How schools are changing: 20 new measures coming into effect in September

Then it’s time for some reading: from the Bible to Pinocchio, from Ariosto’s *Orlando Furioso* to classical epics and Greek mythology, as well as medieval and Renaissance chivalric romances – all these texts enable pupils to become familiar with universal stories and recurring narrative patterns. And whilst history places an emphasis on the West – encompassing Athens, Rome and Jerusalem – the new national guidelines for geography mark a clear revival of physical and political geography.

Language skills are also being strengthened: the overall objective for the first cycle is linguistic literacy and the development of communication skills, targeting levels A1 (primary school) and A2 (lower secondary school). From early childhood onwards, investment is made in basic, non-specialist music education, which is essential for fostering generations capable of listening, understanding, expressing themselves and appreciating music.

It will, however, be the next academic year – 2027/28 – before the new curricula are introduced in sixth-form colleges, which will include, amongst other things, ‘technological integration’ (i.e. AI) integrated across all (or almost all) subjects, bringing about a mini-revolution in mathematics and STEAM (i.e. the scientific disciplines enriched by the ‘A’ for art’).

The 2026/27 academic year will also see the launch of a pilot scheme, in around a hundred schools, for the so-called ‘mathematics-focused sixth-form’, which is not simply a matter of increasing the number of lessons in the subject (in the first two years of the classical, scientific and applied sciences streams, two additional hours per week are planned; in the following three years, the increase is one hour per week, ed.). The major innovation is the ‘Mathematics Laboratory’, which will enable students to explore the links between mathematical and scientific knowledge and the humanities in greater depth, through interdisciplinary programmes designed autonomously by the schools in consultation with universities.

In September, the number of students enrolled on four-year courses within the new and innovative technology- and vocational-focused educational pathway (the so-called ‘4+2’ scheme, comprising four years of upper secondary school plus two years at ITS Academies) will rise to around 21,000. With the approval of 532 new four-year programmes for the 2026/27 academic year, the total number of educational institutions offering this opportunity has risen to over 700, of which around 400 are running the programme for the first time.

The new technical pathway introduces, for the first time in Italia, an integrated educational programme that encompasses and links together the curricula of technical and vocational colleges, regional vocational education and training (IeFP) programmes, training institutions accredited by the regions, and ITS Academies. These are firmly linked to local businesses and communities, adopting a ‘campus’ approach. The programmes within the pathway consist of four-year courses (rather than five-year ones), with students qualifying for their upper secondary school diploma one year early – as is the case in many European countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria – upon passing the state examination.

The teaching staff for the five-year programme will be deployed across the four-year programme without any reduction, thereby safeguarding the quality of education and paving the way for a genuine enhancement of teaching standards.

Alongside the 4+2 system, the entire technical education system will also change from 2026–27, as provided for in Decree-Law 45. The changes will begin in the first years. There will be two broad sectors: economic and technological-environmental, structured into a national general education stream and a flexible specialisation stream, which may include a regional component.

In order to address certain issues, and following intensive discussions with the trade unions, the company has agreed to review the timetables, reducing the quotas allocated to school autonomy and the restoration of teaching hours for science, economics, geography, the second foreign language and specialised subjects, whilst safeguarding teaching staff numbers.

The new year will also be a decisive one for the ITS Academies, which have been revitalised following a one-off injection of 1.5 billion euros through the NRRP, of which 645 million is earmarked for laboratories and the remaining 855 million for teaching, careers guidance, scholarships and internationalisation. Student numbers have risen from 11,000 to over 40,000.

Following the enactment of the Valditara Bill, from the 2026/27 academic year onwards, the explicit consent of parents will be required for all initiatives relating to sexuality – even if they are extra-curricular – in lower and upper secondary schools. Alternatively, the student’s consent will be required if they have reached the age of majority in the meantime. In nursery and primary schools, however, such topics may only be discussed within the framework of the new curricula, which are also due to be introduced in September (in the first year groups).

The request for consent – for secondary school pupils – sets out the aims, educational and training objectives, content, topics, themes and methods of carrying out the activities, as well as the possible involvement of external experts or representatives of organisations or associations involved in various capacities. If the participants include pupils under the age of 18, the presence of a teacher must be ensured whilst the activities are taking place. Authorisation must be requested no later than seven days before the scheduled date for the activities.

Should parents choose not to opt in, pupils will not attend school. The school will ensure, through its flexibility and its educational and organisational autonomy, that pupils take part in alternative activities, which are in any case included in the Three-Year Educational Plan (the so-called PTOF).

In nursery and primary schools, subject to the new national guidelines, teaching and project-based activities, as well as any other activities relating to topics relating to sexuality. Consequently, outside the framework of the school curriculum, any other teaching or project-based activities dealing with topics relating to sexuality are excluded.

