Parents are responsible for their children\u2019s education. If you have children, it is good to pay attention to this topic. The education system consists of several stages: pre-school education, primary education and secondary education. In the following chapters you will learn basic information about each of these stages.<\/p>\n
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A list of all schools regardless of the founder which are registered in the Register of Schools and School Facilities is available on the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports website. All these schools are overseen by the Czech School Inspectorate which monitors the quality of education and the services provided. When searching, enter the required parameters \u2013 kindergartens, primary schools or secondary schools \u2013 and the place \u2013 e.g. Prague 1, Prague 2, etc.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n Children attend kindergarten during the school year which in the Czech Republic starts on 1st<\/sup> September and ends on 31st<\/sup> August the following calendar year.<\/p>\n Before attending primary school, children go to creche and then to kindergarten. They usually go to kindergarten from the age of 3\u20134. Kindergartens offer the basic preparation needed to attend primary school. For a long time, kindergartens represented a non-mandatory part of the education system. However, the Education Act has been amended and the final year of kindergarten before children go to school, which is at about 5\u20136 years of age, is now mandatory. That means that preschool education is compulsory<\/strong> from the beginning of the school year after the child\u2019s fifth birthday<\/strong> until the beginning of compulsory school attendance. From September 2017<\/strong>, compulsory preschool education is free<\/strong>. Pursuant to the amendment to the Education Act, from 1st<\/sup> September 2017, 4-year-old children are entitled to be admitted <\/strong>to the kindergartens in their catchment areas.<\/p>\n There are state kindergartens (founded by city districts \u2013 altogether 298 in Prague in the school year 2017\/2018) and private ones (the founder is either a private individual or a company). The difference is mainly reflected in the price which parents pay for placement of their children in the kindergarten. The demand for places in kindergartens often exceeds their capacity. This is especially the case for state kindergartens, which are cheaper than the private ones.<\/p>\n Lists of Prague kindergartens are available here<\/a> or on the websites of the individual city districts. Further information can also be obtained at the particular kindergartens.<\/p>\n Enrolment in kindergarten, where a decision on admission or non-admission of children is made, take place every year. Enrolments are scheduled from 2nd<\/sup> May to 16th<\/sup>\u00a0May. Parents of 5-year-old children are obliged to have their children enrolled.\u00a0Kindergartens use various criteria for deciding which children to accept. There are also school districts of catchment kindergartens<\/strong>. It is therefore clear for children that come to enrolment from the school year 2017\/2018 which kindergarten is their catchment kindergarten. Catchment schools and kindergartens (assigned to the address of your registered place of residence) give priority to children who live in their catchment area. We recommend that you contact kindergartens close to the place where you live well in advance and find out what conditions there are for admission and whether there is a registration process for the enrolment.<\/p>\n Would you like to know what an enrolment involves, what you need to bring etc.? For detailed information on enrolments in individual kindergartens, have a look for example here<\/a>. Here you will also find links and basic information on kindergartens in individual Prague city districts.<\/p>\n If you need help choosing a kindergarten or with the formal requirements associated with your child\u2019s enrolment in a kindergarten, do not hesitate to contact workers of organisations which provide educational support for migrants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Pupils attend school during the school year which in the Czech Republic starts on 1st<\/sup> September and ends on 31st<\/sup> August of the following calendar year. Summer holidays run from 1st<\/sup> July to 31st<\/sup> August.<\/p>\n Children start studying at primary schools at the age of 6\u20137. Children from this age are subject to\u00a0compulsory school attendance<\/strong>. This means that there is a legal obligation for parents to enrol their children in primary schools. Compulsory school attendance lasts for 9 years and applies to all children, including those who come to the Czech Republic at the age of 6\u201317 and have not yet completed 9 years of schooling. Pursuant to section 36 of the Education Act, compulsory school attendance applies to citizens of the Czech Republic as well as citizens of other European Union member states who have been residing in the territory of the CR for more than 90 days. Compulsory school attendance also applies to other foreigners who are entitled to stay in the territory of the CR permanently or temporarily for more than 90 days<\/strong> and to foreigners who are parties to international protection proceedings.<\/p>\n Your child has a legal entitlement to a place in a primary school. In practice, it means that the school in the area of your residence (also called a catchment school \u2013 a school associated with the address of your place of residence) has to accept your child. This school must not refuse to accept your child based on a reason other than insufficient capacity. In such a case, you need to contact the education department in your city district in which your registered place of residence is. The education department is then\u00a0obliged to find<\/strong>\u00a0your child a\u00a0place in some of the other schools<\/strong>\u00a0close to your home.<\/p>\n You may also enrol your child in a school outside your city district, if the school has a sufficient capacity and agrees with admission of the child.<\/p>\n Compulsory school attendance starts at the beginning of the school year which follows the child\u2019s sixth birthday, unless the child is allowed to postpone their compulsory school attendance<\/strong>. Children whose sixth birthday is between September and the end of June of the particular school year can be admitted to school if they are sufficiently physically and mentally mature and their legal representatives have applied for their enrolment.