Your son is eight. You landed three weeks ago, your Karta Pobytu (Polish residence permit) application is in, and the flat is finally quiet enough for the question that keeps you awake: where does he go to school on Monday? Nobody at work knows. The agency that found you the job never mentioned it. Here is the short version of Polish school enrollment for the children of Bangladeshi workers: the public primary school that covers your address has to admit him, your child doesn't need to speak Polish first, and the paperwork is lighter than you fear. What trips people up is timing, so we'll take it in the order you'll actually meet it.
Does my child have to go to school in Poland?
Yes, and your child has a right to a place. The Poznań voivodeship office's migrant information service says compulsory schooling covers any child under 18 who is staying in Poland. An official gov.pl guide for foreigners names the Education Law (articles 165 and 166) and a 2017 regulation as the rules, and says enrolling the child is the parents' job. Nobody will do it for you.
Public schools take foreign children on the same terms, and through the same recruitment, as Polish children. For primary school that means one thing above all: the school whose catchment area (obwód) includes your address admits your child automatically. A principal can't turn away a child from the area because they speak no Polish. Another school can take your child only if it has free places.
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- Primary school: automatic admission to the catchment school; any other school only if it has free places.
- High school (liceum, technikum): schools choose among applicants, so admission follows the school's own rules and your child's documents.
- The preschool year before first grade: ask your gmina (city office) which kindergarten or school class covers six-year-olds at your address.
Which documents do I bring to the school?
Bring a folder, not a bag of loose papers. The Ministry of Education's rules let a school place a child from abroad using a certificate or other school document showing the class or stage completed. If the years of schooling can't be established from papers, a written declaration from the parent is enough. That last line matters if your child's school in Sylhet or Dhaka never gave you anything on paper.
- Your child's passport, plus a copy for the school.
- Proof of your address in Poland. A rental contract is the usual choice, but ask the secretariat what they accept. The address decides which school is yours.
- School records from Bangladesh: the last report card or certificate. No paper? Write and sign the parent's declaration of years of schooling.
- Your child's vaccination record, and copies of your own passport and Karta Pobytu. The secretariat and the school nurse will both ask.
Ask one question before you pay for anything: does this school want a Polish translation of the Bengali or English papers? Schools differ, so ask. A two-minute call can save you a translator's bill. If your wife and children are still in Bangladesh, read about family reunification in Poland first. The school folder is easier when the child's residence papers are already moving.
What is the deadline, and what if we arrive mid-year?
There are two calendars, and they don't match. The first is the main recruitment for class I. In 2026 Warsaw's city portal opened its electronic system on 10 February and closed it on 24 February, with results from 30 March. Some schools ran a second round in May. Other cities run their own calendar, so the date that counts is the one your gmina publishes. For September 2027 expect the same shape, February to March, and check your city's portal in January.
Age decides which year your child belongs to. Children born in 2019 started class I in September 2026. For September 2027 it's the children born in 2020. Warsaw's rules take six-year-olds into class I only if they did the preschool year or have an opinion from a psychological-pedagogical clinic. Children above class I are placed by the school based on their documents and age.
Now the calendar that matters if you arrived last week. A child who comes from abroad during the school year doesn't wait for February. The principal decides on admission and places the child using documents, age and your opinion as a parent, which you can give orally or in writing. With no papers at all, the school can hold a placement conversation, with an interpreter if the child doesn't speak Polish.
- Find your catchment school: ask your gmina or the school itself, using your address.
- Call or visit the secretariat and ask two things: which documents, and which date.
- Book a first meeting with the principal and take the folder with you.
My child speaks no Polish. Will the school still take them?
Yes. Language isn't a reason to refuse a child from the school's own area, and the system has tools for exactly this situation. These are summarised from Ministry guidance, so ask the school which ones it actually runs:
- Free extra Polish lessons: at least two hours a week, for up to 24 months.
- Catch-up classes in school subjects: up to 12 months, if the teacher sees the need.
- A teaching assistant who speaks your child's home language: up to 12 months, where the school can find one.
- A preparatory class (oddział przygotowawczy): normally one school year, extendable by up to another year, in groups of up to 15 pupils. Not every gmina has one.
Class placement is where parents have a voice. The school can place a child by documents, age and your opinion. If Polish is weak, a lower class is possible. If you feel your child is being put a year back without good reason, say so politely and in writing.
Illustrative example (a composite, not a real client): Rahim, a welder from Sylhet, arrived in October with a nine-year-old daughter and no school papers from Bangladesh. He asked the principal of the catchment school about mid-year admission, signed a declaration of years of schooling, and brought her passport and the rental contract. She started in the class matching her age, with extra Polish lessons on top. No February deadline, no waiting for next September.
Practical tip: Photograph every page of the school folder on your phone before you hand over originals, and ask the school for a confirmation that your child is enrolled. You may need it again for a Karta Pobytu renewal, for ZUS benefits and for your next school.
How does school connect to 800 plus and my Karta Pobytu?
School and money are linked now. Poland rewrote its family-benefit rules for foreigners in 2025 and 2026. For third-country nationals with legal residence, 800 plus depends mainly on working in Poland, and from 1 June 2026 ZUS can check that condition. The law's stated aim is to pay families whose children attend Polish schools, and ZUS checks the conditions monthly. The full test is in our 800 plus guide for foreign families. Get your child a PESEL early, because benefit applications ask for PESEL numbers.
Dobry Start, the school-start payment, follows the same logic from the 2026/2027 school year: foreigners with legal residence must meet the work condition, with exemptions, for example for a child who is a Polish citizen, has a disability certificate, or is under a guardian designated by the country of origin. Read the gov.pl summary of the changes before you apply.
What about immigration? The Poznań voivodeship office says that a school enrolment certificate is generally not required for a residence permit, though an officer may ask for one when something needs clarifying. Keep it anyway. Your child's health cover matters too, so see our guide to health insurance for Karta Pobytu.
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