A bilingual child in a Polish school: supporting Polish without losing the home language

Two languages are an asset, not a problem

Many children in Polish schools speak Ukrainian, Belarusian, English or another language at home. Parents often ask whether they should speak Polish at home so the child catches up faster. Usually that is not necessary: a strong home language helps the child understand concepts they then carry over into Polish, and conversation in the language a parent speaks best is richer.

What matters most is plenty of contact with Polish where it is natural — at school, in activities, with peers — and the parents' rich language at home.

Additional Polish lessons at school

A pupil who is not a Polish citizen, is subject to compulsory schooling and does not know Polish well enough to learn is entitled to free additional Polish lessons. They are organised by the body running the school, under Articles 165 and 166 of the Education Law (Prawo oświatowe) and a regulation of 23 August 2017. They are available for no longer than 24 months.

From the 2025/2026 school year the minimum for pupils from Ukraine was reduced from 4 to 2 hours a week, bringing it closer to the rules for other foreign pupils. A school may plan more hours if it can.

• Ask the class teacher how many hours of additional Polish your child has and for how long they are still entitled.
• Ask what progress the teacher sees and what to work on at home.
• If language makes other subjects hard, ask about catch-up classes and psychological-educational support.

Supporting Polish at home

A parent does not have to be a Polish teacher. It is enough to create chances to use the language and show that Polish is interesting, not just 'for school'.

• Polish books from the library, including bilingual or picture books — read together or aloud by the child.
• Cartoons and programmes in Polish, followed by a chat in any language.
• After-school activities with Polish peers: sport, scouting, clubs at the local cultural centre.
• Short daily tasks: a shopping list in Polish, a recipe, a chat with a neighbour.

Keeping the home language

Over time many children start answering their parents in Polish. That is natural, but if the family values its home language it needs deliberate care: books in that language, video calls with grandparents, classes run by your community's organisations. Some such classes are organised with diplomatic missions — ask at school or at your consulate.

Avoid shaming the child for mistakes in either language. Mixing words is a normal stage for bilingual children.

When to seek help

If after many months the child still doesn't understand basic instructions, speaks noticeably less than peers in the home language too, or withdraws from contact, talk to the school counsellor (pedagog szkolny). Difficulties may have causes other than language learning, and a psychological-educational counselling centre (poradnia psychologiczno-pedagogiczna) can assess this free of charge.