Individual study path from the first months at school: Poland plans to shorten the wait

What the ministry proposes

On 4 November 2026 the Ministry of National Education (MEN) said it had sent a draft regulation on the indywidualny program nauki (individual study programme) and indywidualny tok nauki (individual study path) to other government bodies and to public consultation. It changes one rule: when a head teacher may grant permission.

Today permission is possible after at least one year of study and, in justified cases, after klasyfikacja śródroczna (mid-year grading). Under the draft, the standard would be after mid-year grading and, in justified cases, even before it. A newly admitted pupil could therefore use this option in the first half of the school year. The draft gives no examples of justified cases.

Programme and path: the difference

An individual study programme means a pupil learns one, several or all subjects under a programme fitted to their abilities. It may not lower the requirements that apply in the class.

An individual study path means a pupil does not have to attend the compulsory lessons in those subjects in the usual way. They may also cover the material of two or more year groups in one school year. They are graded through egzaminy klasyfikacyjne (classification exams).

Both options exist at every stage and in every type of school. Few pupils use them: according to the System Informacji Oświatowej (the national education database), in 2025/2026 there were 378 pupils on an individual path and 418 on an individual programme. This is different from indywidualne nauczanie (individual teaching), which is for children whose health makes attending school difficult.

What stays the same

The draft leaves the other rules untouched, and they matter to parents:

• the application may come from the pupil (a minor needs parental consent), from the parents, or from the wychowawca (form teacher) or subject teacher with the consent of the parents or an adult pupil;
• it goes to the head teacher through the form teacher, who adds an opinion on the pupil’s abilities and achievements;
• a positive opinion is needed from the rada pedagogiczna (the school’s teaching staff council) and from a public poradnia psychologiczno-pedagogiczna (psychological and educational counselling centre);
• covering the material of more than two year groups in one year also needs a positive opinion from the kuratorium (regional education authority);
• permission is granted for a fixed period, and the head teacher appoints a teacher as the pupil’s mentor;
• a refusal takes the form of an administrative decision.

When it starts and what to do now

This is a draft and its wording may still change. Some institutions have 14 days to comment and others 30 days from receiving the letter. The regulation is meant to take effect 14 days after publication, but no publication date is known. Applications filed and not yet decided before that day will follow the old rules.

If your child is clearly ahead of the curriculum:

• talk to the form teacher and subject teacher about whether a programme or a path fits better;
• check when your school holds mid-year grading, because the current rules already allow permission after it in justified cases;
• before applying, ask the head teacher whether the new rules are in force: an earlier application will be decided under the old ones.