School readiness and deferring school entry in Slovakia: how to decide

Since 2021, what used to be called deferring school entry in Slovakia has been called continuing compulsory pre-primary education. If a child who has turned six is not yet ready for school, they stay at kindergarten for another year. The kindergarten head teacher decides, based on written consent from a counselling centre (a counselling and prevention centre), written consent from your paediatrician, and your informed consent as a parent. Your child must start primary school no later than the September after they turn seven.

In Slovakia, children usually start primary school (základná škola) in the September after they turn six, and the year before that, at kindergarten, is compulsory. If you grew up with a different school system, the rules below may look unfamiliar, so we go through them step by step.

The question of whether to start school or not starts to trouble parents of pre-schoolers around Christmas. Your child was born in summer and seems young next to their peers. The teacher mentions that another year at kindergarten might do them good, and grandma says the opposite. This article explains what school readiness means, how the process works in practice, which documents you need and how to reach a decision you can stand behind.

What school readiness is

School readiness means your child can cope with school without being overwhelmed by it. Letters and counting to ten are only a small part. Specialists assess it across several areas. A child can be ahead in one and behind in another.

Your child doesn’t have to have everything “done”. Many skills only start to develop in the first year of school. There is reason for concern when a child is behind in several areas at once, or very much behind in one, such as attention or emotions.

How a “deferral” works today

Before 2021, the primary school head teacher decided on deferral at school admissions. Since compulsory pre-primary education was introduced (Act No. 209/2019 Coll., which added § 28a to the Education Act), the process has changed:

• Compulsory pre-primary education applies to children who turn five by 31 August. It usually lasts one school year.
• If a child who has turned six has not reached school readiness, the kindergarten head teacher decides that they will continue compulsory pre-primary education at kindergarten.
• The decision is based on three documents: written consent from the relevant counselling and prevention centre, written consent from the child’s GP for children and adolescents (paediatrician), and the informed consent of the legal guardian.
• A child who still hasn’t reached school readiness after the extra year starts compulsory school attendance no later than 1 September after turning seven.

Laws change. You will find the current wording on slov-lex.sk (the official Slovak legal database) and information for parents on the Ministry of Education’s website. If your child attends a private setting, check the process with its head teacher.

The process step by step

1. Autumn to winter of the pre-school year. Talk to the teacher about how your child copes with attention, emotions and tasks. Ask for the results of their educational assessment.
2. Winter. If you have doubts, book an appointment at a centre for psychological counselling and prevention (CPPPaP), the state counselling service that assesses school readiness. Appointments fill up before spring, so don’t wait.
3. Assessment at the counselling centre. A psychologist or special-needs teacher assesses school readiness. If they recommend another year at kindergarten, they issue written consent.
4. Your paediatrician. Go through your child’s health with them and ask for written consent.
5. Request at the kindergarten. Hand the documents to the kindergarten head teacher, who issues the decision.
6. Primary school admissions. These are usually in April. Follow the school’s instructions and tell them about the kindergarten’s decision.

What happens at the counselling centre

A school readiness assessment usually takes from several tens of minutes to two hours. Your child draws, puts things together, repeats sentences, counts objects, answers questions and solves simple tasks. The psychologist watches how long they keep going, how they react when something doesn’t work, and how they talk. The parent often waits nearby and gets an explanation at the end.

Prepare your child simply. Tell them they are going to see a lady who will play with them and ask them about different things. Don’t practise the tasks in advance and don’t promise a reward for doing well. What matters is that they are well rested, fed and healthy.

How to decide: questions for parents

You don’t have to decide alone. The teacher’s and the counselling centre’s answers will help you. For yourself, think about these questions:

• Can your child sit at a task for 10 to 15 minutes and finish it?
• How do they cope with losing, making a mistake and being told “no”?
• Do they manage a whole day at kindergarten without getting very tired?
• Do they understand an instruction given to the whole group, or do they need it explained individually?
• Are they looking forward to school, or afraid of it?
• When is their birthday? Children born in summer are often the youngest in the class.
• What did the teacher, who sees them in a group every day, say?

If your child needs more time in two or three areas, another year at kindergarten can help them start school with more confidence. If they are ready, another year might bore them. Neither choice is a failure.

The benefits and risks of another kindergarten year

How to prepare your child for school at home

At home, ordinary activities help your child most:

• Fine motor skills: modelling, cutting, threading beads, doing up buttons.
• Attention: board games with rules, puzzles, building Lego from instructions.
• Speech: talking every day about what happened, reading and asking questions about the story.
• Number sense: counting stairs, sharing out apples, comparing “more and less” while cooking.
• Emotions: naming feelings, losing a game without drama, looking for a solution when something goes wrong.
• Independence: getting dressed, packing a bag, tidying up toys.

