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 – the Polish-Ukrainian School (formerly 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
Psychologist
Ilona Polikarpova
Psychologist
Teaching Team
Oksana Ostapenko
Ukrainian Language Teacher
Anastasiia Hresko
Mathematics Teacher
Romanna Brezden
Polish Language Teacher
Maryna Naugolna
Art Teacher
Yurii Berehovoi
IT Teacher
Tetiana Balym
Chemistry and Biology Teacher
Liana Korniienko
Biology and Chemistry Teacher
Mariia Holovanych
Polish Language Teacher
Nataliia Riabchenko
English Teacher
Alina Udovikova
English Teacher
Daryna Solovei
English Teacher
Nelli Cheliadko
Polish Language Teacher
Małgorzata Karska
Polish Language Teacher
Viktoriia Yermakova
History and Geography Teacher
Kateryna Stadnyk
Primary School Teacher (grades 1-3)
Halyna Vasina
Co-Teacher
Tetiana Hrynchenko
Primary School Teacher (grades 1-3)
Olena Kovbasiuk
Co-Teacher
Maryna Rud
History Teacher
Olha Matviienko
Physical Education Teacher
Sona Movsisyan
Polish Language Teacher
Olena Tyshchenko
Co-Teacher
Larysa Lubchenko
Primary School Teacher (grades 1-3)
Olena Seitіmiemietova
Co-Teacher
Iryna Chuk
Primary School Teacher (grades 1-3)
Olena Mazii
Co-Teacher
Iryna Bas
Mathematics Teacher
Maryna Forkavets
Ukrainian Language Teacher
Natalia Dzhuravets
Music Teacher
Michał Siciarek
History Teacher
Administrative Team
Lena Svidzinska
Deputy Headteacher
Antonina Michałowska
Deputy Headteacher
Oleksandra Romanenko
Secretary
Ivanna Bratkovska
Secretary and After-School Care Teacher
Anna Wołowska
SzkoUA Project Coordinator
Jan Bełdycki
Administrative and Integration Coordinator
Olha Stadnyk
Facilities Support Staff Member
Roman Bezveniuk
Maintenance Worker
Oksana Kolesnyk
Headteacher
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