to the directions of the national school education policy and changes introduced in the school education system;
• methodology of teaching the Polish language and other subjects taught in the Polish language abroad;
• requirements set for schools by the national legislation on pedagogical supervision: schools’ compliance with the requirements is assessed through external evaluation as part of pedagogical supervision;
• implementation of the national core curriculum and the outline programme for complementary education in schools, including the development of curricula;
• identifying pupils’ needs and adapting the educational process to individual needs;
• provide in-service training in the area of school education management to teachers holding management positions;
• develop and publish information and methodological resources for teachers;
• maintain collaboration and self-training networks for teachers.

As part of their statutory tasks, public in-service training institutions for teachers in art schools:

• develop in-service teacher training programmes, and develop and disseminate information and educational resources;
• provide in-service training to teachers;
• provide in-service training in the area of school education management to school heads;
• support various forms of collaboration and experience sharing among teachers;
• support teachers’ initiatives and their self-training and professional development activities;
• identify needs in the area of in-service teacher training;
• set priorities for in-service teacher training in collaboration with the bodies responsible for pedagogical supervision;
• collaborate with partners in the country and abroad in the area of in-service teacher training;
• provide training to prospective experts of qualification and examination boards involved in professional promotion procedures for teachers; training is based on the regulations on the outline training programme for prospective experts sitting on examination and qualification boards for teachers who apply for professional promotion, the procedure for keeping a register of experts and the procedure for including experts in, and striking them from, the register.

Public in-service training institutions for vocational subject teachers working in agriculture schools have the following statutory tasks:

• develop in-service teacher training programmes, and develop and disseminate educational resources for vocational subjects;
• provide in-service training to teachers;
• provide in-service training in the area of school education management to school heads;
• support various forms of collaboration and experience sharing among teachers;
• support teachers’ initiatives and their self-training and professional development activities;
• identify needs in the area of in-service teacher training;
• set priorities for in-service teacher training in collaboration with the bodies responsible for pedagogical supervision;
• collaborate with partners in the country and abroad in the area of in-service teacher training.

As part of its statutory tasks, a public national-level in-service training institution for vocational subject teachers:

• develops in-service teacher training programmes, and develops and disseminates educational resources for vocational subjects;
• provides in-service training to teachers;
• provides in-service training in the area of school education management to school heads;
• supports various forms of collaboration and experience sharing among teachers;
• supports teachers’ initiatives and their self-training and professional development activities;
• identify needs in the area of in-service teacher training;
• carries out conceptual work on the range of, and organisational arrangements for, in-service training; and develops and implements educational projects;
• initiates and supports changes in school curricula for vocational education;
• collaborates with partners in the country and abroad in the area of in-service teacher training.

Financing of continuing professional development

Funding for continuing professional development (CPD) is allocated to cover or contribute towards the following types of costs:

• participation costs for teachers attending seminars, conferences, lectures, workshops, training courses, non-degree postgraduate programmes and other types of in-service training activities conducted, respectively, by in-service teacher training institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) and other institutions whose statutory tasks include in-service teacher training;
• participation costs for teachers taking the types of teacher training programmes offered by HEIs and in-service teacher institutions;
• costs of supporting schools and collaboration and self-training networks for teachers operated by in-service teacher training institutions, counselling and guidance centres, including specialised centres, and educational resources centres;
• participation costs for teachers taking sector-specific training courses.

A recent change in the CPD funding system, which was introduced on 19 January 2021, concerns art schools. Financial support can also be provided to cover costs of advisory services and other forms of professional development for teachers. This includes services for teachers of art education classes in art schools provided by:

• consultants;
• artists with significant artistic or teaching achievements;
• experts specialising in a given area of fine arts or science.

The costs of sector-specific training courses can be covered by:

• employers or individuals running private farms;
• the National Training Fund;
• funding set aside within the budgets of the bodies administering schools;
• EU programmes in the field of education and training.

