This report, published in May by the Centre for Citizenship Education - in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - presents the situation of children displaced from Ukraine currently receiving education in Polish schools. According to data for the 2023/2024 school year, migrants accounted for 7% of the 5.2 million students in Polish primary and secondary schools, of whom 134 000 are refugee students from Ukraine, including 106 000 enrolled in primary schools and 28 000 in secondary schools. 

A large proportion of Ukrainian children attend vocational and technical secondary schools, while a smaller number opt for general secondary schools - the reverse is true of Polish children. This may be related to the results of their eighth-grade examinations, on which the choice of secondary school depends, but further research is required. There is also a high drop-out rate among Ukrainian students enrolled in secondary school.

It is not possible to estimate the precise proportion of Ukrainian children not attending Polish schools, but the authors of the report - relying on data from ZUS, PESEL UKR, and the Ministry of National Education's Educational Information System - believe that it may be between 21 000 and 143 000. Much more will be known with the new 2024/2025 school year, as from this point all Ukrainian children are obliged to attend Polish schools. Receipt of the 800+ child benefit (approximately EUR 186 per child) for families will depend on their attendance.

Compared with 2022, the number of preparatory departments for migrant children in Polish schools has fallen by 80%. Currently, there are 316 such units which see 4 100 children. In some municipalities (voivodeships), no schools have a preparatory department. Moreover, only 60% of Ukrainian children entitled to free Polish language classes have access to such classes. There is no core curriculum for these classes and teachers are not required to have special qualifications to teach Polish as a foreign language.

The authors of the report make the following recommendations for the improvement of the educational conditions of children and youth from Ukraine in Polish schools:

• The urgent launch of an information campaign on the introduction of compulsory education for children from Ukraine.
• Monitoring of the situation of Ukrainian children in Polish schools.
• The creation of recommendations and standards for supporting the integration of foreign children in Polish schools, organising preparatory departments, and learning Polish as a foreign language.
• Provision of special support for children graduating from primary schools and attending secondary schools.