Where external parties are involved in delivering curricular and extra-curricular educational activities relating to sexuality, such individuals may only deliver lessons if they receive the go-ahead from the teaching staff and the approval of the school council.

As regards their selection, it is the teaching staff committee that must define the criteria on the basis of which to compare and assess candidates’ qualifications and proven professional, scientific or academic experience in the subjects covered by the course, as well as their consistency with the educational objectives and their suitability for the learners’ level of development and age.

Another new initiative for pupils is AscoltaMi, a service devised and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Merit, in collaboration with the National Council of the Order of Psychologists (CNOP), to provide psychological support to pupils in their final year of lower secondary school and the first two years of upper secondary school.

Through AscoltaMI, students are offered a non-therapeutic listening and counselling service to help them cope with situations of fragility and vulnerability that may arise during adolescence, with a view to preventing risk factors or situations of distress that often hinder their development and participation in school life.

These are video-conferences, on an individual and voluntary basis, involving the use, just once during the school year, of a voucher that will entitle the student to five sessions with qualified psychologists, each lasting 60 minutes, with the exception of the first session, which will last 70 minutes to allow each student to agree with the professional on the arrangements and timing of the service.

Specific requirements have been set out for psychologists identified by the National Council of the Order: they must have been registered on the professional register for at least three years and have at least three years’ experience in schools and in projects relating to child development. The service will operate in three stages: parents of the pupils concerned will submit their voucher application via the Single Platform.

Once the application has been completed, they will, within 30 days of the benefit being awarded, select the qualified psychologist to whom the series of sessions will be entrusted. Once the psychologist has been selected, the students receiving the benefit will be able to meet with them via video conference, using the AscoltaMI app available on the Piattaforma Unica.

The fund for the purchase of textbooks for low-income families. Under a decree issued by the Ministry of Education last April, €139 million has been allocated to support the provision of textbooks for the 2026–27 academic years. The funds are available to pupils in compulsory education and upper secondary schools with an ISEE of less than 15,000 euros, and are distributed to the regions: leading the way are Campania (26.3 million), Sicily (21.6 million) and Lazio (16.1 million). The funds may be used to finance both direct grants to families and textbooks on loan to upper secondary school pupils.

Another of the key developments for the new year is the major scheme aimed at a large-scale improvement in foreign language skills of at least 150,000 students and 15,000 Italian teachers. The initiative, running alongside the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ programme, is backed by a total budget of 420 million from the 2021–27 National School and Skills Programme.

Students benefiting from mobility and language enhancement initiatives (experiences, training programmes, work placements and internships) will be selected by schools primarily on the basis of merit-related criteria and ISEE scores, in order to guarantee the right to education and equal opportunities for all students. The standard model is a two-week mobility programme, but longer modules, of up to six months, may also be organised.

Students and teachers are covered for all travel, food and accommodation costs, and teachers may also be eligible for remuneration for any additional hours worked.

This large-scale programme is complemented by another channel for language development: the new School-Work Training (FSL) scheme, which, under Decree-Law 127/2025, has replaced the former PCTO programmes, whilst retaining their objectives and requirements. Opportunities include study programmes abroad, designed by schools, which enable students to combine language courses with work placements in countries such as Malta, the United Kingdom or Ireland, thereby strengthening their professional use of languages in real-life contexts, funded by the European Union.

With the €2.1 billion allocated to the digitisation of classrooms, 155,952 classrooms have been transformed into innovative learning environments. A total of 7,698 workshops for digital professions have been set up, which also serve to support schools within the new 4+2 technical pathway.

Alongside these are the integrated training campuses, featuring technologically advanced laboratories for the digital professions of the future, as provided for in the School 4.0 Plan for technical and vocational colleges. A further 600 million euros has been allocated to strengthen STEM skills and career guidance, €550 million for the digital training of school staff, and €100 million specifically for AI, which has enabled the establishment of 2,000 regional training hubs to train staff in artificial intelligence. In total, 973,541 people – including teachers and ATA staff – have been trained (exceeding the EU target of 650,000), and 3.4 million students have been involved.

With the Legislative Decree on artificial intelligence approved by the Government in early August, AI has officially been incorporated into the curriculum, both as a subject to be studied and as a tool for innovating teaching methods. The implementation of this decree will affect all areas of school education, with specific measures in place for teachers, pupils and adults.

AI is also being integrated into the teaching of Citizenship, with a focus on ethical issues and digital citizenship. STEAM skills and career guidance are being strengthened to help students make educational and career choices that are in line with technological changes.

