Primary school: basic learning acquisition
Primary school is compulsory, it lasts five years and together with the lower secondary school, it belongs to the first cycle of studies. The goal of the first cycle of study is the acquisition of the competencies and the fundamental skills to develop the basic cultural competencies to foster the full development of the person.
The primary school focuses on the acquisition of basic learning as the first way to exercise constitutional rights. To the children attending primary school, it offers the opportunity to develop the cognitive, emotional, social, bodily, ethical and religious dimensions and to acquire fundamental knowledge. Through the specific knowledge and the languages of each discipline, primary school poses the premises for the development of the reflective and critical thinking necessary to become an informed and responsible citizen.
State and private primary schools belong to the national education system.
Enrolment
Enrolment to state primary school is done by filling in an online form. Attendance is compulsory for all children living in the Italian territory that turned six years old before the 31st of December of the same year, regardless of their citizenship. Furthermore, on parents’ request it is possible to enrol in advance children that will turn six years old before the 30th of April of the following year.
Private primary schools can freely adhere to the online enrolment system or otherwise, the enrolment can be performed physically on hardcopy at the institution.
Organisation and time of operation
The Decree of the President of the Republic n.89 of 2009 has ordered the reorganization of the first cycle of studies and preschool.
Primary school lessons’ weekly timetable can vary according to the prevalence of families' choices between 24 and 27 hours, and it can extend until 30 hours according to the teaching staff's availability. To activate a class for 24 hours a week is necessary to reach the minimum number of 15 enrolled students.
Families can ask for an extended time of 40 hours per week that is authorized according to the availability of spots, teaching staff and available services within the specific school.
Each individual institution, according to school council deliberation, defines the organization of the school’s timetable in six or five days a week, with or without extended time for classes of 24, 27 and 30 hours.
Classes
Primary school classes are structured by law with a minimum number of 15 students and a maximum number of 26 (that can reach 27 if only one class is activated o is not possible to transfer the enrolment to another school).
If the number of enrolments doesn’t allow to structure a class with 15 students, it is possible to activate multi-classes (sections with students that attend different years) that must include between 8 and 18 students. In schools located on small islands, mountain districts or in minority language community areas, it is possible to structure classes with a minimum of 10 students. According to the norm, the primary school classes which welcome students having severe disabilities cannot exceed the number of 20 students (Decree of the President of the Republic n.81 of 2009).
Study curriculum
Ministerial decree 254 of 2012 (National directions for the curriculum of preschool and first cycle education) identified the compulsory subjects of study for primary school pupils.
Law No. 92 of 20 August 2019 added to these disciplines the teaching of Civic Education, a cross-curricular discipline that covers all school grades and focuses on three main thematic cores: Constitution, sustainable development and digital citizenship.
The national guidelines of 2012 have been updated in 2018 forecasting ‘new scenarios’ that focus on citizenship and sustainability education with reference to the Recommendation of the European Parliament, the European Union Council and the other objectives mentioned by ONU in their 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
Italian language
English language
History
Geography
Mathematics
Science
Music
Art and Imagery
Physical Education
Technology
Catholic religious education and alternative activities
Catholic religious education is provided for two hours a week for students that avail themselves of it. Students who do not take advantage of this subject can choose between studying an alternative subject, assisted individual study or they can request delayed entry or early exit from school.
The learning assessment
The ministerial decree n.172 of 2020 has ordered the ways in which the student’s learning can be evaluated and requires a descriptive assessment equal to the reached level in relation to the learning objectives of each discipline considered within the National recommendations. This includes the cross-discipline of Civic Education too. The descriptive evaluations are linked to four levels: in process of first acquisition, elementary, intermediate, and advanced.
Each school elaborates and introduces in the three-year plan of their study curriculum the evaluation criteria.
The legislation n.62 of 2017 requires the assessment document to contain a description of the process and the global level of learning development and a short behavioural evaluation.
The assessment of the Catholic religious education or the alternative activity is carried out on a separate note through a short evaluation of the student’s involvement and the reached learning levels.
In the second and fifth classes the students are involved in the national survey on the learning of the Italian language, and mathematics (conducted also in English in the fifth class) according to the National regulations.
The collected data provide important information to the school for self-evaluation and to define an action plan to progressively improve their education programme.
The transition to the lower secondary school at the conclusion of the fifth class doesn’t require examination. The students receive a Competencies Certificate summarizing the competencies acquired within the five years.
Useful resources
- Legislative Decree no. 297 of April 16, 1994 - Consolidated text of current legislative provisions on education, relating to schools of all types and grades
- Presidential Decree no. 81 of March 20, 2009 - Rules for the reorganisation of the school network and the rational and effective use of human resources in schools
- Presidential Decree no. 89 of 20 March 2009 - Revision of the structure, organisation and teaching of pre-school and the first cycle of education
- Ministerial Decree no. 254 of 16 November 2012 - National Curriculum Directions for pre-school and the first cycle of education
- Legislative Decree no. 62 of 13 April 2017 - tandards for the assessment and certification of competences in the first cycle of education and state examinations
- Ministerial Decree no. 742 of 3 October 2017 - Purposes of skills certification
- National Indications and New Scenarios, 22 February 2018 - Document edited by the National Scientific Committee for the National Indications for pre-school and the first cycle of education
- Law no. 92 of 20 August 2019 - Introduction of the teaching of civic education in schools
- Guidelines for the teaching of civic education
- Ministerial Order no. 172 of 4 December 2020 - Periodic and final assessment of pupils' learning in primary school classes
- Guidelines for the definition of the recurring and final descriptive evaluations of primary school
