5.2.1 Control
5.2.2 Compulsory subjects
5.2.3 Optional/elective subjects
5.2.4 Formulation of curriculum
5.2.5 Key skills
5.2.6 Curriculum materials
There is a statutory national curriculum for the primary phase of education in Italy.
The Ministry of Public Education is involved in the planning, study and promotion of education and the general supervision of all educational institutions. It issues general guidelines on curricula and assessment; promotes curriculum and syllabus changes; and authorises experimentation affecting the curriculum and teaching hours.20
In issuing the curricula (programmi di insegnamento), the Ministry ensures that these contain, for each type of school, and for each subject, educational targets, guidelines on methods, and syllabuses for individual subjects. Each successive government on coming to office, states briefly how it intends to meet the objectives indicated by law and any modifications it intends to introduce.27
Specially appointed commissions comprising headteachers, teachers, school inspectors, and experts contribute to the development of curricula. Their involvement is, however, purely consultative; the final decision is the responsibility of the Minister of Education alone.27
The Ministry of Public Education intends that its directives in respect of the curriculum should be used as general guidelines and adapted by the headteachers and staff of individual educational institutions, in consultation with parent representatives, in line with the particular requirements of their specific environment.30
Consequently, although the content of the curriculum is defined at national level, the teachers concerned decide how to deliver it. Planning is therefore crucial, particularly in view of the fact that primary teaching in Italy is by groups of teachers in modules. Teams of teachers therefore meet regularly to discuss programmes of work, to coordinate their teaching activities in order to guarantee the coherence and uniformity of the teaching process, and to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies.53,28
There is no equivalent organisation to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England (QCA) at the central level.27
The compulsory subjects in primary education in Italy are:
The teaching of religious education (usually the Catholic religion which is not a state religion) is guaranteed by schools, but is optional for students. (Families of primary school students usually decide.28
In the first two years of primary education (Years 1 and 2, children aged 6-8), teaching is generally multidisciplinary; subjects only begin to be taught as individual subjects from Year 3 of primary education (ages 8+). Indeed, subjects are not really taught as specific individual subjects until lower secondary education (age 11-14). It is the purpose of primary education to ensure a gradual transition for students from multidisciplinary study to beginning to study subjects as individual subject areas/distinct disciplinary areas.25
The weekly timetable in the scuola elementare varies between 27 and 30 hours. 30-hour primary school weeks are generally the norm where the curriculum includes a foreign language (usually in Year 3, sometimes in Year 2 of primary education).53 Indeed, in accordance with the legislative framework in place, the teaching of a foreign language should commence in Year 3 of primary education.25,9 However, in the 1996/97 school year, only around 65 per cent of Year 3, 4, and 5 classes in primary schools in Italy provided modern foreign language teaching (largely due to a lack of funding and of suitable manpower).21
No guidelines are provided on lesson times for individual subjects. Instead, the subjects studied at this level are grouped by the Teachers' Assembly (Collegio dei docenti) in three or four related areas, for which an individual teacher (the teacher of the module) is responsible, and the Ministry of Public Education (MPI) provides minimum time thresholds as a reference for the organisation of teaching.25 That is, teachers determine the timetable for the various compulsory subjects, but must bear in mind that a minimum of 27 hours per week must be reached.21
In accordance with the law on local autonomy,1 which was fully implemented in September 1999, schools have further freedom in respect of the organisation of the school day, timetables, holidays, and the organisation of teaching. They may, for example, decide to shorten the school week, change the dates and length of school holidays, or decide to stay open longer in the afternoons, to teach subjects such as additional foreign languages or information technology.16
A result of the legislation was a change to more flexible timetables. Previously, the school timetable was usually based on a six-day week, from 8 am to 1 pm. Schools are now free to opt for a shorter working week (Monday to Friday) with afternoon classes and are able to introduce half-term holidays or redistribute the hours of curricular subjects, for example by organising 'full immersion' courses in a foreign language. They are also able to decide on the contents of 20 per cent of the curriculum, although what is taught during this proportion of curriculum time has to meet certain nationally-determined objectives. (Schools also now have to produce an information brochure for prospective parents which lists the compulsory, optional and extra-curricular courses on offer.)42
In primary education, the teaching of the Catholic religion (not a state religion) is guaranteed by schools, but is optional for students.28 There are no other optional subjects in primary level education. However, in accordance with the law on local autonomy,1 which was fully implemented in September 1999, schools are now able to decide on the contents of 20 per cent of the curriculum, although what is taught during this proportion of curriculum time still has to meet certain nationally-determined objectives. (Schools also now have to produce an information brochure for prospective parents which lists the compulsory, optional and extra-curricular courses on offer.)42
The curricula (programmi di insegnamento) for each subject and for each type of school, issued by the Ministry, contain educational targets, guidelines on methods, and syllabuses for individual subjects.27
The curricula for each of the subjects studied at primary level provide outline indications of the course content for the subject, the goals to be achieved as the course progresses, teaching methods and possible links between the various subject areas.25 No guidelines are provided on lesson times for individual subjects.21
In Italy, the State does not recognise any particular skills as providing an essential foundation for adult and working life. Key skills as such are not specified.24
In compulsory primary education, textbooks are not prescribed or approved by the State and are produced by commercial publishers. Textbooks to be used at the different education levels and branches of study are selected for use in class by the Collegio dei docenti (a group consisting of all the teachers of the school, which is chaired by the headteacher), following consultation with the Interclass Council. (Parents are also represented on the Interclass Council.) Sample textbooks are generally received by the Interclass Council for examination prior to any decision being made. In order to keep teachers informed of the most recent publications available, headteachers often organise meetings between teachers and representatives of publishers, and books are often offered to schools on a trial basis.26,34 Teachers are encouraged to adapt their materials and their teaching to the specific social and educational context and to the needs of individual students.66
Primary school textbooks are distributed free of charge to all primary phase students (the costs are met locally, by the commune).39