Our
SzkoUA
An institution that supports students from Ukraine by innovatively combining the Polish and Ukrainian core curricula.
We invite you to watch the film about our school, created in connection with receiving the CEB Award. In 2024, SzkoUA received the prestigious Council of Europe Development Bank Award for Social Cohesion (CEB Award for Social Cohesion) for its innovative approach to the education of refugee children. Our original solution – the dual education model, combining the core curricula of the country of origin and the host country – was recognized as an innovation that can be implemented not only in Poland.
Our Mission
We create an innovative educational environment that connects cultures, builds bridges, and develops children’s potential.
Our pioneering approach to education is the result of combining two priorities: safety and development. Safety – because we are a school for refugee children who need special support, and some of them have experienced trauma and need safety above all. Development – because we believe that even the most affected children have the right to top-quality education. We care for our students’ well-being while offering them a unique educational program. As the first school in Poland, we combined the Polish and Ukrainian core curricula and created our own educational program. We teach children to look for what connects us – we want them, while discovering other cultures, to build bridges and develop their potential.
Our Vision
We want a world in which every child matters, has the right to their own identity, and education gives them the tools to shape their future.
Every child is important, regardless of their country of origin, language, or experiences. Every child deserves attention, respect, and genuine interest from adults.
We believe that education must support the child in building and maintaining their cultural, linguistic, and national identity. This applies especially to students with migration and refugee experience, who often face the challenge of navigating between different worlds.
We want education to develop competencies that allow children to influence their own lives: independent thinking, critical understanding of the world, problem-solving, cooperation, creativity, and psychological resilience. We strive to ensure that every child, regardless of their story, has the opportunity to develop talents, dreams, and ambitions. We support them so they can believe in their agency and consciously choose their path.
SzkoUA was established in April 2022
out of the urgent need to provide Ukrainian refugee children with the opportunity to complete the school year. Since September 2023, SzkoUA has been part of the Polish education system.
History
SzkoUA – rapid crisis response, flexibility, and innovation
SzkoUA – rapid crisis response, flexibility, and innovation SzkoUA – the Warsaw Ukrainian School – was created in April 2022, when, as a result of Russian aggression, thousands of Ukrainian children sought safety and stability in Poland. From day one, our mission was to provide them with safety and continuity of education – to create a space where they could learn, regain peace, and rebuild a sense of normalcy.
SzkoUA was created by the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia and the Ukrainian House Foundation, with key support from Save the Children International. In just 24 days, we found a building, assembled a staff, and recruited students for all 11 grades, creating a fully functioning school based on the Ukrainian curriculum.
From the beginning, we cared not only about safety but also about integration with Polish society. That is why, alongside the Ukrainian curriculum, we introduced intensive Polish language learning and activities introducing Polish culture, history, and everyday life. Our initially three-month project quickly proved essential for the following school year. A vast support network formed around SzkoUA – volunteers, parents, NGOs, cultural institutions, and companies. Save the Children covered most of the funding, and through partnerships with the Krzyżowa Foundation, Digital University, Goldman Sachs, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, we could offer a rich program, organize educational trips, develop students’ talents, and provide much-needed psychological support.
In the 2023/24 school year, thanks to cooperation with the Montessori Education Center, we created, as the first school in Poland, an innovative system combining the Ukrainian and Polish curricula – our original dual education model. We officially entered the Polish education system, receiving financial support from the City of Warsaw, which was crucial given the decreasing involvement of international aid organizations. Entering the Polish system allows students to function in both educational systems, maintain their native language and culture, and integrate while preparing for life in Poland. This model broadens their educational opportunities: it gives them a safe path to return to school in Ukraine or smoothly transition to a regular Polish school.
Our efforts were recognized by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), which awarded SzkoUA the prestigious CEB Award for Social Cohesion 2024 for our innovative approach to the education of refugee children.
At the beginning of 2025, SzkoUA underwent another major transformation – with support from the Nasz Dom Foundation of the Dom Development Group and the Embassy of Japan, we moved into a building tailored to our needs, with sufficient classrooms, a common room, cafeteria, library, recreation room, and offices for the nurse and psychologists.
SzkoUA exists thanks to the support of donors and parents’ financial involvement. If you want to support positive, harmonious integration and give refugee children real opportunities for the future – contact us.
Why are we urgently seeking financial support?
