Additional details about school in Italy
Secondary education in Italy lasts 8 years and is divided into two stages: middle school (scuola secondaria di primo grado, commonly referred to as scuola media) and high school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado, commonly referred to as scuola superiore). Middle school lasts three years (usually from age 11 to 14), and high school lasts five years (usually from age 14 to 19). Every tier involves an exam at the end of the final year, required to earn a degree and have access to the next degree of education. Both in middle school and high school, students stay in the classroom for most of the time (except PE, which often takes place in the gym), so the teachers are the ones who have to move from one classroom to another during the day.
In middle school pupils go to school from Monday to Friday, they start at 8:00 am and finish at 1:00 pm, but they might start earlier depending on the school's rules, while in high school they attend school from 5 to 8 hours a day, depending on the day of the week and on the rules of the school. Usually, there are no breaks between each class, but most schools have 15 to 30 minute break around halfway through the school day. If students have to stay in school after lunch, there's a longer break to let them eat and rest.
There are three types of high school, subsequently divided into further specializations. There are some common subjects taught in each of these, such as Italian, English, maths and history, but most subjects are exclusive to a particular type of school (i.e. ancient Greek in the liceo classico, business economics in the Istituto tecnico economico or scenography in the liceo artistico):
Liceo ('lyceum')
The education received in a liceo is mostly theoretical, with a specialization in a specific field of studies such as:
humanities and antiquity (liceo classico),
mathematics and science (liceo scientifico),
foreign languages (liceo linguistico),
psychology and pedagogy (liceo delle scienze umane),
social science (liceo economico-sociale),
fine arts (liceo artistico).
Additionally, some lyceums offer specialized classes (indirizzi) where students may have more hours for specific subjects, receive lessons taught in English, or explore additional subjects. For instance, in the liceo scientifico, there are indirizzo liceo scientifico (or indirizzo tradizionale), with Latin, or indirizzo liceo scientifico-scienze applicate, which includes informatics.
Istituto tecnico ('technical institute')
The education given in an istituto tecnico offers both theoretical education and specialization in a specific field of studies (e.g.: economy, administration, technology, tourism, agronomy), often integrated with a three or six months internship in a company, association or university, from the third to the fifth of study.
Istituto professionale ('professional institute')
This type of school offers a form of secondary education oriented towards practical subjects (engineering, agriculture, gastronomy, technical assistance, handcrafts), and enables students to start searching for a job as soon as they have completed their studies, sometimes sooner, as some schools offer a diploma after three years instead of five.
Any type of high school which lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called esame di maturità or esame di stato, that takes place every year between June and July and grants access to university. This exam consists of an oral examination and written tests. Some of them, like the Italian one, are the same for each school, while others are different according to the type of school. For example, in the liceo classico students have to translate a Latin or ancient Greek text; in the liceo scientifico students have to solve mathematics or physics problems; and so on. An Italian student is usually 19 when they enter university.
In middle school pupils go to school from Monday to Friday, they start at 8:00 am and finish at 1:00 pm, but they might start earlier depending on the school's rules, while in high school they attend school from 5 to 8 hours a day, depending on the day of the week and on the rules of the school. Usually, there are no breaks between each class, but most schools have 15 to 30 minute break around halfway through the school day. If students have to stay in school after lunch, there's a longer break to let them eat and rest.
There are three types of high school, subsequently divided into further specializations. There are some common subjects taught in each of these, such as Italian, English, maths and history, but most subjects are exclusive to a particular type of school (i.e. ancient Greek in the liceo classico, business economics in the Istituto tecnico economico or scenography in the liceo artistico):
Liceo ('lyceum')
The education received in a liceo is mostly theoretical, with a specialization in a specific field of studies such as:
humanities and antiquity (liceo classico),
mathematics and science (liceo scientifico),
foreign languages (liceo linguistico),
psychology and pedagogy (liceo delle scienze umane),
social science (liceo economico-sociale),
fine arts (liceo artistico).
Additionally, some lyceums offer specialized classes (indirizzi) where students may have more hours for specific subjects, receive lessons taught in English, or explore additional subjects. For instance, in the liceo scientifico, there are indirizzo liceo scientifico (or indirizzo tradizionale), with Latin, or indirizzo liceo scientifico-scienze applicate, which includes informatics.
Istituto tecnico ('technical institute')
The education given in an istituto tecnico offers both theoretical education and specialization in a specific field of studies (e.g.: economy, administration, technology, tourism, agronomy), often integrated with a three or six months internship in a company, association or university, from the third to the fifth of study.
Istituto professionale ('professional institute')
This type of school offers a form of secondary education oriented towards practical subjects (engineering, agriculture, gastronomy, technical assistance, handcrafts), and enables students to start searching for a job as soon as they have completed their studies, sometimes sooner, as some schools offer a diploma after three years instead of five.
Any type of high school which lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called esame di maturità or esame di stato, that takes place every year between June and July and grants access to university. This exam consists of an oral examination and written tests. Some of them, like the Italian one, are the same for each school, while others are different according to the type of school. For example, in the liceo classico students have to translate a Latin or ancient Greek text; in the liceo scientifico students have to solve mathematics or physics problems; and so on. An Italian student is usually 19 when they enter university.
26-30, F