Support for teachers from Chęciny in working with foreign students

On 28 April 2026, a training session for teachers was held at the Władysław Łokietek County School Complex in Chęciny, focusing on preventing exclusion and discrimination in a multicultural school environment.

The event was attended by teaching staff interested in building a modern, open and safe school where every student — regardless of origin, language or migration experience — can feel accepted, noticed and supported.

The training was held as part of the project “Improving the wellbeing of the school community in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship”. Thanks to the implementation of the project, participation in the meeting was free of charge for teachers.

The work with teaching staff took the form of a practical workshop. Under the guidance of Dr Katarzyna Krzystanek, teachers worked on specific examples, analysed situations from everyday school life and jointly searched for solutions that help build a safe and open space for all students.

A school free from exclusion

During the training, particular attention was paid to recognising subtle forms of exclusion, such as peer isolation, stereotyping, exclusionary language or seemingly harmless comments that may affect students’ sense of safety.

The topic of the meeting was especially important in the context of the daily work of the Władysław Łokietek County School Complex in Chęciny, where several dozen foreign children and young people, mainly from Ukraine, are educated. The presence of students with migration experience makes the school a place of intensive intercultural dialogue, but also a space that requires attentiveness, empathy and proper preparation of the teaching staff.

Dr Katarzyna Krzystanek emphasised that exclusion is not always open and easy to notice. It often appears in everyday situations — in jokes, fixed stereotypes, leaving a student out of a group or failing to react to small signs of isolation. That is why the role of the teacher is so important: to quickly notice a problem, respond appropriately and create space for conversation and support.

The participants also discussed how to respond to difficult situations in the classroom and how to strengthen attitudes based on respect, empathy and responsibility for the school community. An important part of the workshop was the search for practical ways to support foreign students and to build positive relationships between them and their Polish peers.

Meetings of this kind are an important element of supporting schools in their everyday educational and integration work. They make it possible not only to expand knowledge, but also to jointly develop practical tools that can be used in work with students, parents and entire school communities.