Polish British Academy of Warsaw

About PBA

PBA belongs to the group of international British schools (COBIS). Our students gain education in a bilingual system. Polish language education is unique in our school thanks to the teachers' experiences and passions. The English-language program is modeled on the British system, gives excellent results that put our students above mediocrity. This type of education enables children to continue their education in schools around the world. We teach tolerance, respect for others, honesty and integrity.

Highlights

Education based on two curriculums: Polish and British.
Excellent location; playground and sport field. Wide variety of extracurricular activities.
Member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).
Workshops: Origami, Mathematics for Kangaroos, Drama, Yoga, Science, Theatre, Art.
Extension plan - a complex for school and kindergarten, gymnasium, playground, playground, parking.

The 2020 Experience at Polish British Academy of Warsaw

None of us thought that the COVID 19 pandemic would last for so long. From its beginning in March this year. we have gone through various stages of teaching. Starting with online teaching, back to school, hybrid teaching and further online learning for grades 4-8. Since we have already used new technologies to work with, we had no major difficulties with it. The teachers in our school are at ease in all these situations. It is undoubtedly also thanks to the school and its Management, which does everything to ensure that learning runs smoothly while maintaining a high level of education. In order for every teacher to feel comfortable with teaching from home and for the learning to proceed smoothly, over 20 new computers have been purchased, which undoubtedly have improved online learning even further.

Even the pandemic did not prevent us from organising important for us events. And so, on October 26th, just like every year, we celebrated the United Nations Day. This year's event was different from the previous years. This school year we celebrated in each class only (live and on-line). Each class has prepared numerous posters and presentations about the chosen country.

Students from grades 0-3 who were studying at the school premises organised Halloween. There was no annual disco, but the kids had a great time creating scarecrows and different masks. Of course, we also didn’t forget about those who have online learning.

View recent COVID-19 updates from Polish British Academy of Warsaw

In the News:

Online teaching at the Polish British Academy of Warsaw (April 16, 2020)

Nauczanie online w Polish British Academy of Warsaw (April 3, 2020)

Insider Interviews & Perspectives

Our Take

Polish British Academy of Warsaw: This primary school, named after Jan III Sobieski, is a bilingual school located in Warsaw's Wilanów district. It has been in existence since 2012, when the "Kids' Academy Primary School" was established. It has ensured continuation of education for the children of the kindergarten at the "Kids' Academy." The school is a member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). The students come from many different nationalities. One of the main goals of the school is to instill respect and tolerance for the pupils of the traditions of different nationalities and cultural groups, and to respect diversity. The school teaches according to the Polish core curriculum expanded to include the core curriculum of the British Curriculum. Children learn in a bilingual system, in English and Polish. English is the language of instruction. From class III, children learn an additional foreign language, which is Spanish. PBA students take the Cambridge Young Learners (YLE) language exams recognized throughout the world. The school provides students with three meals a day, and students are required to wear uniforms. Since 2004, it has also run the Kindergarten Kids' Academy Preschool, initially in Konstancin-Jeziorna, and since 2007 located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw. This school offers bilingual (Polish and English) instruction using language immersion and glottodidactics.

Our Kids speaks to Maria Fiedorczuk-Piechota, the headmistress of Polish British Academy of Warsaw

Polish British Academy of Warsaw (PBA), which belongs to the Council of British International Schools—COBIS, offers its students bilingual education based on two curricula—Polish and British, from preschool through Grade 8. It operates in two buildings in the Wilanów district of Warsaw.

Full interview

Polish British Academy of Warsaw:

Our Kids Insider Perspective: Alumni
Our Kids Insider Interview with Olivia Siwicka

Location

Wiertnicza 75, Warszawa, 02-952

Wiertnicza 36A, 02-952 Warszawa, Warszawa, 02-952

PRZEDSZKOLE KIDS' ACADEMY
Arbuzowa 33d, Warszawa, 02-747 [Visit website]

PS/Kindergarten to PS/Kindergarten

Wiertnicza 43, Warszawa, 02-952

Gallery

Gallery showcasing school life and general photos of Polish British Academy of Warsaw.

