Hello. My wife and I are planning a year in Florence with our kids (ages 6 and 7). We want to enroll them in the public system (scuola elementare statale).

We understand that there are two different school 'schedules' in Italy; the first is M-F 9~3 and the second is M-Sat 9-1. However, we cannot seem to find out which public schools in Florence have which schedules (or both). Can anyone point us in the right direction, and help us find this information?

Many thanks,

Dean

I've been told that here in the Naples area, the elementary schools go Monday to Friday and the middle/high schools go Monday to Saturday. But, since my kids go to an International School (M-F), I can't guarantee that's correct, nor if that's the case throughout Italy.

Hi there!

I live in Florence and haven't heard of two sets of programs in the elementary public school system. My friend, whose son goes to the public school, is there from 9 to 4:00 everyday (no saturdays). I was under the impression that there is no school on Sat. in Florence. This was a shock for me when I arrived because, in Reggio Emilia, there IS school every Sat. morning.

In the private Italian school system, however, there are always two options. There is the long day and short day programs. A short day would be when a child goes home around 1:00 (this is a standard required day for everyone). A long day is when a child eats at school, and attends "doposcuola", where they finish homework or participate in some type of extracurricular activity. Lastly, there are manditory long days where all children stay to participate in gymnastics, computer or art classes. These days are determined by the school and it's program.

I hope this little bit of information helps. If you decide to go private, my daughter attends Instituto Del Sacro Cuore. Although it is an italian school, the sisters speak english.


Good Luck!

Many thanks for the responses. This is helpful.

Dean

Regarding public school hours, at least in Trieste and Turin (where we now live) this is up to the individual school to set their hours, so it is not uniform in each city. Just thought I would throw that in since you may want to chose a school also for hours that fit your specific needs. Also, be aware that many schools now have before and after school programs (you must pay extra) and especially for working parents this can really make a huge difference in the school you chose.

Most of the elementary schools are monday to friday - I don't know any at this level doing Saturdays and I have friends with kids all over the city and in both private and state. It tends to be media upwards that do the short days and Saturdays.

Thanks again for the responses!

Dean