Yes, we expect that a parent’s or guardian’s interest in your child’s education and upbringing will motivate you to read a few pages that may decide your child’s future. Moreover, we have gone to a lot of trouble just to avoid future misunderstandings. And maybe you will come to the conclusion that free education is not for you (we mean mainly adults, not children).

The Ministry of Education has included us in the network of school facilities under the name of the Private Primary School of Free Democratic Education, Galaktická 9, Košice and the Private School Children’s Club as part of the Private Primary School of Free Democratic Education, Galaktická 9, Košice. Our founder is Ťahanovská záhrada, legal form: civil association, in the register of the Ministry of the Interior: association (union, society, company, club, etc.), ID number: 52101606 with registered office: Ťahanovská 2038/74, 04013 Košice – Ťahanovce, Slovak Republic, Registration number: VVS/1-900/90-55162. Our team includes approximately 30 associates. Financing of our activities is provided by several sources: through the normative from the state budget, from parents’ payments, two percent (appropriated tax) and sponsorship donations from private and legal persons.

We look forward to seeing all school-age children, and we may include younger siblings of our school-age children in the research sample for the experimental validation of free education (details below). We also want to create a barrier-free space for children who “don’t fit into the system”, who might (might) be rejected, stigmatized, misunderstood, etc. We also consider inclusion for children with special educational needs to be mutually beneficial. The experience of others shows that this type of education (free/democratic school) may not be suitable for all children and especially not for all parents (legal guardians). If you are looking for an alternative to a mainstream school, we can direct you in an individual consultation.Aby ste mali jasnejšiu predstavu o fungovaní slobody vo vzdelávaní, prečítajte si zdroje uvedené na našom webe v časti Inšpirácia a dohodnite si s nami dočasný pobyt v našom kolektíve žiakov. Môžete ho absolvovať aj vo dvojici dieťa-rodič (zákonný zástupca), odporúčaná doba je niekoľko týždňov na vzájomnú adaptáciu a spoznávanie aktivít i členov skupiny.

It is important for our school to know the specifics of our pupils – whether it is a diagnosed disadvantage or a specificity that has a more significant impact on a child’s education and learning. If we are aware of these specifics, we can take them into account when working with the child. For example, if a child is putting extra effort into writing or reading to underachieve compared to their peers, we feel it is important to know this and take this into account, or provide tailored support for the child.

Also, legislation places a responsibility on us as a school to deal with the child on the basis of good quality and comprehensive information, which includes reading reports from doctors, counselling services etc. and is also part of the statutory school records we keep on the pupil.

We are committed to strive for inclusion to the best of our knowledge and conscience. We will naturally provide a basic level of human support (known as Group 1 and Group 2 sub-measures) to all pupils according to their individual needs, subject to more significant adjustments for a child’s particular special needs (learning disabilities, ADHD, impaired communication. However, it is already necessary to have a valid report from a special education examination in the counselling centre (a specialist doctor is not enough, a counselling centre is needed). Our school has a school support team made up of special educators and psychologists, we understand special educational needs and the legislation in this area and we know that the key for the legal representative is to get qualified answers to their questions, therefore, on an individual basis, we will provide consultations according to the needs of the child and the interest of the legal representative.

First of all, we would like to say that we very much appreciate the work of the school founders who have embarked on this difficult journey. We have friends and acquaintances among them, some of whom we work with or even support directly free of charge (both private primary schools and community education groups). The idea of practical, humane and freer education is a common one, but we all implement it a little differently. When a primary school is included in the network of schools in the Slovak Republic, this gives it many advantages, disadvantages and characteristics as such. Ordinary non-formalised community education groups are not school-based, so children are usually home educated – this means, for example, more freedom but less money (there is no state funding for activities). Our school is included in the network of schools from 1.9.2021 and in order to maximise the preservation of freedom, we have asked the Ministry in cooperation with the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra for an experimental verification of self-directed education. Details about it can be found in a separate question below.

Other of the differences in our day school compared to a regular school are the efforts to self-manage the school with the participation of the children, self-directed learning, free play and being outdoors, which will be key in our school. The children will learn primarily practically and outdoors several days a week; they can, of course, also choose to learn at their own discretion at the table and indoors.

