Compulsory Education
Types of Primary Schools
Teaching Language
Foreign Language Taught at Schools
Structure of the School Year
Special Schools

Primary Schools

Children of foreigners completing their compulsory education at primary or special schools acquire the education for free, as other Czech citizens. Admission of a foreigner eligible for compulsory education begins cannot is not subject to presenting a residence permit in the Czech Republic.

Compulsory Education

In the Czech Republic, primary education is compulsory for nine years, and the pupils complete their compulsory education upon completing the last school year of their compulsory education. The obligation to register a child for compulsory education must be fulfilled by the child's legal guardian (parent), the child's foster parent or a citizen or institution taking care of the child under a court decision.

Compulsory education must be attended by all children having reached six years of age at least one day prior to the commencement of the relevant school year. A child reaching six years of age in the period from the beginning of the school year until the end of the calendar year may start his/her compulsory education if he/she shows sufficient physical and mental development and if it is required by the child's legal guardian. If a child is unable to attend the school, an expert opinion by a doctor, a special educational centre or a educational and psychological counsel is required. Postponement of school attendance is approved or rejected by the school's director upon the parents' request (pursuant to Section 3(2)(a) of Act no. 564/1990 Coll.). Postponement of school attendance may be justified only by insufficient physical and mental development of the child.

The child is registered for the compulsory school attendance on the registration day of the selected primary school. The registration of children for the first year of school attendance takes place from 15 January to 15 February; the schools will inform the public of their registration dates on their notice boards, in the local media, in advertisements etc.

The selection of the school is at the sole discretion of the child's parents. The law provides for primary school subregions (i.e., the law defines the regions, from which children may register for and then attend a specific school). Subregions must be set in a way that would allow all the children permanently residing in the given subregion to attend the relevant school, i.e., these children are preferred over children from other subregions (pursuant to Section 3 and Section 14 of Act no. 564/1990 Coll., on State Administration and Governance in Education, as amended).

The compulsory education is divided into two stages - the first stage takes five years (the first through the fifth year), while the second stage takes four years (the sixth year through the ninth year).

Types of Primary Schools

The selection of the suitable school is at the sole discretion of the child's parents. The range of primary schools is very wide: you may choose among public schools, private schools, clerical schools and various alternative schools (Waldorf schools, Jena-plan, Montessori schools, schools with integrated thematic education, schools featuring elements of the Dalton plan, “Starting Together” schools, “healthy schools”, “home schools”). Therefore, in addition to traditional schools, you may choose modern schools with dynamic concepts of education; these schools attempt to reflect the skills and interests of the pupils.

Teaching Language

Classes in Czech primary schools are usually taught in Czech, with the schools not being required by any law to establish special classes of the Czech language or another form of tutoring for foreigners. Citizens of EU member states may require that the relevant Regional Government provide for a free-of-charge tutoring allowing the child to integrate in the Czech primary school seamlessly; this tutoring should include Czech classes. In addition, children of asylum-seekers are entitled to Czech classes. These classes must be usually organised by subregional schools located in the vicinity of a facility providing lodging to asylum-seekers. Directors of schools other than subregional schools are not obliged to establish these courses and it is up to their decision whether they will hold Czech classes. At least three children must attend the classes, otherwise the course will not be held.

Under the methodological guidelines on education of foreigners issued by the Ministry of Education, the scores achieved by foreign students in the subject of “Czech language and literature” will be assessed in light of the student's grasp of the Czech language. Serious insufficiencies in the knowledge of this subject are deemed an objective reason giving rise to the failure to classify the student from this subject in the first year of his/her primary school attendance.

Foreign Language Taught at Schools

In addition to schools with extended foreign language programmes, there are also schools where all the subjects are taught in a foreign language - quite common are schools with classes given in English, German and French. These are usually private schools that require the children's parents to pay an appropriate school fee.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and the Act on the Rights of Minorities define the right of minorities to education in their mother tongue. This education is provided by public schools and school fee is not required. In the Czech Republic, this right is currently exercised only by the Polish national minority.

The pupils of primary schools may use the opportunity of studying foreign languages; foreign language courses start in the fourth year. Foreign languages belong to mandatory subjects and the children may often choose among several languages. Most often, these languages include English, German, French and Russian. Language schools and schools with extended foreign language programmes teach two and more foreign languages; the courses start in lower classes. In the seventh class, the pupils may choose a second foreign language as their voluntary subject.

Structure of the School Year

The school year starts on 1 September of the relevant year and ends on 31 August of the following year. The school year is divided to the period of schooling and to the period of school holidays. The details of the school year structure are set out in a generally binding legal regulation by the Ministry of Education. Children - foreigners are provided with the same services as Czech children; they have the same title to selected schooling tools and textbooks that are given to the children for free.

The school year is divided into two semesters; the pupil receives grades in his/her school report at the end of each semester. School reports issued by some schools (especially when assessing the work of lower class pupils) include detailed comments on the grades.

In case a pupil is unable to cope with all the education given and his/her progress is found unsatisfactory at the end of the school year, he/she must pass a second exam from the given subject, and if he/she fails this test, the pupil must repeat the class. Repeated classes are included in the total of years of compulsory education. If a pupil completes his/her compulsory education before finishing the ninth class of primary school, and if the pupil still wishes to continue in his/her primary education, his/her parent must deliver a letter to the school's director expressing the pupil's intention to pursue further primary education. The letter must be delivered before the end of the relevant school year. This is decisive for the potential allocation of social benefits (child allowances).

The school year schedule is set by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and published in the Ministry's bulletin (available at the web pages of the Ministry).

Special Schools

Children that are unable to attend standard primary schools due to some disability may attend special schools.

Special Schools:

These schools educate children with various disabilities - deaf, blind children, children with physical disabilities, children with learning disorders, children with speaking difficulties and various other disorders, sick and debilitated children placed in medical institutions, unless they can attend standard primary schools.

Special schools include: special education schools and remedial schools.

Special Education Schools:

Special education schools educate pupils with cognitive disabilities not allowing them to study at primary schools or special primary schools. Education at special education schools takes nine years, while the education at some schools designated in a directive by the Ministry of Education takes ten years.

A common practice in the Czech Republic was to place Roma children in special education schools. This practice is now being avoided and Roma children are placed in standard schools, making use of educational assistants.

Pupils having completed the ninth grade of the special education school may pursue further education at any secondary school; the admission depends solely on the scope of knowledge demonstrated in the entrance examinations.

Remedial Schools:

Remedial schools educate pupils with severe learning disorders and with intellectual development insufficiencies not allowing them to attend special schools but still allowing them to acquire at least some elements of education. (Usually, these include children with medium level of mental disability, children suffering from the Down syndrome etc.).

The contents of the educational activities focus on the formation of self-care habits, personal hygiene, and on the development of appropriate knowledge and work skills related to handling objects of daily use.

Education at remedial schools takes ten years. Education at remedial schools is divided to four stages. The lower and middle stage take three years, the higher and practical stage take two years. Prior to entering the remedial school and to being exempt from compulsory education (under Section 37(2) of the Education Act), the children with severe mental disability are allowed to prepare themselves for education. These children are being prepared for school attendance in one to three “preparatory classes” usually organised by the remedial schools. These three years are not included in the basic school attendance.

Pursuing Further Education after Completing a Special School

Having completed the education at a special education school, remedial or other special school, the pupils may pursue further education at special secondary and vocational schools. If the pupils prove sufficient knowledge, they may study at another secondary school - the results achieved in the entrance examination are the only criterion for admission. Children with learning disorders may pursue further education at applied schools - the study takes three years and focuses on simple activities.