TRANSITION OF CHILDREN FROM A KINDERGARTEN TO PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPARISON OF CONDITIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND AND THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Abstract

The aim of the comparative study was to describe and compare the organizational conditions of transition of children from a kindergarten to a primary school in the field of school aptitude assessment, enrolment of children in a primary school, handling of deferred school attendance and education of children with deferred school attendance in the Czech Republic, the Republic of Poland and the Slovak Republic. The comparative study was based on a qualitative content analysis of legislative and curriculum documents, official documents of ministries of education and research publications. The selection of these countries is based on their geographical and historical proximity, similar development of educational systems and at the same time diverse pedagogical approaches in the process of early education. The organisation of the transition of children from a kindergarten to primary school is very similar in the
countries studied. This is also due to the common European orientation in inclusive education and comparable economic and political contexts. Differences exist in the age of children with a postponement of compulsory schooling and in the forms of education of these children in a kindergarten and primary school. The process of diagnosing school aptitude is legislated in Poland, while in the Czech Republic and Slovakia it is left to the responsible approach of a kindergarten teachers. On the basis of the pedagogical diagnosis, they can advise the legal representatives on the assessment of the child's school aptitude in the relevant counselling centers. This enables the legal representative to obtain more information about a child's school competence in order to make the best possible decision in the child's best interests. The comparative study is the result of the KEGA project No. 001UMB-4/2025.