Progress is being made on school buildings. Between the NRRP and national funds, over 12 billion euros have been invested – of which around 2 billion comes from national resources – in works affecting more than a quarter of public buildings used as schools. These include fire safety plans, safety improvements, the removal of architectural barriers and asbestos removal, costing around 430 million from national resources, plus a further 110 million from the budget for work to address seismic vulnerability.

These investments will soon provide pupils with new, safer, more modern and accessible schools, as well as facilities for innovative, hands-on learning, new canteens and sports halls, and new early-years facilities.

School canteens have been upgraded as part of a comprehensive plan worth 960 million euros to promote full-time schooling. There will also be more places in nurseries.

In September, INAIL insurance cover for schools – which Ministers Giuseppe Valditara and Marina Calderone have made a permanent feature – will also come into effect. This is provided for in Decree-Law No. 90 of 2025. The measure covers over 10 million pupils and school staff.

Under the current regulations, INAIL cover in schools applies to all educational establishments, including state-recognised and private schools. This cover also extends to nursery school children, as well as to students at universities, AFAM institutions, ITS Academies, regional vocational education and training programmes, and adult education centres. For school staff, the insurance continues to cover all teachers and ATA staff, as well as external experts, assistants, researchers and research fellows, and includes any teaching activity, including accidents whilst travelling to and from work, which is otherwise excluded for pupils (except, as noted, in the case of work-study programmes whilst travelling between school and the workplace).

For students, cover applies to all harmful events (accidents and occupational illnesses) attributable to the premises where the insured activity takes place and their appurtenances (for example, collisions with furniture, fixtures and fittings, and other similar incidents on school premises).

Comprehensive cover also applies to teachers and school staff: all harmful incidents occurring in the course of their work are covered, including, as mentioned, accidents whilst travelling to and from work.

The new year will begin with clear rules on mobile phones. The crackdown now applies to both lower and upper secondary schools, with a ban on the use of mobile phones during lessons and, more generally, during school hours. All schools have updated their regulations and the educational partnership agreement to include a ban on secondary school pupils using smartphones during school hours, even for educational purposes, and specific disciplinary measures for those who breach this ban.

There are some exceptions: the use of mobile phones is permitted where this is provided for in the Individualised Education Plan or the Personalised Learning Plan as a support for pupils with disabilities or specific learning difficulties, or for justified personal reasons. It is also permitted where it is strictly necessary for the effective delivery of teaching activities within the specific courses in the technology sector of technical education dedicated to information technology and telecommunications.

The ban on mobile phones at school does not affect other technological and digital tools used for educational purposes, such as PCs, tablets and interactive whiteboards. These tools will therefore continue to be used in accordance with the arrangements made by schools in the exercise of their educational and organisational autonomy.

The range of welfare schemes available to teachers and school staff is being expanded. This autumn will see the launch of a new supplementary health insurance scheme for over 1.2 million teachers, ATA and educational staff, and MIM employees. Enrolment is automatic but voluntary, and the scheme is also open to staff on fixed-term contracts with annual appointments or contracts running until the end of the academic year.

In recent months, the €320 million Consip tender for the four-year period 2026–2029 was finalised, with the service contract awarded to a consortium comprising UniSalute SpA, Intesa San Paolo Protezione SpA and Poste Assicura SpA. The contract was signed in early August and has been submitted to the supervisory bodies for registration. The policy will cover treatment and preventative care, with discounted rates also available for family members, ranging from so-called ‘major procedures’ (which occur infrequently) to other types of procedures that are carried out more frequently.

The Mim ‘welfare’ package was launched on a trial basis in October 2023 thanks to collaboration between public and private institutions. Agreements have been reached in the transport and agri-food sectors. There will also be reductions in air and rail fares with ITA Airways, Trenitalia and Italo; car parking charges at Aeroporti di Roma, linked to additional benefits on food and drink at the airport and on purchases in duty-free shops and in certain boarding areas; discounts on food purchases at farmers’ markets and on stays at ‘Campagna Amica’ agritourism establishments run by Coldiretti. Banking partnerships have also been in place since May 2024.

With the start of the new year, the changes to behaviour marks provided for by Law 150 of 2024 come into full effect. In lower secondary school, conduct marks (expressed as a mark out of ten) are being reintroduced and will count towards the overall average. In general, the conduct mark must reflect the entire school year (no longer just the four-month term), and the assessment will take into account acts of violence or aggression towards teachers, pupils and all school staff. A mark of 5 in conduct will result in a fail. A mark of 5 may also be awarded for behaviour constituting serious and repeated breaches of the school’s regulations.

If a mark below six is awarded during the periodic assessment, the pupil must take part in activities promoting active citizenship and solidarity. If a mark of 6 is awarded for conduct at secondary school, this will result in a school debt in civic education, which must be made up in September. In this case, during the final assessment, the class council must defer the decision without immediately granting progression to the next year and shall set pupils a critical essay on the subject of active citizenship and solidarity; failure to submit the essay before the start of the following academic year, or a mark deemed unsatisfactory by the class council, will result in the pupil not being admitted to the next academic year.

