Schooling in Portugal

If you are going to be moving to Portugal with school-going children, it is important to know a bit about this.

Compulsory education in Portugal lasts from the age of six to fifteen. In state-run schools basic education is free. Financial assistance may be available for extra expenses such as school meals, transport and textbooks, depending on your financial circumstances.

The school year runs from the middle of September to the end of June for compulsory schooling, or to the middle of June for secondary schools. Individual schools set the actual dates but there must be at least 180 school days in each year.

Pre-school/Kindergarten (Jardims de Infância) attendance is optional and children may be accepted from the age of three.

Basic compulsory education (ensino básico) is divided into three ‘cycles’:

- A first cycle (1°Ciclo) lasting four years (for pupils aged six to ten)
- A second cycle (2° Ciclo) lasting two years (for pupils from ten to twelve)
- A third cycle (3° Ciclo) lasting three years (for pupils from twelve to fifteen)

The first cycle is primary school (escolas básicas), while the second and third cycles are combined primary and secondary schools (escolas básicas/secundárias).

Children who reach the age of six by 16 September are eligible to attend the first cycle of basic education. Those reaching this age by 31 December can also be admitted, but priority is given to older children when allocating places.

Pupils must attend school in the area where they live or in the area in which the parents are employed, although exceptions can be made in certain cases.

You will need the following documents:

- Registration papers (available from the school)
- Health certificate
- Three passport photos
- Proof of identity
- A leaving certificate from their previous school if applicable, with confirmation of the last level passed

Pupils are assessed at the end of each school year and at the end of each cycle. Those who are considered satisfactory will go on to the next stage. Pupils who do not meet the required standards may be asked to repeat the year.

Pupils who achieve the required standard in the general assessment at the end of the third cycle are awarded a certificate of basic education (diploma do ensino básico) by the school. After successfully completing their compulsory nine years of education children aged fourteen to fifteen may decide to continue secondary education, either as preparation for higher education or for more vocational/technical education.

Secondary education is not free; students have to pay for enrolment and tuition as well as for their textbooks and other materials, although financial assistance may be available.

In post-compulsory schooling there are two type of assessment – internal and external.

Internal assessment consists of a general written test in every subject at the end of the tenth and eleventh years and, in some subjects, at the end of the final year. The Class Council decides whether the student should advance to the next class or repeat the year based on both a general test plus continuous assessment.

External assessment takes the form of final written examinations in most of the subjects in the twelfth year. In order to pass, students must achieve a pass mark in every one of their course subjects.

On successfully completing their secondary education, students are awarded a certificate (diploma de estudos secundários) indicating the courses and the final marks obtained. Those who complete a technical course will also receive a level III vocational training certificate (diploma de qualificação profissional de nivel III).

The higher education system consists of public universities (universidades), polytechnics (escolas politécnicas), and a number of private or cooperative institutions of higher education.

Students may apply who have successfully completed the three years of secondary education and have a secondary school diploma, or a legally equivalent qualification. Depending on what type of higher educational establishment they apply to, students may also have to pass either a national examination organised by the Director –General of Higher Education (Direcção – Geral do Ensino Superior), or an entry examination set by the institution.

Graduate qualifications may be a bachelor degree (bacharelado), which requires three years of study, or licentiate (licenciatura) degree, needing four to six years.

A foreign language (English, French or German) is compulsory in the second cycle of basic compulsory education. However, some pupils may begin learning a foreign language in the first cycle.
In the third cycle, pupils will take on a second foreign language (English, French, German or Spanish). This means that, within their basic and secondary education, students have to study at least two foreign languages.

There are a number of International Schools throughout Portugal which are attended by a mixture of international and Portuguese pupils. Pupils may study on the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) programme, or for the British GCSE and GCE examination systems. Term dates and school holidays may differ from those of Portuguese schools.

For the British Embassy's list of English-medium International schools in Portugal: go to: http://ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-portugal/schools

This is just a brief outline but I hope it gives you something to get on with.

Have a great week!

Carol

The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Portugalbuyingguide.com