CPD funding may fully or partially cover the following types of costs:

• tuition fees for initial teacher training charged by HEIs;
• fees for qualification courses provided by in-service teacher training institutions to teachers taking such courses at the request of the head of their school or institution;
• fees for in-service training activities for teachers participating at the request of the head of their school or institution;
• fees for practical placements abroad organised as part of international cooperation in the area of in-service teacher training for teachers undertaking such a placement at the request of the head of their school or institution;
• costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence for teachers participating in in-service training, including internships / practical placements abroad, at the request of the head of their school or institution.

The head of a school assesses its CPD needs for each year, taking into consideration:

• findings from pedagogical supervision;
• results of the primary school eighth-grader exam, vocational exams and / or the maturity exam, as appropriate;
• tasks related to the implementation of the national core curriculum for general education or for vocational education;
• requirements for schools and other educational institutions (against which schools’ activities are reviewed as part of external evaluation);
• applications for CPD funding submitted by teachers.

By 31 January, the body administering schools develops a CPD support plan for each financial year, taking into consideration:

• applications submitted by school heads;
• results of the eighth-grader exam, vocational exams and / or the maturity exam; 
• key lines of the national education policy set out by the minister responsible for school education;
• the extent to which the scheduled sector-specific training courses for teachers have been delivered.

In consultation with school heads, the school administering body determines each year:

• the maximum amount of CPD funding available;
• types and specialisation / subject areas of training to which funding is allocated.

Within the budgets managed by province governors, a total amount equal to 12,400 average salaries for a chartered teacher is set aside to support methodological guidance services in a given province. The level of funding allocated within a province governor’s budget to support methodological guidance is proportionate to the number of teachers employed in a given province (based on the data available in the School Education Information System).  

Within the budget of the Ministry of Education and Science, funding equal to 2,700 average salaries for a chartered teacher is set aside for CPD measures at national level. The funding is allocated to:

• national-level initial and in-service teacher training programmes;
• initial and in-service teacher training tasks delegated to HEIs and other institutions.

Quality assurance in continuing professional development

In-service teacher training institutions should obtain accreditation, which confirms that a given institution ensures high quality of professional development activities. All (public and non-public) in-service teacher training institutions were required to obtain accreditation by 31 August 2019.

Accreditation is granted by the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (REA) in the province where a given in-service teacher training institution is located.

Accreditation may be granted to an in-service teacher training institution which:

• operates in accordance with the legislation;
• organises and conducts in-service teacher training activities which:
• fulfil the needs of teachers, schools and other educational institutions using its services;
• foster professional development of teachers, schools and other educational institutions using its services;
• in planning its activities, takes into consideration findings from evaluations or studies on teachers, schools and other educational institutions using its services;
• uses its own resources and those of the local community for development;
• has developed and put in place a quality assurance system and improves it on a regular basis;
• employs qualified staff;
• provides qualified staff to conduct in-service teacher training activities;
• provides safe and healthy conditions for in-service teacher training activities;
• provides modern training and learning facilities;
• carries out information activities and disseminates expertise in in-service teacher training.

Accreditation is granted for a fixed period of 5 years, and a fee of PLN 1,000 is charged for the accreditation process.

Where an in-service teacher training institution ceases to comply with the conditions for accreditation, the accreditation granted will be withdrawn. The institution will be required to put in place a one-year remedial action programme within 30 days of the date of accreditation withdrawal. Within 30 days of the date of completion of the programme, the institution will be required to undergo an evaluation conducted by the Head of the REA. If the evaluation demonstrates that the institution still fails to fulfil the conditions for accreditation, it will be closed down by the virtue of law.

Initial accreditation is needed to establish a new in-service teacher training institution. It is granted to an institution which:

• has drawn up its statutes in compliance with the national legislation;
• employs qualified staff;
• provides safe and healthy working conditions.

The Head of the REA is required to conduct a full evaluation of the activities of a newly established and initially accredited institution within 2 years of its establishment.

Higher education institutions, which offer non-degree postgraduate programmes to practising teachers, are subject to external quality assurance in accordance with the legislation on higher education. For details see Chapter 11 ‘Quality Assurance’.