Safeguarding international schools in Poland: country guide

Private and international schools in Poland work under the Education Law of 14 December 2016. To open, a private school must join the register kept by the local council.

The regional school office, called the Kuratorium Oświaty, supervises teaching under the Ministry of National Education. Schools with an international course still follow Polish law on pupil safety and staff checks.

Many international schools in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk also hold CIS, IB or COBIS approval. Read how COBIS and BSO standards work alongside national rules.

On 28 July 2023, Poland changed its 2016 law on the protection of minors. The change is known as Lex Kamilek. It took effect on 15 February 2024, with full compliance due by 15 August 2024.

Every school must adopt written child protection standards, called Standardy ochrony małoletnich. The rule covers public, private and international schools alike.

The school must publish the full policy and a short child-friendly version, online and on site. Leaders must review the standards at least every two years and write down what they find.

• Safe relationships: clear rules for how staff and pupils behave with each other, and what is banned.
• Response steps: what to do when a child faces harm at school or at home, and who makes the outside report.
• Named leads: staff who take reports, start support plans, keep records and check the policy works.
• Online safety: rules for safe internet use at school and protection from harmful content.
• Support plan: how the school helps a child after a disclosure and tells families about the standards.

Yes. Polish law sets three duties that overlap. Under Article 304 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, every person should report serious crimes to the police or prosecutor.

For public and social bodies, this is a strict legal duty. They must tell the prosecutor or police at once and keep any evidence safe.

Article 240 of the Penal Code makes it a crime not to report reliable news of severe crimes. That includes sexual abuse of a child under 15. The penalty is up to three years in prison.

Even when a case is not a crime, Article 572 of the Code of Civil Procedure applies. Anyone who sees a threat to a child's welfare must tell the family court. For a wider view, read mandatory reporting laws for international schools.

If a child is in danger now, call 112 or the police on 997. Then follow your school standards and tell your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) the same day.

When the risk is within the family, schools can also start the Blue Card procedure under the domestic violence law. They can also apply to the local family court.

• 112: the main emergency number in Poland (Ministry of the Interior).
• 997 and 999: direct lines for the police (997) and ambulance (999).
• 116 111: the youth helpline run by Fundacja Dajemy Dzieciom Siłę, free and open all day and night in Polish.
• 800 12 12 12: the helpline of the Ombudsman for Children, free and open 24 hours.
• 800 100 100: a free line for parents and teachers who need advice on child safety.

Article 21 of the 2016 law sets strict checks before anyone works or volunteers with children. Both the school head and the candidate face penalties if checks are missing.

First, the school must check the candidate in the Sex Offenders Register. The printout goes into the staff file.

Second, the candidate must hand in a certificate from the National Criminal Register (KRK). It covers sexual and violent crimes, child abuse and drug crimes.

Staff who lived abroad in the past 20 years must also bring record checks from each of those countries. If a country issues none, the candidate signs a formal statement. Add reference and interview checks, as set out in safer recruitment for international schools.

Polish schools follow the EU GDPR and the Personal Data Protection Act of 2018. The national regulator is the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO).

Lex Kamilek requires schools to record actions, keep register printouts and track child protection steps. So your legal basis for these records is a legal duty under GDPR.

Keep child protection logs apart from general pupil files, and limit access to named staff. Check where cloud suppliers store your data. Read more in information sharing in international schools.

This guide gives general information checked on 10 November 2026. It is not legal advice. Work through this checklist with your Head and a Polish lawyer.

• Check that your standards and the child-friendly version are online and on display.
• Confirm who takes reports, runs the Blue Card procedure and contacts the police, prosecutor or court.
• Check your Single Central Record: every adult needs a register printout and a KRK certificate.
• Check that staff from abroad have record checks for every country from the past 20 years, with sworn translations if needed.
• Post 112, 116 111 and 800 12 12 12 in Polish and English around the school.
• Plan the review of your standards every two years and log the outcome.