Enrolment in the first grade

Many parents are unsure of what their child needs to know before starting primary school. Before making a decision, child’s knowledge, skills, motor skills and other parameters that are indicative of whether a child is ready for school obligations should be checked

If your child will be six years old by 1 April of the current year, you are obliged to enrol them in a primary school. You can request an early enrolment for a younger child, and you can postpone the enrolment only if a child has serious health issues. Before enrolment, a child must pass an examination during which the expert panel decides on their psychophysical conditions and gives a confirmation of child’s fitness for school.

Examination schedule

The notification on the schedule of psychophysical examinations of children will be published in February of the current year in the media, on notice boards of education and health institutions and on websites of the county administration department in charge of education, i.e., the office of the City of Zagreb in charge of education.
 
You should bring your child to the primary school in accordance with their address of permanent residence, and if you cannot attend the examination in the scheduled time slot, you must notify the school and set up another appointment.

Necessary documents 

You do not need to obtain any additional documents in order to enrol your child in the first grade, but if your child has certain difficulties and if they need special assistance or education method, you must provide the documents obtained from other institutions in which the child was included in an evaluation, health procedure, rehabilitation or some other procedure in pre-school age and/or a finding or opinion by a single forensic expertise body.

Early admission 

The early enrolment in primary school may be requested if your child does not turn six before 31 March of the current year, and children who do not turn six before 31 August will not be granted the right to early admission.
 
You must submit a written request to the office of the City of Zagreb in charge of education, which will place the child on the list for the evaluation of their psychophysical condition.
 
If the child attended the pre-school programme, you must deliver an opinion by the expert team of a pre-school institution on the psychophysical condition of a child and if your child did not attend pre-school education, they will be referred to a psychological testing in order to determine their fitness for enrolment in primary education.

Postponement of enrolment

If, during the examination, it is determined that the child has not yet reached the level necessary for keeping up and fulfilling school obligations, the expert panel can recommend that the child’s enrolment be postponed for that school year. The postponement of enrolment in the first grade may be approved for only one year.
 
It will be recommended by the school's expert panel if:

• the panel determines, based on the direct examination and provided documentation on the psychophysical condition of a child that the postponement would be beneficial for the child's psychophysical development;
• the child is or will be placed in treatment or rehabilitation in a health care institution in the duration longer than a month at the beginning of a school year, but only if there is no organised school programme in the health care institution where the child will be treated/rehabilitated or if the child is involved in rehabilitation procedures which will significantly affect their psychophysical conditions, based on the expert's assessment. 

Temporary exemption from enrolment in the first grade of primary school 

A parent can submit a request for temporary exemption of a child from enrolment in the first grade of primary school to the county administration office in charge of education, i.e., the office of the City of Zagreb in charge of education, for a child whose health is severely impacted or has multiple difficulties.
 
Along with the request, the parent must deliver medical documentation on the health and development of the child and the finding, i.e., opinion of a single forensic expertise body.
 
Your child can be temporarily exempted from enrolment in the first grade of primary school for a period of one school year or longer, based on the finding and opinion by a single forensic expertise body. If the requirements for the enrolment of a child in the first grade of primary school are fulfilled, you as a parent or the competent social welfare body shall request the placement of a child on the list of children who must attend school by 1 April of the current year.

Temporary exemption from school attendance

 If your child is not able to continue their primary education in a primary school, health or rehabilitation institution or at home due to health reasons, you may file a request for temporary exemption from school attendance to the primary school your child attends.
 
You must also deliver medical documents proving the health condition of the child.
 
Your child can be exempted from attendance for one year maximum.