School Facilities Gallery

Gallery showcasing specific locations and facilities found at Polish British Academy of Warsaw.

Photo-tour of facilities

Athletics facilities
Campus
Classrooms
Science facilities
Instructional resources
Shared spaces

Athletics facilities

Campus

Classrooms

Science facilities

Instructional resources

Shared spaces

Academics

Academics Summary: [Hide summary]

Curriculum: Liberal Arts/Academic
Preschool/K Curriculum: Academic
Academic Culture: Supportive
Developmental priorities: Balanced
Special needs support: Not provided
Gifted learner support: Not provided
Homework Policy:

Curriculum

Central to your child's school experience is the underlying curriculum taught in the classroom. "Curriculum" refers to both what is taught and how it's taught. When considering the different curricula outlined in the next few pages, keep in mind that few schools fall neatly into one category or another. Most schools' curricula comprise a blend of best practices drawn from multiple curriculum types. Having said that, most schools do have a general overall curriculum type. These are identified for each school on OurKids.net.
Primary Curriculum: Liberal Arts
Such an approach to curriculum shares with traditional programs their emphasis on core knowledge-acquisition, but tends to borrow more best practices from the progressive approach. The goal isn't to prepare students for vocational life, but rather to encourage an appreciation of the benefits of education itself, including academic and personal development. There is an emphasis on knowledge acquisition as well as theoretical and academic learning, but the real focus is on cultivating the intellect.
Secondary Curriculum: Academic

What PBA says: The National Curriculum (NC) is a range of knowledge and skill set taught in British public schools, which should be acquired by a student at a given educational stage. According to the British government, the new curriculum does not teach teachers how to “teach”, but focuses on key messages and skills, thus giving teachers the freedom to shape curriculum according to individual needs. Non-public schools are not obliged to fully implement the British program. The PBA benefits from the British program, choosing from it what is most valuable and corresponding to the philosophy and vision of our school. Prior to commencing the school education, students go through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), called the Reception Class, which is an equivalent of the Polish “zerówka”.

Approach:

Focus

Academic
Preschool/K Curriculum Academic

Preschool/K Curriculum approach at PBA: Academic
PBA has an Academic approach to Preschool/K Curriculum (as opposed to Play-based, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia approach).
[Show: About Academic?]
Academic-based preschools and Kindergartens are the most structured of the different types, and have a strong emphasis on math and reading readiness skills. These programs aim to expose children to what early-elementary school is like. While time is still allotted to free play, much of the day is built around explicit lessons guided by the teacher. Classrooms often resemble play-based ones (with different stations set up around the room), but at an Academic program the teacher leads students through the stations directly, and ties these activities to a whole-class lesson or theme.
What PBA says: This information is not currently available.
Academic Culture Supportive

Academic Culture approach at PBA: Supportive
PBA has a Supportive approach to Academic Culture (as opposed to Rigorous approach).
[Show: About Supportive?]
A school with a "supportive" academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, that the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a "rigorous" academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
What PBA says: This information is not currently available.
Developmental priorities Balanced

Primary Developmental Priority: Balanced

Equal attention is paid to a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social, and physical.

Secondary Developmental Priority: Intellectual

Academically strong, creative, and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions.

What PBA says: This information is not currently available.

