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6
Part One
Basic Knowledge of the Italian Educational System
www.
edises
.it
The sections of primary school have, usually, a number of children that is not less
than 18 and not more than 26.
For children from24 to 36months, the
spring sections
can be activated, based on school
projects underlying agreements between the Regional School Offices and the Regions.
The National Guidelines for nursery schools are included in the
National Guidelines
for nursery schools and first cycle
, issued in 2012.
1.2.2
Primary school
The primary school is the first step of the first cycle of education. The condition to
enrol in the primary school is to come to the age of 6 years.
Upon registration, parents or tutors express their options regarding the
weekly time-
table, which includes four models
:
>
>
24
hours per week, introduced by Law 169/2008;
>
>
27
hours per week, introduced by Legislative Decree 59/2004 (Article 7);
>
>
30
hours per week. To the 27 hours option another 3 hours of optional activities are
added, at parent’s choice and based on the availability of the personnel (models 2
and 3 are derived from Law 53/2003, the so-called “Moratti reform”);
>
>
40
hours per week (full-time), with 8 hours per day for 5 days a week, including a
lunch break, the duration of which (one to two hours) is decided by the Board of
the Institute at the proposal of the Board of teachers.
The classes of primary schools usually have a number of children that is not less than
15 and not more than 26.
Teaching
English language
was compulsory as a result of the Law 53/2003. The week-
ly timetable is different depending on the year group: one hour in the first grade, two
in the second, and three in the following grades.
The National Guidelines for primary school are included in the National Guidelines
for nursery schools and first cycle, issued in 2012.
The
periodic and annual evaluation of the pupil’s academic performance
, as well
as the related certification, is expressed in grades with tenths. The evaluation of the
behaviour
is instead expressed via a judgement, delivered in the manner approved
by the Board of teachers. Even for the
Catholic religion
, the assessment is made
through synthetic judgement.
Support
teachers, assigned to classes in which pupils with certified disabilities are
included, participate in the evaluation of all pupils.
Teachers may unanimously decide
not to admit
a pupil to the next grade, only in
exceptional and duly motivated cases.
The frequency criterion of at least three quarters of the customised annual timetable
does not involve primary school. It follows that the evaluation of the
impact of ab-
sences
on school performance is left to be decided by the team of teachers.
1.2.3
Lower secondary school
After primary school the lower secondary school, which lasts for three years, has two
models of weekly timetable: