KINDERGARTEN AND SCHOOL IN PORTUGAL: FEATURES OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The content of the article:

• The education system in Portugal: 4 stages
• Pre—school education: municipal and private - opportunities for immigrants
• Package of documents for admission to kindergarten
• Portuguese school — the choice of educational institution

We have already written a lot about Portugal. Recently, the country has been in great demand not only as a tourist destination, but also as a comfortable state to live in. Of course, when planning to move to this country, with the prospect of obtaining citizenship in the future, immigrant parents think first of all about where and how their children will study. We decided to focus in more detail on such a topic as education in Portugal. There are 4 stages in the Portuguese education system:

• pre-school (optional, but can start from three months);
• primary school education (from 6 to 15 years old) 
• full secondary school education is mandatory (from 15 to 18 years old), after graduating from high school, students can study basic professions;
• higher education (optional), however, you can enter the university only after graduating from the 12th grade.

In Portugal, as in many EU countries, maternity leave is minimal, and from 4 months some parents send their kids to a special preschool called Creche (nursery). For such babies, the rooms are specially equipped with playpens for sleeping, changing tables, feeding rooms and games. Moreover, mothers are allowed to come and breastfeed the baby if they have the opportunity. There are not many institutions like Crèche in Portugal, especially public ones, but if desired, foreign parents can also send their infants to such a nursery. 

In Portugal, preschools are divided into several types:

• municipal (public)
• private IPSS — the payment system is divided between the state and parents
• commercial — tuition is fully paid by parents
• kindergartens that are funded by religious and charitable foundations
• corporate — co-financing by universities, corporations or international companies
• private family mini-gardens — an alternative to qualified babysitters
• mobile — in In some remote areas, educators come by themselves 1-2 times a week to teach children.

Kindergartens of the following types are provided for children from 3 to 6 years old: 

• Jardim de infância — municipal (state) institutions or institutions that work on partial social payment. There may be about 25 children of mixed age in groups. School preparation is based on general knowledge about the world around us; the main focus is on the issue of communication between children. Foreigners are attracted by the fact that such gardens are usually inexpensive, and a child can quickly learn and speak Portuguese.
• Pre-escolar — prepares preschoolers for school. There are no more than 20 children in groups who study for 5 hours a day. In addition to school hours, escolar offers additional optional classes where children can choose dancing, sports sections, chess, construction, etc

Children are accepted to these institutions without a resident card, but preference is given to families who live near the kindergarten. 

All municipal kindergartens in Portugal are formally free. Parents mostly pay for educational materials only. In kindergartens of the social system, the calculation is carried out according to a special formula, which takes into account family income, fixed monthly expenses and the number of family members. Some Portuguese book places in such kindergartens immediately after the birth of a child, as it is quite difficult to get into them. Seat reservations are usually paid and range from € 50 to € 250. Also, the cost of all preschool institutions (except municipal ones) necessarily includes payment of insurance for a child.
Corporate kindergartens, which are usually attached to a university or an international company, are no less popular in Portugal. In such gardens, the calculation system has its own and may differ from the social system. Additionally, parents can pay for bringing a child early or, conversely, taking them late from kindergarten.
Private gardens cost from € 350 per month. Payment largely depends on what this kindergarten offers: whether the child attends only classes or additional electives, whether his brothers and sisters attend this institution (in this case, it is possible to get a discount on the payment for each child).

It should be noted that there is no unified state program for preschool education in Portugal. Pre-school children from 3 to 6 years old are allocated 25 hours per week for training sessions. The main focus is on writing, numeracy, literacy, knowledge of the world, etc. Children are trying to instill a desire to learn something new in a playful way. And parents can find useful information on such Portuguese websites — PrimeirosAnos.pt , UpToKids.pt . You can also find the nearest kindergarten on the Mapa Social platform, where you can use a search filter to find your region, city, area of residence, type of preschool and other important points.
The contact details of government agencies are usually posted on official websites in the Educacao section. It is difficult to find information in a single format, but you can enter the name of your district and, already guided by yourself, choose the nearest kindergarten. In municipal schools, as we noted above, there is a lot of competition for a place, especially for toddlers. For older children, there are more chances to get into such a kindergarten. The state sets certain deadlines for booking places in such institutions, and parents can submit up to 5 applications to different preschool institutions. There are no such restrictions in private kindergartens.  