Focus
Academic

Special needs support Not provided

Academic Support:

Subject type	offered
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties

Mild but clinically diagnosed ADHD:

Subject type	offered
Accommodations
Modifications
Extra support

Support for moderate-to-severe special needs:

Special needs	Accomodations Formal adjustments are made to the delivery of lessons to help mitigate the learning difficulty or exceptionality. The underlying content and expectations remain unchanged with accommodations, however. (Example: allowing a student to write tests in a quieter room).	Modifications The underlying content and expectations are modified and/or simplified for the sake of the student. (Examples: allowing student to use a calculator on a test when other students can’t; allowing students to bring word-banks or “cheat sheets” into certain tests, etc)	Remediation Research-based therapeutic measures that target and ameliorate the underlying weakness.
Learning disabilities
ADHD (moderate to severe)
Dyslexia (Language-Based Learning Disability)
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Language Processing Disorder
Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD)
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit
Developmental
Autism
Asperger's Syndrome
Down syndrome
Intellectual disability
Behavioral and Emotional
Troubled behaviour / troubled teens
Clinical Depression
Suicidal thoughts
Drug and alcohol abuse
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Physical
Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder)
Blindness
Deafness
Cystic Fibrosis
Multiple physical

Gifted learner support Not provided

Dedicated gifted programs:

Program	offered
Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school)
Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class)

Curriculum delivery: This information is not currently available.

In-class adaptations:

Program	offered
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement)
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement)
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement)
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement)
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others)
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement)
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement)
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement)
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement)

What PBA says: This information is not currently available.

Homework Policy

In grade Gr. 6, PBA students perform an average of 45 mins of homework per night.

Nightly Homework

PS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
PBA 0 mins 0 mins 15 mins 15 mins 30 mins 30 mins 45 mins 45 mins
Site Average 2 mins 8 mins 16 mins 16 mins 23 mins 29 mins 34 mins 39 mins

This school frequently "flips the classroom": asks students to learn material at home and do the "homework" in-class (with teacher support).

What PBA says about their flipped classroom policy: This information is not currently available.

	PS	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
PBA	0 mins	0 mins	15 mins	15 mins	30 mins	30 mins	45 mins	45 mins
Site Average	2 mins	8 mins	16 mins	16 mins	23 mins	29 mins	34 mins	39 mins

Extracurriculars

What the school says:
This information is not currently available.

Sports Offered	CompetitiveComp	RecreationalRec
Basketball
Fencing
Football
Gymnastics
Martial Arts
Swimming
Volleyball

Clubs Offered
Foreign Language Club
Math Club
Musical theatre/Opera
Science Club
Art Club
Chess Club
Choir
Dance Club
Drama Club
Environmental Club

Tuition & Financial Aid

Grade	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Day	zł39,288				zł47,148

What PBA says about their tuition: Siblings are entitled to a discount. Annual tuition fee can be divided into 2, 4, 6 or 10 installments. Fee for the children joining the school in the middle of the school year is divided into 10 months and charged proportionally against each calendar month of study in current school year, regardless of the date of joining the school in a given month.

Merit based Scholarships

This information is not currently available.

Enrollment

Enrollment Details:

Grades	Enrollment
PS/Kindergarten (2,5 years) to Gr. 8	70
PS/Kindergarten (2,5 years) to Gr. 8	311

Additional Statistics:

% of foreign students	40%
# of nationalities attending school	24

Student distribution:

	PS	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Class Size	12	14	18	16	16	18	18	18	15	12

Principal's Message

Maria Fiedorczuk-Piechota, Headmistress

We are an international school, a member of the prestigious Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Our main goal is to provide a high level of education in line with the Polish and British educational systems. We want to give your children a good basis for their future school career, regardless of whether they will continue their education in Poland or abroad. We teach in English and in Polish, so students can feel at ease living in an international society but at the same time feel at home while in Poland.

At Polish British Academy, we aim to provide a happy, stimulating and healthy environment for the children and we want each child to achieve the best they can. We have excellent teachers and administrative staff who all work as a very close team. Our Governing Body plays an essential role in the development and success of the school. Many parents work with us in partnership as our goal is to feel a strong sense of community.

I am extremely honoured to be the Headmistress of Polish British Academy of Warsaw and I believe that when children move on from our school at the end of Year 8, they are responsible, confident and independent young people, ready to enter both the local and international society.

Maria Fiedorczuk-Piechota

Headmistress

In the News