Education in Italy Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age, and is divided into five stages: kindergarten (scuola dell'infanzia), primary school (scuola primaria), lower secondary school (scuola secondaria di primo grado), upper secondary school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado) and university (università). Italy has both public and private education systems.

Primary education Scuola primaria (primary school), also known as scuola elementare, is commonly preceded by three years of non-compulsory nursery school (or kindergarten). Scuola elementare lasts five years. Until middle school, the educational curriculum is the same for all pupils: although one can attend a private or state-funded school, the subjects studied are the same (with the exception of special schools for the blind or the hearing-impaired). The students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education and visual and musical arts.

Scuola secondaria di secondo grado Scuola secondaria di primo grado The Scuola secondaria di primo grado lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 13), and provides further education on the subjects studied at the scuola primaria, with the addition of Technology and a language other than English (typically French, Spanish or German). The curriculum is the same for all schools. At the end of the third year students sit an exam which enables them to continue their education. Scuola secondaria di secondo grado The Scuola secondaria di secondo grado lasts five years (even though some istituti professionali might offer a diploma after only three years). Every type involves an exam at the end of the final year, called Esame di Maturità, required to gain a diploma and have access to further education. This exam takes place every year between June and July and grants access to University. The secondary school situation varies, since there are several types of schools differentiated by subjects and activities. The main division is between the Liceo, the Istituto Tecnico and the Istituto Professionale. The "Liceo“ refers to a class of secondary schools oriented towards the study of the arts and sciences. All of the Licei have many subjects in common, such as Italian Literature, or Mathematics, while other subjects are peculiar to a particular type of Liceo (i.e. Ancient Greek in the Liceo Classico, pedagogy in the Liceo delle Scienze Umane or scenography in the Liceo Artistico). The Istituto tecnico is mainly a business studies school and the Istituto Professionale is a vocational school.

School leaving age 18,5-19 Licei,Istituti tecnici Specialistic degree 2 1 Degree University 3 2 1 Vocational schools Final exam Licei,Istituti tecnici 5 5

REFORMS ON THE WAY The introduction of Latin as a compulsory subject in all Licei(except for the arts and the music licei) English as a compulsory subject for 5 years in all licei More teaching hours for mathematics, physics and sciences The introduction of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) in the fifth grade which foresees the teaching of a subject through a foreign language The exploitation of economic and legal studies