Children like to be outdoors; especially boys under 10 would spend most days outside, especially pleasant ones. Indoors, children tend to get wilder after a while (looking for ways to be active), outdoors they sort of calm down and find lots of new stimuli to play, experiment and learn. In addition, with each season, even shorter weather changes, the conditions outside change significantly, providing a wide variety of changing stimuli. Understandably, some learning environments don’t come to children so a field trip or excursion (to a castle, an incinerator, an airport, etc.) is appropriate. There are also health reasons – natural vitamin D, natural hardening in cold weather, a non-sterile environment helping a child build immunity. You can read more about the beneficial effect of children being outdoors in the following peer-reviewed studies as well as one free guide for parents and teachers:

• Natural Resources Institute, Finland: A forest-based yard improved the immune system of daycare children in only a month
• M. Roslund et. Al: Biodiversity intervention enhances immune regulation among daycare children
• Exposure to greenery improves children’s immune systems
• graf Skúmania kognitívnzch funkcií v interéri a extériéri
• P. Daniš: Děti venku v přírodě: ohrožený druh?

By completing the online application form. It takes a few days to process the application, after which you will be contacted by email (so check your junk mail (spam)).

No, it’s not possible. We are a primary school and compulsory pre-primary education can only be implemented in kindergartens or in non-networked pre-primary education facilities registered by the Ministry of Education (community kindergartens, children’s clubs, etc.).

We currently have vacancies for admission of pupils mainly in Years 1 to 3 of the Primary School. We are also open to accepting a child with specific needs (handicaps, talents, family situation, etc.). Each admission of a full-time student is subject to a personal interview with our psychologist, details can be arranged by emailing info@slobodnaskola.sk.

The admission process includes an interview of the parents with our psychologist, study of basic materials (videos, articles), observation of the child in our team and approximately one week stay of the child and the parent in our school. In this way, parents usually get a better idea of our functioning and can more reliably assess whether they really want a self-directed education for their child at the Free School. We can also see in the child whether he or she is comfortable with only a minimal structure, an increased level of socialization and a considerably assertive environment (our pupils are able to say clearly what they want and equally to refuse what they don’t want). Subsequently, we also need to fill in an application form, arrange meals etc. Interviews with our psychologist can be arranged by emailing info@slobodnaskola.sk.

We offer the following resources:

• 15 rozhovorov s rodinami, ktoré sa rozhodli ísť cestou slobodnejšieho vzdelávania (from homeschooling, to community-based, to single), I recommend #5, #10, #11, #41 on the topic of single education and parenting in particular.
• webinár o voľnej hre s manželmi Danišovcami
• často kladené otázky SDŠ
• Slobodné školy – 12 minutes
• o sebariadenom vzdelávaní s rodičmi a deťmi
• o rešpekte k deťom a sebariadenom vzdelávaní so psychologičkou Janou Nováčkovou

Certainly children in our school are directly exposed to more risks and are more likely to be in dangerous situations than children in mainstream schools. We don’t sit in desks indoors, bruises and scrapes are common. At the same time, it is a fact that our children are often more dexterous in the field and more skilled and experienced in the use of tools, and they are getting better all the time. They seek out progressively greater challenges and thus more dangerous situations, but at the same time they are able to assess their abilities in a very sober way – for example, the younger ones largely self-regulate what they don’t attempt, even when they are directly with the older ones who do; and in turn the older ones are happy to help the younger ones to manage it together. This is all true of children who have been with us longer, or have had the same nurturing influence in the home environment. To prevent serious accidents with new children, we pay extra attention to them until we get to know their abilities and skills. Supervision in potentially dangerous situations is a matter of course, but we also take a differentiated approach to children according to their individual abilities and skills, and have an increased number of responsible adults with the children, as we recognise the increased risk of accidents. Rough numbers: there is one ‘supervising adult’ for every 5 children, and we have had one emergency in the first year of operation (unauthorised running in the corridor, door frame not moved, a few stitches on the head).