Due to changes in humanitarian aid funding in Poland and the withdrawal of international organizations, our key donor – Save the Children Poland – will leave the country by the end of 2025. This departure poses a serious risk to SzkoUA’s operations: educational subsidies and tuition fees cannot cover the full costs of running the school. That’s why we are urgently looking for a sponsor – a partner or several partners – who will help ensure the continued existence and development of our institution.
SzkoUA uniquely addresses the challenge of choosing between education in an unfamiliar language and studying online by offering a combined Ukrainian-Polish program using original dual-lesson tools.
Student Council
The Student Council is an important part of our school – it represents students and ensures the school is a friendly, active, and inspiring place. Its activities include organizing events and initiatives, but more importantly, building civic awareness and responsibility for the common good.
Students involved in the Council learn cooperation, planning, communication, and decision-making – skills valuable not only in school life.
SzkoUA through the eyes of researchers
The report on SzkoUA shows how bilingual and relationship-based education supports refugee children and helps them integrate without losing their identity. It also explains why our model works and how it can inspire others.
Partners
SzkoUA is a non-commercial project created by two NGOs for Ukrainian refugee children. We operate thanks to partners who help us create a safe, friendly environment for learning and development.
Partners – organizations, companies, and private individuals – support us with expertise, logistics, and funding. Their involvement allows us to run educational activities, provide materials, and organize initiatives that help children rebuild their sense of safety. We are grateful to everyone who co-creates SzkoUA. Thanks to collective effort, we can truly help children and give them stability and hope for the future.
Our Supporters
Our Team
Psychology Team
Inna Hroshkina
Psycholożka
Ilona Polikarpova
Psycholożka
Teaching Team
Oksana Ostapenko
Nauczycielka języka ukraińskiego
Anastasiia Hresko
Nauczycielka matematyki
Romanna Brezden
Nauczycielka języka polskiego
Maryna Naugolna
Nauczycielka plastyki
Yurii Berehovoi
Nauczyciel informatyki
Tetiana Balym
Nauczycielka chemii i biologii
Liana Korniienko
Nauczycielka chemii i biologii
Mariia Holovanych
Nauczycielka literatury światowej
Nataliia Riabchenko
Nauczycielka angielskiego
Alina Udovikova
Nauczycielka angielskiego
Daryna Solovei
Nauczycielka angielskiego
Nelli Cheliadko
Nauczycielka języka polskiego
Małgorzata Karska
Nauczycielka języka polskiego
Viktoriia Yermakova
Nauczycielka historii i geografii
Kateryna Stadnyk
Nauczycielka wczesnoszkolna
Halyna Vasina
Nauczycielka współorganizująca
Tetiana Hrynchenko
Nauczycielka wczesnoszkolna
Olena Kovbsiuk
Nauczycielka wspołorganiząca
Maryna Rud
Nauczycielka historii sztuki
Olha Matviienko
Nauczycielka wychowania fizycznego
Sona Movsisyan
Nauczycielka języka polskiego
Olena Tyshchenko
Nauczycielka współorganizująca
Larysa Lubchenko
Nauczycielka współorganizująca
Olena Seitіmiemietova
Nauczycielka współorganizująca
Iryna Chuk
Nauczycielka wczesnoszkolna
Olena Mazii
Nauczycielka współorganizująca
Iryna Bas
Nauczycielka matematyki
Maryna Forkavets
Nauczycielka języka ukraińskiego
Administrative Team
Lena Svidzinska
Wicedyrektorka
Antonina Michałowska
Wicedyrektorka
Oleksandra Romanenko
Sekretarka
Ivanna Bratkovska
Sekretarka i Wychowawczyni świetlicy
Anna Wołowska
Koordynatorka projektu SzkoUA
Jan Bełdycki
Koordynator ds. administracyjnych
Nataliia Shabovych
Pielęgniarka
Olha Stadnyk
Pracowniczka zaplecza gospodarczego
Roman Bezveniuk
Konserwator
Oksana Kolesnyk
Dyrektorka
Life at SzkoUA
Our SzkoUA
Space Rental
If you want to rent school facilities – such as the sports hall, classrooms, or common room (ideal for extracurricular activities, courses, or training) contact us at : sekretariat@szkoua.edu.pl
Phone contact:
+48 733 200 128
Write to us
sekretariat@szkoua.edu.pl