Education system in Portugal

1. PORTUGUESE EDUCATION
DROPS Comenius meeting
April 13 – 17, 2015
Agrupamento Escolas Miguel Torga,
Bragança, Portugal

2.  Free and compulsory until the age of 18;
 Regulated by the state through the Ministry of Education;
 Devided into:
• Preschool (under 6);
• Basic education (9 years in 3 stages);
• Secondary Education (3 years);
• Higher Education (University and Polytechnic)

4. SCHOOL YEAR
 3rd week of September - middle of June
 Three terms:
 Holidays:
 3 months in Summer – 2 weeks in June, July, August and first two
weeks in September
 2 weeks for Christmas and New year
 3 days for Carnival
 2 weeks for Easter
• 1st – till middle of December
• 2nd – till Easter
• 3rd – till middle of June

5. CONTENT OF EDUCATION
 National Curriculum for all subjects during compulsory education;
 45 minutes lessons; break every 90 minutes
 Main subjects:
 Portuguese 4-6 lessons
 Maths 6 lessons
 English 3-4
 Sciences 3 - 7 lessons each
 Humanities 2/3 - 6 lessons each
 Sports 3-4
 Crafts 2
 Art 2
 Religion 2 (optional)

6. FOREIGN LANGUAGES
 English:
 Compulsory year 3 – 9
 Books used: Mainly made in the country or made in the UK but
adapted to the NC
 French/German/Spanish
 from year 7
 3/2 lessons/week
• Year 3 and 4 - 2 hours a week
• Year 5 – 9 – 3 lessons a week

7. Evaluation:
 Testing – twice each term (0-100 till year 9; 0-200 from year10
onwards), teacher/school responsibility;
 Grading: end of each term (1-5 till year 9; 0-20 from year 10
onwards);
 Final evaluation: at the end of the school year.
 National exams:
• Year 4, 6 and 9 - Portuguese and Maths
• Year 9 - English Cambridge Examination (PETfS);
• Year 11: 2 exams - Physics and Chemistry, Biology, Portuguese
Literature, Geography, Maths Applied to Social Science…
• Year 12: 2 exams – Portuguese (compulsory to all students), Maths,
History …

8. OUR SCHOOL
Level Years Students Classes
Preschool Mixed groups 95 5
Primary school (stage 1) 1 - 4 240 12
Middle school (stage 2) 5 - 6 125 6 * 2 dance
classes
Secondary school (stage
3)
7 - 9 120 6
High School 10-12 180 8
Adults 9 and 12 50 2
Alternative Curriculum 9 11 1
Total 821 40

9. STAFF
 Headmaster
 Deputies - 3 + 1 (Deputy Head)
 Teachers - 131 (including preschool, special needs and 40
under mobility by specific conditions)
 Librarian Teacher - 1
 Psychologists – 2 (one only for alternative curriculum students)
 Office staff – 11 + 1
 Building management – 30 + 1 (cleaning, kitchen, cafeteria)

10. TEACHERS
 Work load - 40 hours/week
 Headmaster - doesn’t teach
 Deputy - 1 class minimum
 Teacher - 22 (permanence at school - 26)
 Primary teacher – 25 + 2
 Preschool – 25 + 2

11. OUR PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
 European Projects: Comenius and Erasmus +
 School theatre club
 School sports (involves competition outside school)
 Study visits (Porto, Lisbon, Spain, UK…)
 Music group (tuna)
 Eco school
 Students exchanges (France and Brazil)
 Christmas supper
 Easter mass
 National Reading Project (Ler+)
 Extra curricular activites for younger students

12. Thank you so much for being here!