The school fee for the first child in the family is set at €340 per month, excluding board, and is paid for 12 months of the year. It is reduced by 20 % for the second child in the family and by 30 % for the third and each additional child. The one-off enrolment fee for full-time study will be EUR 340. Other fees such as the school children’s club, the PTA, the parents’ or class fund, textbook costs, entrance fees to cultural institutions, etc. are no longer payable. In the case of a school completely closed due to health measures taken by the public authorities, a maintenance fee of 50 % is payable. We believe that the economic background of a family should not determine the education of the children in it, so we take this issue seriously and so far we have agreed with literally everyone. To ensure that finances are not a barrier to education, it is possible to apply for a scholarship of up to 100% in the enrolment period (April 5-30) for the following school year. Email info@slobodnaskola.sk, with a brief description of your financial situation. Applications with justification are reviewed on an individual basis.

The tuition fee includes: full-day care of guides (including the school children’s club), all textbooks and workbooks, teaching aids, consumables for activities, transportation and activities around the city, entrance fees of various cultural institutions, consultation with a psychologist or special educator. It does not include activities linked to accommodation (outdoor school, ski course, etc.) or meals (snack, lunch, lunch). The choice of caterer will take into account individual limitations and preferences; we will avoid refined sugars and seek healthy, locally sourced foods.

We believe that teaching methods are especially important at the first level for a better grasp of the subject content and for the sharing of knowledge between pupils. For this reason, we will offer proficient staff with pedagogical training and complementary courses for each methodology. We plan to teach Mathematics using the Hejny method, Computer Science we will try with Emil, in Slovak we will offer the children the Sfumato fused reading and the Comenia Script disjointed writing. We will definitely use elements of Montessori, Waldorf, forest and intuitive pedagogy, we will also leave room for constructivism. In free schools you will find, for example, aids for Montessori activities, but we implement a different approach to children, so we are not a Montessori school. For ages up to 10 we include lots of free play and drama, music and art. We will definitely read a lot and encourage children to think independently, creatively and critically, for example by asking them questions such as: what do you think about this? How would you try it again? How is it possible? Why do you think this is so? Where could you find the answer to this? Who is saying something different and why? Of course, subjects such as zoology, botany, biology, geography, physics, chemistry and the English language – the latter will be present in ordinary conversations with bilingual children (e.g. the three young Mazaks, sons of the school founders), also in the form of conversations, games or songs.

Other frequently included activities will be workshop work, handwork and, depending on the weather, seasonal work in the garden. Programs focusing on art therapy, relaxation for children, canister therapy, play therapy and individual therapy will also be included. We plan to visit natural, cultural and historical sites or institutions during field trips. We will, to the best of our knowledge and conscience, answer any questions the children ask us. We will refrain from answering questions that the children do not ask themselves – we believe that the child is the source and determinant of his/her own interests (not, for example, the Department of Education curriculum).

We don’t know :). Self-directed full-time education allows the child to profile himself individually in the directions he chooses. The National Curriculum (SEN) (ISCED 1 a ISCED 2) describes the world and human knowledge well, it will therefore be our basic, albeit non-binding, offering. Thanks to experimental validation, full-time students at our school can break out of this framework in terms of content and time and thus have ample room to pursue their current interests. For easy and quick orientation in the curriculum, we have prepared a simplified overview of the thematic areas for the whole primary school: Brief overview of topics by year group.

We respect them, understand their importance in the education market and are inspired by what we find useful or otherwise beneficial. We agree that a child’s upbringing and education should be in harmony with the processes of nature as well as with the maturation of the child in question. We agree that children and nature are close to each other; we believe that children belong in nature and can learn much from it and through it, or find natural solace in it. We also agree with the principle of multisensory perception and see its great importance for effective learning for both children and adults. However, we do not attach as much importance to order, structure, deliberate purposeful guidance in activities and their selection, nor to an adult-directed programme as the above-mentioned guidelines. We believe that a parent should be as identified as possible with the form and methods of education and training that he or she chooses for his or her child. We do not believe that we are “the best in the education market” and through our knowledge and experience, we fully understand many of our friends and their children who choose the aforementioned directions. We believe in the model of free democratic education and we are trying to implement it in the context of the Slovak education system and the current school legislation, also thanks to the project of experimental validation, so that other schools can replicate it after us.

