Moving to Warsaw with children: choosing a school and neighbourhood

Start with continuity, not prestige

The first question is what your child is leaving behind and where they are likely to go next. A curriculum that continues what they already know — and that travels if you move again — usually matters more than a school's reputation.

Warsaw offers several models side by side: full international programmes, national foreign-school systems, bilingual or hybrid Polish schools, and Montessori settings. The school listing on this site shows which model each school follows, its campuses and its stages.

Timing and admissions

Three to nine months before the school year is the working range. Popular year groups can be full well before then, and some schools admit mid-year only if a place is released.

Admission requirements, fee structures and waiting lists are set by each school individually and change from year to year — confirm them directly with the school before you plan around them.

• Ask for the full fee list, not just tuition: registration, deposit, transport, meals, trips and exam fees.
• Ask what support is available for a child who does not speak the language of instruction yet.
• Ask how many children join mid-year and how they are settled in.
• Ask about the bus routes — they often decide which districts are realistic for you.

Then choose the neighbourhood around it

Once the school shortlist exists, the housing map narrows itself. Families usually weigh three things: the morning journey, whether daily life works without a car, and green space within walking distance.

A twenty-minute difference in the school run is four hours a fortnight of your life, every fortnight. It is worth more attention than the size of the living room.

What can be done before you arrive

The school stage of a move works well remotely, and this part I handle personally.

• A shortlist matched to your child's age, current curriculum and language.
• Questions prepared for each school and admissions contact made on your behalf.
• Online tours or visits arranged, and visits grouped into one trip if you come over.
• Deadlines and documents tracked so nothing expires while you are packing.
• A housing search built around the school you choose, not the other way round.

Childcare and the younger ages

For nursery and preschool ages the calendar is shorter and the choice is more local: bilingual preschools exist across the city, and availability changes quickly. Nannies and after-school care are arranged with agencies once your address is confirmed.