There is more in our article School readiness: what your child should manage before school. If you are worried about pronunciation, read our article Speech therapist for children.

The most common reasons parents consider a deferral

• Date of birth. A child born in June or August starts school “only just” six, while their classmates are nearly seven. But the date of birth on its own is not a reason for deferral. Readiness is what counts.
• Attention. Your child is easily distracted, doesn’t finish a task, runs off from the table. At school they will be expected to sit and work for 45 minutes, with breaks.
• Emotions. Losing, a mistake or being told off sets off a lot of crying or anger, and your child takes a long time to calm down.
• Pre-writing skills. They hold the pencil stiffly, their lines are shaky and they don’t enjoy drawing.
• Speech. They can’t pronounce several sounds or speak very little. It is best to see a speech therapist about pronunciation as early as possible, regardless of any deferral.
• Health. A long-term condition or frequent illness that made your child miss a large part of the pre-school year.

What to take to the counselling centre

• your child’s health insurance card and your own ID,
• a report or the results of the educational assessment from kindergarten, if you have them,
• medical reports, if your child sees a specialist (speech therapist, neurologist),
• a few of your child’s drawings and, if you like, notes on what is worrying you,
• a snack and water for your child.

What your child will do in the extra kindergarten year

Parents often worry that their child will spend a year just “sitting” at kindergarten and being bored. But the extra pre-school year has a clear aim: to strengthen exactly the areas where your child needed time. The teacher gives them tasks suited to their age and involves them in helping younger children, which builds their confidence. If the counselling centre recommends exercises, for example for pre-writing skills or attention, the kindergarten and the family work on them together. By the end of the year it often turns out that the child starts school calmer and keen to go.

Myths about deferral

• “Deferral is for children who are behind.” Very bright children get a deferral too, when they lack emotional maturity or stamina.
• “A child with a deferral will be the oldest at school and get bored.” A one-year difference evens out quickly at school. Boredom comes more from work pitched at the wrong level than from age.
• “You can sort out a deferral at the last minute in September.” Without an assessment at a counselling centre and your paediatrician’s consent, the head teacher won’t decide. Counselling centres are booked up in spring.
• “If a child can read, they are ready.” Reading is only one skill. School also needs concentration, independence and handling emotions.

When your child is very able

Some parents face the opposite question: can my child start school early? The Education Act allows a child who hasn’t yet turned six to be admitted exceptionally, with a supporting statement from a counselling centre and the paediatrician. Think about an early start with the specialists. Intellectual readiness is only one part. School also asks a lot of attention, emotions and stamina.

When parents disagree

It is common for one parent to want a deferral and the other not. It helps to start from the facts. Listen to the teacher and the psychologist together, go through the questions above and agree on what you will base your decision on. Don’t argue about it in front of your child. For them, what matters is that their parents stand behind the decision together.

How to talk to your child about school

Children sense when school has become a tense subject in the family. Talk about it calmly and positively, without threats (“school will teach you to do as you’re told”). If your child is staying at kindergarten for another year, explain it simply: “You’ll be a big pre-schooler for one more year. You’ll help the younger children and get ready for school.” Avoid words that could make them feel they have failed.

If friends are leaving for school, let your child be sad and put it into words: “You’re sad that Miško is going to school and you’re not yet.” Agree that you will keep meeting up with friends after kindergarten. That way your child doesn’t lose the friendships, only the shared classroom.

After the decision: how to keep helping your child

Once the decision is made, parents feel relieved and the subject often gets dropped. But your child needs their next year to be meaningful, whether they start school or stay at kindergarten.

• If they are starting school: over the summer, keep up the everyday activities that build attention and independence, and visit the school together. In the first weeks of September, expect more tiredness and earlier bedtimes.
• If they are staying at kindergarten: agree two or three goals for the year with the teacher, and look together at how your child is doing halfway through. If the counselling centre recommended a follow-up assessment, book it in good time.
• Either way: praise effort, not results, and don’t remind your child that they are “still little” or “a big boy or girl now”. Both put needless pressure on them.

A calendar for parents of pre-schoolers

How we do it at Sovička

At Sovička your child can complete compulsory pre-primary education at any of our three kindergartens, because we are authorised to provide it. We prepare them for school with our “Me and the World” programme, which is based on the state curriculum. In the pre-school year your child practises pre-writing skills, first letters and numbers. They learn to be more independent, and in our EQ programme they also learn to handle their emotions.

We follow your child’s progress through educational assessment and go through the results with you at an individual consultation. If you are wondering whether another year at kindergarten would do them good, we will tell you openly what we see and guide you through the whole process. You can read more about pre-school preparation on our Pre-school year page, and about compulsory education in our article Compulsory pre-primary education.

If you are looking for a kindergarten for your child’s pre-school year, come and see what that year would look like with us. Book a visit.