By the way, if you think well about liberal education, it can include the aforementioned directions because we are responding to the demand and self-management of the child. But our ordinary day learners like free play more than order and adult guidance, which also brings in the negative aspects that you will encounter in these FAQs.

Pupils are more likely not to have a timetable in the classical sense . Of course, the guides (teachers) will schedule their offer of lessons, clubs and irregular activities for the following days and weeks according to the weather, trips, etc. The child will have the opportunity to take an active part in these or to spend time in the workshop or garden as he or she chooses. Attendance at lessons is not compulsory as such, but the child must respect others and not disturb them in their chosen activity (e.g. by making noise or lingering with questions about what has been covered in previous lessons if they have voluntarily missed them).

In our day school, pupils are encouraged to cooperate and self-evaluate, which we consider to be of the utmost importance. We give pupils feedback, but we do not assess in a way that could provoke competitiveness and comparison. Half-termly and end-of-year assessments are verbal, describing what the child can do and know in the given subjects and areas. For example, they look like this:

SlobodnaSkola-slovne_hodnotnie1st.pdf

SlobodnaSkola-slovne_hodnotnie2st.pdf

We will use verbal assessments throughout primary school, from year one to year nine, on report cards issued by our school in accordance with current legislation.

No, currently this is not possible. As a school we are in Školskom vzdelávacom programe as well as in the experimental validation project, are committed to giving feedback to full-time students to shape their learning by describing what the student knows, knows, can do, is interested in, etc. For full-time pupils, the assessment is constructed based on the characteristics of the child by our guides, teachers and parents. The individual verbal assessment serves as a description of the actual knowledge, skills and interests that the pupil has chosen as a learning pathway and is one of the pillars on which education in our school stands and should stand in all schools (often referred to as personalised learning). We see no benefit whatsoever in comparing our pupils’ individual (!) learning journeys against each other by a few numbers, so we do not and will not use this method of assessment.

This will certainly complicate the admissions process for the chosen secondary school slightly, as instead of “throwing numbers into a spreadsheet” the school will receive a textual description of the child’s knowledge. However, secondary schools have been forced to accept verbal assessments for years, even during the pandemic when even admissions interviews were abolished and secondary schools were left with no choice but to find a key to deal with admitting pupils on the basis of report cards alone, with both traditional grades and verbal assessments (until recently it was legislatively allowed for all primary schools for all grades, currently it can be used in grades 1-5. grades). In the guidelines for secondary school admissions issued by the Ministry of Education (link here: https://www.minedu.sk/usmernenie-k-prijimaciemu-konaniu-na-stredne-skoly-pre-skolsky-rok-20222023/ clearly states: ‘The principal of a secondary school which takes into account a pupil’s primary school grades in the criteria for successful completion of the entrance examination for studies in all branches of secondary school education shall ensure that the secondary school establishes and publishes a system for the conversion of verbal assessment into grades or points in the admissions procedure. For pupils whose application form for a given subject in a given year or term states ‘passed,’ replace that mark with the mark in that subject from the nearest year or term in which the pupil was awarded a mark, or establish a system for converting a ‘passed’ mark (for example, by averaging the marks on the relevant report card) and make those conditions public.”. It will be much easier now that they will have access not only to report cards, but also to admissions interviews according to their own criteria and to the results of standardised Tests 5 and 9, which include the aspect of objective comparability between pupils, regardless of primary school and its difficulty/quality. We also encourage our pupils to participate in Olympiads and competitions, the success of which usually means preferential admission out of turn. The most important thing is not to compare pupils with each other, but to provide ongoing formative feedback to provide the opportunity and support for the pupil to reach their full potential.

In our school, as in other groups, many conflicts arise every day, ranging from arguments and swearing to fights (especially between boys). We try to enter conflicts sensitively and resolve them through respectful communication. Together with the children at the community circle we create rules, which we often discuss and find the most effective way to apply them and keep each other happy.