\u00a0Legal representatives are obliged to enrol the children for compulsory school attendance<\/strong> between 1st<\/sup> April and 30th<\/sup> April<\/strong> of the calendar year in which the children are supposed to start compulsory school attendance. During enrolment, teachers assess children\u2019s school maturity \u2013 their readiness to study. For more information, have a look at websites of individual schools or the website of your city district, which is the founder of the primary schools.<\/p>\n Most primary schools in Prague were founded by individual city districts. Altogether, there are 192 primary schools registered for the school year 2016\/2017. Out of 57 city districts in the Capital City of Prague, 49 are founders of primary schools.<\/p>\n Lists of Prague primary schools are available here<\/a> and on the websites of the individual city districts. Further information can also be obtained at the particular primary schools.<\/p>\n A list of private schools is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Children must not be denied admission to primary school because of lack of knowledge of the Czech language.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Such practice is illegal. If you are told that there is a condition pertaining to knowledge of the Czech language, contact the education department of your city district or an NGO focused on integration of children of migrants in the education area.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/div>\n The fact that a child does not know the teaching language (Czech) or does not know it well enough should not be an obstacle to studying at school. Schools should do their best to provide adequate language training to your child. Such training can take a form of a language course or lessons of Czech as a second language. An individual education plan can be created for your child, which will lead to gradual integration into all lessons. To supplement language training provided by school, you can use for example the\u00a0e-learning programme<\/strong>\u00a0created by META, o. p. s., which is available\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some schools in Prague pay special attention to their foreign pupils \u2013 they organise Czech language courses, after school lessons, etc. for them. These schools participate in development projects of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR and a list of them is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Capital City of Prague also funds additional Czech language courses. There is one primary school in each of the city districts which offers an afternoon course. These courses are available to pupils of schools located in other districts as well. However, it is necessary to agree on attending the course with the director of the school in advance. A list of schools which offer these courses is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your child is not sufficiently prepared to start the first grade of primary school \u2013 be it due to a lack of knowledge of Czech or insufficient school maturity \u2013 you as parents can apply for postponement of compulsory school attendance until the following year and sign your child up for a preparatory class. The application for postponement of compulsory school attendance can be handed over\u00a0immediately on the enrolment day.\u00a0The application is submitted by the legal representative of the child. It has to be delivered to the director of the primary school in written form together with a report recommending the postponement issued by a relevant school counselling facility (parents arrange an appointment at the facility themselves and they can choose the particular facility \u2013 a list of school counselling facilities is available here<\/a>) and a report from a specialist doctor or a clinical psychologist (for this purpose it is enough to have a recommendation from a general practitioner for children and adolescents).<\/p>\n Legal representatives have to apply for postponement of compulsory school attendance of their children no later than by 31st<\/sup> May of the calendar year in which their children are supposed to start school.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Will your children complete primary education soon or have they completed it before coming to the Czech Republic? Support them in their subsequent studies. Today, secondary education is considered to be the minimum standard of educational achievement. Job options are very limited for people with only primary education.<\/p>\n Secondary education is represented by a wide range of schools. This is an overview of the basic types of secondary schools:<\/p>\n When choosing a school it is good to find out some basic information about individual schools on their websites and go visit them during their\u00a0open days<\/strong>. Open days are public presentations of educational programmes at schools, during which you can see what the school looks like, get to know the environment, learn about their educational fields, meet the teachers and ask about anything you are interested in.<\/p>\n An overview of secondary schools can be found for example on the following websites:<\/p>\n A list of schools founded by the Capital City of Prague is available on this website:<\/p>\n A prerequisite for admission to a grammar school, a secondary school or a secondary vocational training school is the successful completion of the admission procedure. In order to start studying at a secondary school which finishes with a school-leaving exam, you have to pass entrance exams consisting of didactic tests in the Czech language and mathematics. Along with these tests there are often also other tests or interviews at the discretion of individual schools.<\/p>\n For the admission process of apprenticeships you only need a transcript of the records of your previous studies at your primary school.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secondary schools \u2013 completed by the secondary school leaving exam<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The first round of entrance exams (unified and prepared by the specific school) takes place from 12th<\/sup> April to 28th<\/sup> April. Applications have to be submitted to schools by 1st<\/sup> March. The application form for secondary schools is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If for a serious reason you cannot sit the entrance exam, you can submit a request within 3 days to the director of the school for an alternative exam date. The alternative date will be determined within one month from the day the exam took place.