International path · Homeschooling
Homeschooling with a plan
Individual education under the Czech School Act, for children at primary school. We help you choose the registered school, go through the application and build the portfolio. The time you gain then gets a plan for preparing for the school your child is aiming for.
Zdeněk
founder of Doučení jinak
Grades 1 to 9
compulsory school attendance that this covers
Head teacher
of the registered school decides on approval and on the reasons
2× a year
assessment at the registered school, once per term
Portfolio
as a form of assessment, where the school offers it
When it makes sense
When school's timetable does not fit the child
Homeschooling is not for everyone. It most often helps in these situations. Whether the reasons are serious enough is for the head teacher of the registered school to decide.
Athletes
Daily training, camps and competitions that do not fit a regular timetable.
Frequent travel
Parents' work or longer stays abroad during the school year.
Health and special needs
When a different pace or a different environment than a classroom suits the child better.
Preparing for a big challenge
Demanding entrance exams for a selective or international school, a competition or a sports career. The extra time goes into preparation.
How it works
From application to the biannual assessment
- 1Registered schoolYou choose a school open to individual education, ideally one that assesses from a portfolio.
- 2ApplicationReasons, conditions at home, the education of whoever will teach the child, and textbooks.
- 3Counselling centre's statementFrom an educational and psychological counselling centre. It is part of the application, but is not binding on the head teacher.
- 4Head teacher's decisionThey assess both the reasons and the conditions. Schools differ in their approach.
- 5AssessmentOnce per term at the registered school, the school decides the form.
Under § 41 of Act No. 561/2004 Coll., the School Act.
Why the school matters
An assessment that does not steal time from learning
At some schools the biannual assessment is needlessly demanding, and the child ends up studying mainly for that one exam. That is why we choose registered schools that assess from a portfolio, where the child documents what they genuinely learned during the term.
We build the portfolio with the child gradually. Time that would otherwise go into cramming for the assessment stays with learning in depth and with preparing for the goal.
Individual education is welcomed, for example, at Školy Březová: they run the assessment twice a year, at four locations across the Czech Republic or online, and offer online support during the term.
What can go in the portfolio
- Work and projects from individual subjects
- Records from online lessons and what the child took from them
- Assignments and tests with notes on what the child was working on
- Presentations or output in a foreign language
It is worth agreeing the content and form of the portfolio with the school in advance.
What we help with
From choosing a school to a preparation plan
- Step 1Choosing the registered schoolWe recommend a school that is open to individual education and assesses from a portfolio.
- Step 2Application and counselling centreWe guide you through the application requirements and how to get the counselling centre's statement, so it holds up on paper too.
- Step 3PortfolioWe build it gradually, from what the child actually did and understood during the term.
- Step 4Plan and online teachingAnalysis, a goal and a preparation plan. Subjects with our team online, at a pace that lasts.
A story from practice
Kryštof: from a mainstream primary school to American Academy
Kryštof moved from a mainstream primary school to individual education. The decision was made over the summer holidays; preparation started in September, and by the end of February he was sitting the entrance exam for American Academy. The whole thing took about seven months.
Everything built around the interview
He studied with our international team, in English only. We built his English around what he enjoys: programming and his own apps.
School stayed on track
One hour a week was set aside for the registered school's portfolio. In total he had about four hours of support a week.
It continues today
After the entrance exam, we moved on to his core subjects in English: mathematics, American history and more.
What stays with the family
Honestly, before you decide
- Responsibility. The parent is responsible for the conditions of education.
- Teacher. A university degree at the second level, a school-leaving exam at the first.
- Costs. The family pays for teaching and materials; textbooks and the registered school's activities are not charged.
- Return to school. If the child does not pass, the head teacher ends individual education.
Foreign families living in the Czech Republic
Compulsory school attendance also applies to EU citizens and other foreigners staying in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days. Individual education is available to you on the same terms.
Frequently asked questions
What parents ask
- Who decides on homeschooling?
- The head teacher of the school where the child is enrolled for compulsory attendance, based on a written request from the parent. The head teacher also assesses whether the reasons are serious enough.
- Do we need a statement from an educational and psychological counselling centre?
- A statement from a school counselling facility (an educational and psychological counselling centre, or a special education centre) is part of the application. It is not binding on the head teacher, though. They decide.
- Who can teach the child?
- At the first level (roughly ages 6 to 11), someone with at least a school-leaving exam; at the second level (roughly ages 11 to 15), someone with a university degree. It does not have to be a parent. The parent is responsible for the conditions of education.
- How does the assessment work?
- Once per term, at the registered school. The school decides the form: a test, an oral exam, a portfolio, a presentation, or a combination. This is why the choice of school matters.
- What happens if the child does not pass?
- The head teacher ends individual education and the child returns to the corresponding year of mainstream school. You can disagree with the assessment and request a re-examination within 8 days.
- Who pays for teaching and materials?
- The family covers the costs. The exception is textbooks and basic school supplies, which the child is entitled to, and the activities of the registered school.
- Does this work for secondary school too?
- No. Individual education applies to compulsory attendance at primary school (roughly ages 6 to 15). Some secondary schools offer a distance-learning form of study instead.
- We are foreigners living in the Czech Republic. Does compulsory attendance apply to us?
- Yes, for EU citizens and other foreigners entitled to stay in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days. Individual education is available to you on the same terms.
This information is based on the School Act. It is not legal advice; approval is always decided by the head teacher of the registered school.
Does homeschooling make sense for your child?
We will go through it in a free consultation: the reasons, a suitable school and what a plan could look like.