It is natural for children to hear from adults or older siblings even words that are not very desirable in society (who among us has never used them?). Our attitude towards vulgar words in children is not dramatic. In the current policy, children are allowed to use profanity to vent a negative emotion, but not to use it as a swear word against someone else. If this happens, we address it by talking it through and offering other alternatives that the child can reach for when in conflict with someone. (Dare we point out that if all of society tolerated profanity in a similar way, it would probably soon cease to be profanity and would naturally die out.) As for fecal topics, in our experience the “fad” always lasts only a short time and usually repeats itself with the arrival of a new baby who suddenly can talk literally shit all day long.

Above all, they are destroying our children’s material values. Children, through their irresponsible attitude, destroy the tools and instruments they work with (‘around the house’); we calculate this at hundreds of euros a year. But given that I suffer from experience (100 years of the “model” Summerhill school) this does not bring any good solution. Anyway, we try to discuss at the community circle and draw natural and logical consequences (e.g. recently the kids wanted to make a ladder and found they had no hammers – we didn’t provide any more and they had to deal with the situation differently). It is to accuse children of doing difficult things on purpose. Rather, it is just an irresponsible and careless attitude on their part. We have no sanctions or punishments in place. The point is to make them understand that the thing in question is rather new to them right away because it costs money and those limited resources. Of course, we don’t expect children to understand this immediately – it’s a longer term process, and as children gradually grow up, they will continue indefinitely. The next thing I will only reach is the fact that children in our school are more and more likely to have various bruises or scrapes compared to regular schools, as they are active outdoors on a variety of surfaces or terrains. They use common “adult” tools (e.g. knives or saws), fire, play with sticks, move loads, climb trees, jump, roll on the ground, etc. 

We want our children to avoid more serious injuries, so work with sharp tools or fire under supervision with clear safety rules. At the same time, we know that our children are often more dexterous in the field and more skilled at using tools, and they are getting better all the time. Statistically, however, a broken arm or a hit head sometimes occurs in our school as in others, and is dealt with by equivalent procedures prescribed by common sense, legislation and love of a vulnerable neighbour.

Founders: we are Juraj and Lenka Mazak, parents of three sons, for whom we want something different than the current school system offers. We have devoted years to study, practice and experimentation in pedagogy and with respect for the experience and wisdom of those before us, we bring you the first free school in Košice. Lenka is a kindergarten teacher, primary school teacher for grades 1-4 and a special educator focused on remediation of learning and behavioral disorders by education and experience; she graduated with a PaedDr. degree from UNIPO in Prešov in 2007-2012. Her eight years of experience include positions as a primary school teacher, special educator in both primary school and counselling centre (CŠPP Bocatiova, Košice) and currently works as a consultant for the development of national standards at the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology. Juraj is a computer science engineer from TUKE, has additional pedagogical studies and 5 years of teaching experience in several schools, mostly French bilingual high school; he runs a family business 247.sk in IT and accounting. He is involved in education in many projects, he is a member of the Ťahanovce housing estate and also a member of the Education Commission of the City of Košice. Together with his wife, he founded and runs a community garden, which provides both indoor and garden space for the free school. His biography can be found briefly at www.mazak.sk. Our team consists of several members. More information about them can be found in Our Team. 🙂

Our guides support the autonomous learning process and are helpful in every activity the children do. They try to deal with different situations in a non-violent way, to create a sense of security, to offer a stimulating space for the children, to answer questions, to lead to self-reflection, to prepare and offer activities that can inspire the children. They are available for sufficient space for individual access and conversation with any child who expresses an interest. Because the psychologist and special educator are part of our guide team, we can also do professional intervention and counseling not only for children, but also for parents or educational groups with more complicated issues or challenges.

We invest a lot of time and money in our guides (teachers), as our children’s development also depends on them. We have a lot of discussions together on different topics about empathy or non-violent communication, so that we know how to react to possible conflicts and different situations that arise during the day. At least two hours a week are dedicated to training and discussions led by a psychologist, where we exchange our feelings and experiences. The psychologist is directly involved in many of the activities and has direct insight into situations between children and adults. Some of our colleagues, in addition to their activities in the Free School, actively participate in research in special education or in activist platforms trying to change the educational system in Slovakia, where they seek solutions in collaboration with the best experts in the country. We often receive support from foreign partners and as part of experimental validation we are part of research conducted by the University of Nitra (UKF).