<\/p>\n Applicants who have not been admitted based on the results of the first round of entrance exams may apply for the next round of entrance exams. The unified entrance exam is not a part of the next rounds of entrance exams.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secondary schools \u2013 completed by the certificate of apprenticeship<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The unified entrance exam is not a part of the entrance exams for these schools. If there is an entrance exam prepared by the particular school, it takes place from 22nd<\/sup> to 30th<\/sup> April. Applications have to be submitted to schools no later than 1st<\/sup> March. The application form for secondary schools is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If for a serious reason you cannot sit the entrance exam, you can submit a request within 3 days to the director of the school for an alternative exam date. The alternative date will be determined within one month from the day the exam took place.<\/p>\n Applicants who have not been admitted based on the results of the first round of entrance exams may apply for the next round of entrance exams. The unified entrance exam is not a part of the next rounds of entrance exams.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secondary schools \u2013 completed by the secondary school leaving exam \u2013 art schools with an audition<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The unified entrance exam is not a part of the entrance exams for these schools. Applicants have to do an audition prepared by the particular school. Talent exams take place from 2nd<\/sup> to 15th<\/sup> January. Applications have to be submitted to the school no later than 30th<\/sup> November. The application form for secondary schools with a talent exam is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If for a serious reason you cannot sit the entrance exam, you can submit a request within 3 days to the director of the school for an alternative exam date. The alternative date will be determined within one month from the day the exam took place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conservatoires \u2013 completed by the secondary school leaving exam<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The unified entrance exam is not a part of the entrance exams for these schools. Applicants have to do an audition prepared by the particular school. Talent exams take place from 15th<\/sup> to 31st<\/sup> January. Applications have to be submitted to schools no later than 30th<\/sup> November. The application form for secondary schools with a talent exam is available here<\/a> (\u201cobory vzd\u011bl\u00e1n\u00ed s talentovou zkou\u0161kou\u201d).<\/p>\n If for a serious reason you cannot sit the entrance exam, you can submit a request within 3 days to the director of the school for an alternative exam date. The alternative date will be determined within one month from the day the exam took place.<\/p>\n Applicants who have not been admitted based on the results of the first round of entrance exams may apply for the next rounds of entrance exams (if there are any) or they can submit an application to study at a secondary school. Submitting an application to study at a school requiring an audition or a conservatoire does not affect the right of the applicant to submit 2 applications to study at a secondary school by 1st<\/sup> March.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If the applicant is not a citizen of the CR and they have acquired previous education at a school abroad (they cannot submit a transcript of records from a Czech school as a proof that they have completed previous studies), they can ask the director of the school to waive the Czech language exam. The applicant\u2019s knowledge of Czech will then be verified through an interview. A waiver of the Czech language exam is not automatic, the applicant (represented by their legal representatives) must always apply for it.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Secondary school studies usually finish with a secondary school leaving exam, which is called \u201cmaturita\u201d in Czech.Passing this exam means graduating from secondary education and getting a secondary school leaving examination certificate. Passing a secondary school leaving exam is a prerequisite for admission to a university. The form of secondary school leaving exams is currently going through some changes. As for students for whom Czech is not their mother tongue, preparation for the school leaving exam requires a lot of energy, as secondary schools do not pay much attention to teaching Czech as a second language and the exam is set for testing the knowledge of native speakers.For detailed information about the new form of secondary school leaving exams have a look here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Foreigners who have been residing in the Czech Republic for less than four years immediately preceding their sitting of the secondary school leaving exam may ask for an extra 15 minutes for the Czech language and literature didactic test and an extra 30 minutes for the Czech language and literature written exam. They can use a bilingual dictionary and the Dictionary of Standard Czech for the written part of the exam.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parents are responsible for their children\u2019s education. If you have children, it is good to pay attention to this topic. The education system consists of several stages: pre-school education, primary education and secondary education. In the following chapters you will…<\/p>\nRead more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":633,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15565,"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/636\/revisions\/15565"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolevsech.pristup.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Pre-School Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Primary Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Secondary Education + Secondary School Leaving Exam (\u201cMaturita\u201d)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Links:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Entrance Exams<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Secondary School Leaving Exam (\u201cMaturita\u201d)<\/strong><\/h4>\n