Abstract:

Preparatory classes have been operating at mainstream primary schools in the Czech Republic since the 1990s. They were originally intended for Roma pupils who had difficulty starting primary school because, unlike the majority society, Roma children did not attend kindergartens. The current title “preparatory class” and its legislative anchoring is related to the adoption of the Education Act of 2004 and its amendment in 2016. Preparatory classes are established within primary schools and subjected to the curriculum for pre-school education. Classes whose capacity is around 10-15 children can be attended by children in the year before they start compulsory schooling. Children who were given a postponement of school attendance have a prior right to be accepted to preparatory classes. It is expected that during this one-year period, children will match requirements of school maturity and readiness.

The pilot survey took place at 3 randomly selected primary schools, which have a long-term tradition of having preparatory classes. The target group consisted of 43 children aged 5 to 8 years. For the diagnostics of school maturity and readiness, we used the commercially available diagnostic material called iSophi, which is primarily intended for diagnostics of kindergarten children by kindergarten teachers. The aim was to verify the possibility of its use for pupils from preparatory classes and to examine the shift in the development of children during 6 months.

The data obtained were surprising already at the time of gathering. It turned out that the composition of children in the monitored classes is significantly heterogeneous - age, the determined level of school maturity and readiness and the "characteristics of groups". Based on the standardized norms, all children showed a positive shift in the level of readiness. Moreover, the process of screening conducted by an external administrator was positively evaluated not only by teachers, but also by parents and the school managements.

Keywords:

Preparatory classes, deferral, school maturity and readiness, iSophi.