We are not affiliated with any church, religious society or similar ideological grouping. We will provide children with information about religions and ideologies in accordance with current legislation as set out in the National Curriculum. Of course, we will, to the best of our knowledge and conscience, answer any questions they ask us – and you too, so please feel free to ask questions that are not already covered here, for example by emailing us at info@slobodnaskola.sk.

Democratic  type schools Summerhill/ Sudbury Valley describe books and publications Svoboda učení (original in EN / czech translate), Respektovat a být respektován (original by czech) or Summerhill (originál v AJ / český preklad). Video The Land and is dedicated to the concept of free play and unstructured environments. In the Slovak Republic, the Trnava group operated on these principles Svetoskola, in the Czech Republic (and in a significantly different legislative environment), for example, the Prague donumfelix.cz, Brno jezekbezklece.cz or Liberec svobodnaskola.org, others are in most major cities across Europe. Over the past years we have visited several of them, i.e. community, alternative or democratic schools in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, and collected know-how by reading and online. For more information about Free Democratic Schools, see for example inovativnivzdelavani.cz, seberizenevzdelavani.cz or in PDF forme on website Charles University in Prague. Many good books mention the web alternativni vzdelavani.cz. 

Yes, children will also make the rules. Every child, and every adult as well, will have the opportunity and the responsibility to participate in making the rules and finding ways to make them workable and respected. Just as we adults are experiencing democracy with all its advantages and disadvantages, so we will pass this opportunity on to children so that they will one day grow up to be conscious adults. You can see how the self-governance of a free school works in a larger and more experienced team on our website in Video.

The reasons that lead us to the mixed age group are mentioned in the literature presented on our website in the section Inspiration. If you look at the everyday world, outside of education, people are not divided by age, but by interests, for example. In addition to better preparing children for real life, mixed age groups lead to minimizing problems associated with feelings of inferiority. Each child’s development is naturally uneven, and it is wrong to standardise and ‘align’ children in a group.In a mixed-age group, a child can try out skills with younger children that he or she has not yet mastered, and can learn more from older children in an area of interest to him or her. Older children are great motivators and both parties benefit from the experience of learning (with) each other, much like in the extended family or on the street during the holidays. Younger children naturally gravitate towards older children, not adults. The issue of mixed groups is explained very nicely and extensively in P. Gray’s book Freedom to Learn, among others.

It is possible for a child to transfer to any other school in the Slovak school system at any time without legal problems, for example to enter an eight-year grammar or secondary school according to his or her abilities. In our school, the child receives a proper report card as in any other primary school.

Meals will take into account individual restrictions and preferences; we will avoid refined sugars and seek healthy, locally sourced foods. We plan to do some of our meals on our own (for example, the children will process produce from their own garden), and some of it will be brought in from good sources, not infrequently in the regular school canteen or restaurants where we will be during the trips. Lunches and snacks will be offered in the form of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and other healthy treats. We plan to make sourdough bread and various spreads with the children, and we will also be growing our own vegetables and herbs. Of course we respect all dietary restrictions, beliefs and principles set by the family and current legislation. Children may bring their own treats but should not tempt others with confectionery and bakery products with a predominance of simple and refined sugars.

We take into account individual limitations and dietary preferences, and we have a number of pupils and colleagues with a variety of medical and special limitations. We prefer locally sourced foods, avoiding refined sugars, palm oil and preservatives. For logistical reasons, we often eat at the place of stay/trip (e.g., local school cafeteria, restaurant, or food packed to go).

Our guides know the basic elements of Slovak sign language thanks to (and because of) my colleague Ľudo, who is deaf. They also have the training and experience to work with children with impaired communication skills or, for example, autism spectrum disorders. As each child is unique, we would be happy to discuss further information in a personal interview.

Our goal is to educate and shape our children into confident and responsible adults. We think that the traditional school system fails to achieve that, regardless of the language or country. Children can learn best when we let their imagination flourish and we have evidence of their cooperation even without having the same language. Our inspiration comes from foreign schools Summerhill / Sudbury which have been functioning this way for many years with great success. If your family or your child does not speak Slovak, we (both teachers and some children) can comfortably communicate in English as well, eventually in German. Bilingual families are welcome too, our founders are one of them (SK+EN). In need of more information you can email us (info@slobodnaskola.sk) or call us (+421 911 157 038).

