Information about Bologna, Ferrara and Padova

[Ingevandervaart]

In sept 2007 my family and I will move to Italy. Than we will live in Bologna, Ferrara or Padova. Does somebody have some information about good Italian schools (elementare) in those city´s. At this moment our childeren have montessori education.

Thanks,
Inge van der Vaart
The Netherlands

[attagirl]

I too am interested in knowing about the schooling system and what school are the best. Having a great education going in will really help when you are moving abroad. Also knowing about the schools your children will be attending is very important in the decision making process.

[Stan Yugai]

Hello, I am going to be in the same situation. This September together with my family I will be moving to San Donato, Milan. It is going to be a new experience for us too. I have been informed there are many expats in Milan who might possess some useful information and share some tips. I will try to get them involved in this forum.

Regards,
Stan

[Goldberg]

Wow so many questions and so few answers. Who has these?

[Polyglot]

Ahhhh... Education in Italy for Expats is a bit of an issue if you are not living in either Rome or Milan, both of which have Anglo-American Private Schools K-12 ( I think the one is Rome is called Marymount). Likewise, slightly outside of Milan in the city of Varese there is a European Private School.
If your children are going to attend middle or secondary school, the Italian education system is very different from that in the UK or US and may indeed be somewhat of a difficult transition. Furthermore, schools have recently been under a lot of media fire...but this also depends on which Liceo (High Shcool equiv.) they go to and where- Classico, Scientifico, Artistico or Statale. I have heard that some expats who live in the same area or city have opted for home-schooling and under Italian law is legal so long as you have the patience to go through some of the bureaucratic red tape. If your children are small then they can generally benefit from good 'scuole materna' (kindergarten) and 'scuole elementari'. The regione of Emilia-Romagna, generally has some really good montessori programmes available. Modena I think is got some excellent schools for young learners.
My last piece of advice would be to check out online the Worldwide Classroom site to find out about the private English/American/European schools near you. Good luck, be patient and persistent[/font]