To enroll in kindergarten, you will need:

• a document confirming that you are legally in the country (residence permit, citizen's card)
• NIF, NISS, NSNS — usually they are included in the immigration package 
• NISS of the child — the application for its receipt is submitted by the responsible person — parents or relatives legally residing in Portugal
• IRS declaration (tax)
• copy of the vaccination passport or certificate of vaccination of the child
• contacts of those who have the right to pick up a child from kindergarten.
• additionally (not all institutions) may request a certificate of employment, family income for the quarter, work address of one of the parents or an employment contract. 

If the child has not attended kindergarten, it's okay, the main thing is that he is ready to go to school and receive at least a basic nine-year education. 
And it doesn't matter where you settle down and find housing: in the north or in the south of the country, if you choose Portugal for permanent residence, then at the age of six your child will have to go to a Portuguese school. And if kindergarten is a voluntary matter, then school education is mandatory for everyone. 
After the 9th grade, the child can continue his studies or receive a professional technical education. All public schools in Portugal are free (parents pay only for meals and extended stay). Foreigners can easily arrange for their child to attend a free school. One thing is that education in such schools is conducted only in the state language, so it will be difficult for a child who still knows Portuguese quite poorly to adapt. In this case, additional classes for learning Portuguese are provided in public schools.
In addition to municipal schools, there is a wide range of private institutions in Portugal. Most often, they teach in English, but there are schools with French, Spanish, and German as the language of instruction. Some foreigners prefer boarding schools, where the child studies and lives all year round. The cost of tuition in private schools starts from € 4,000 and can reach up to € 13,000-15,000 per year. Despite the fact that the cost is high, private schools are very popular not only among immigrants, but also among the local population, since education in such schools is considered to be of higher quality.

The school curriculum has several stages:

Up to the 9th grade, all students are trained according to the unified International Baccalaureate or IB Diploma Program (additional subjects are introduced in private schools)
After the 9th grade, students choose one of three directions: to continue their studies until the 12th grade (for those who plan to enter a university), art (preparation creative professions — designer, artist, restorer...) or technological (obtaining an applied profession)
Upon completion of the 11th grade (regardless of public or private institution) All students take a test in two main subjects, and after the 12th - a Portuguese language proficiency exam and one additional one. The results of these exams will be taken into account when applying to the university. 
Portugal has its own assessment system. The maximum score is 20 points. The rating of schools is determined according to the overall average score of students.

Three schools are particularly distinguished among the state ones:
1) Escola Secundaria Infanta de Maria — Coimbra city
2) Escola Secundaria Alves Martins — Viseu city
3) Escola Basica e Secundaria Clara de Resende — the city of Porto. 
The average score of students in these schools is from 12.8 to 13.2

Private schools have the same rating and the best are located in cities such as Lisbon, Porto and Braga:
Colegio Nossa Senhora do Rosario — Porto
Colegio Moderno — Lisbon
Colegio D. Diogo de Sousa — Braga

The average grade of students in these schools is from 14.94 to 15.62 points. The tuition fee is calculated individually and depends on several factors: the language of instruction, the class and the average score of the incoming student (on average, in such schools the cost starts from € 10,000 per year). Usually private schools adhere to the British curriculum — GCSE and A Levels. The child is enrolled in school based on the results of testing, and in some (especially boarding schools) it is necessary to pass an interview. One of the main advantages of private schools is the teaching staff: almost all teachers of foreign languages are native speakers. So, in the American private Carlucci school, out of 67 teachers, 25 are teachers from the USA.

Good schools can be found not only in the major cities of Portugal, but also on the islands: Madeira, the Azores, as there are a large number of expats living there. 
In almost all Portuguese schools, primary classes are located separately from the senior level, which is typical for many European countries. 
The school year in Portugal begins in mid-September, with each school setting the exact start date for classes. Children have week-long vacations at Easter, Christmas and during the Mardi Gras carnival. Well, the longest ones are the summer ones (from July to mid—September). Lessons start at 9 and end around 5 p.m. In many institutions there is an extension where the child can stay until 7 p.m. Skipping lessons in Portugal is strictly treated, they can even be expelled if the child missed it without a valid reason. For most parents, this is a big plus, since the administration immediately informs whether the child was in class or not. 
Thanks to high-quality education, many students of Portuguese schools have the opportunity to enroll in higher education institutions in the UK, USA and EU countries. 

Portugal is currently ranked 53rd (among 163 countries in the world) according to the level of education. So, if your child graduates from one of the schools in Portugal, it will be easier for him to get a European-level higher education in the future.