We believe that a child learns in a stimulating environment with the participation of other children and adults through direct interaction. The mediation and significant reduction in the quality of peer contact through internet transmission fails to provide almost any educational elements and very few educational ones that would stem from direct personal experience with the world around us. We will therefore promote small groups of children in a large and well-ventilated space, such as a gymnasium. Primarily, we will spend time outdoors and will consult with the Regional Public Health Office on these activities to ensure that both health and the teaching process are protected without unnecessary risks, misconduct or loss of quality. If meeting is not possible and schools are closed, we consider it appropriate for children to spend time away from the computer – e.g. for an hour a day they can share their experiences with us or tele-teach, but we are unlikely to run half-day screen-based classes in the usual sense.

We have collected our inspiration from several sources and the most important ones, which have been published in books, can be found mentioned on our website in the Inspiration. Current scientific knowledge on brain, psychological and pedagogical research supports our model. After all, the successful educational models of the much-talked-about Nordic countries such as Finland, Iceland and Estonia are also moving towards freedom in education.

On the basis of the opinion of the State Pedagogical Institute ŠPÚ-340-958-1926/2021 dated 15.06.2021 the Ministry of Education issued the decision No.2021/12827:9-A2140 dated 22.06.2021, approving our “Application for experimental verification of free democratic education” with effect from 01.09.2021. The guarantor of the experimental verification is the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra, Faculty of Education, Dražovská 4, Nitra, represented by doc. PaedDr. Gábor Pintes, PhD., we also cooperate with other universities (Faculty of Medicine of UPJŠ Košice, Faculty of Humanities of UTB Zlín Czech Republic). The expected completion date is 31.8.2030. The subject of the experimental validation project will be, in accordance with §14 of the Act No. 245/2008 Coll. on education and training: a) aims, methods and means of education; b) educational programmes of education fields or their parts; c) method of management of schools and school facilities. The details of the experimental validation project are well beyond the scope of the paper for the website (together with appendices about 160 pages), so we rather present their application in practice, e.g. in the form of the following frequently asked questions.

As of 1.9.2024, pupils educated according to special forms of education have been exempted from the experimental verification of self-directed education and are bound by the curriculum for a given grade and subject.

Collaboration starts with getting to know our inspiration, frequently asked questions and filling in electronic application form. If you have unanswered questions that you would like to discuss before enrolling, please contact us at info@slobodnaskola.sk, or 0911 157 038. Once you have completed the application form, we will send you details for payment of the registration fee and information on the next steps.

Based on the approval of the experimental validation plan by the Ministry of Education, we will be gathering experience together with researchers from the Faculty of Education of Charles University Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Applied Sciences until 2030 in order to help truly change the Slovak education system. Our primary school will be unique in many ways: pupils will experience democratic school self-government and free self-directed learning, they will be in age-mixed classes combining grades within the first and second grade, they will be able to leave class for another lesson or, for example, for a workshop or library, thanks to the increase in physical education classes we will spend a lot of time outdoors, their subjects will be integrated into units (e.g. “The school of education”), they will be able to study in the classroom, they will be able to learn in the classroom, they will be able to learn in the classroom, they will be able to learn in the classroom. All these benefits are also applicable to home-schooled pupils: examinations will be based on portfolios, self-assessment, group discussion and individual verbal assessment.

Please write to us, we will find a solution.

The Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic has approved 2 types of school scripts: continuous (classical script) and non-continuous (Comenia Script). While our school is in experimental verification (until 2030), a pupil should adopt one of these two scripts by the end of the first grade, i.e. by the end of the 4th grade, unless he/she has an exception from the advisory board (CSPP, e.g. due to a medical handicap). We therefore consider it very important to be very sensitive already in preschool and first grade to which font is more suitable for your child. If you choose Comenia Script for your child, your child can switch to Comenia Script at any time when he/she is interested, and vice versa. Especially with boys, children who tend to often ask “What’s this for?” and children with impaired visuomotor/fine motor skills, we recommend Comenia Script to start with.

Please contact us at info@slobodnaskola.sk to discuss possible reciprocal remuneration. Thank you.