The same applies to the school-leaving exam: if a candidate achieves a grade of six, they will be required, during the oral examination, to discuss a critical essay – set by the class council – on the subject of active and supportive citizenship based on respect for constitutional principles.

The conduct mark also affects eligibility for the state examination. In fact, the highest mark can only be awarded to pupils who have achieved nine-tenths or above.

Once fully implemented the regulations concerning the temporary exclusion of pupils from school for a period not exceeding fifteen days are also coming into full effect. These provisions now work as follows.

Suspension from school, for up to a maximum of two days, will involve the pupil taking part in school-based activities – assigned by the class council – designed to explore the consequences of the behaviour that led to the disciplinary measure; these activities will conclude with the pupil producing a critical essay on what they have learnt.

If the suspension lasts for more than two days, the pupils concerned must undertake community service activities at organisations affiliated with educational institutions and listed in the registers drawn up by the local administration of the Mim. Such activities, if approved by the class council, may continue even after the pupil returns to class, in accordance with the principles of temporary nature, gradual implementation and proportionality.

Another new development now in force is the return of summary assessments in primary school, which will complement the description of the children’s personal and educational development, supported by the portfolio. The following grades are therefore reinstated on school reports: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory.

It is further clarified that numerical marks will continue to be used in both lower secondary and upper secondary schools. In upper secondary schools, in particular, a mid-year assessment (complete with a report card) will be compulsory in addition to the end-of-year assessment.

With the start of the new year, the programme to strengthen support for foreign pupils, starting with those who have recently arrived in Italia. The first stage of the initiative involved extracurricular learning support activities in schools, funded by resources under the national ‘PN Scuola e competenze 2021–2027’ programme. From the 2025/26 academic year, a teacher dedicated to improving Italian language skills for foreign pupils has been assigned to classes where new arrivals in Italia make up 20 per cent or more of the pupil population.

Thanks to an amendment introduced in Parliament, the provision for an additional teacher will also apply in cases where foreign pupils do not possess basic language skills (at least equivalent to level A2). There will be around a thousand ‘new’ Italian teachers, 751 of whom will be for the first cycle (primary and lower secondary schools).

The government has authorised the Ministry of Education to recruit over 46,000 teachers, 46,642 to be precise (of whom 10,810 are support teachers), 346 headteachers, 79 members of educational support staff, 2,628 Catholic religious education teachers and 12,284 members of ATA staff. The regulations governing the recruitment of teachers (which are rather complex) follow the same framework as last year’s, supplemented by changes that have since been introduced, such as the recruitment of successful candidates from the PNRR 3 competition and the new regional lists of eligible candidates.

Under this mechanism, 50 per cent of appointments are made through open competitions and the remaining 50 per cent from the reserve lists. Year on year, the recruitment system has become increasingly complex, with numerous procedures to be followed in order to secure a teaching post. This is one of the reasons why the very earliest estimates confirm – albeit at a lower level – a high number of supply teachers, at least 130,000–140,000, the vast majority of whom are special needs support teachers (and often without even the relevant specialisation).

To begin reversing this trend, training courses have been launched, both through traditional university specialisation programmes (TFA for special educational needs) and via the Indire special scheme.

The actual introduction of the direct appointment of support teachers has had a significant impact: by 31 May this year, families were able to request confirmation for the following year of the temporary support teacher who had been working with their child, even if that teacher was not a specialist (provided they had three years’ service or were on the GAE/GPS lists).

For over 527,000 students the changes to the school-leaving exam introduced by Giuseppe Valditara came into effect last June. This year, the changes will be fully implemented. In addition to the return to the name ‘maturità exam’, there will be changes to the oral exam and the examination boards. The oral exam will be limited to the four subjects identified by the Ministry of Education, together with the subjects of the second specialised paper, which normally takes place at the end of January. Essays have been scrapped; the oral examination begins with a personal account and concludes only after the candidate has addressed the four chosen subjects, the school-to-work pathway and civic education. Remaining ‘silent’ – as has happened in the past – is prohibited: on the instructions of Minister Valditara, anyone who turns up and deliberately chooses to remain silent will fail, as the exam is only valid if the candidate completes all the papers.

As mentioned, there are also changes to the assessment process: for a mark of 6, the class council sets a critical essay on the subject of active and supportive citizenship to be discussed during the oral examination; a mark of 5 means the student is not admitted to the exam. The examination boards are being streamlined, with the number of members reduced from seven to five (two internal examiners, two external examiners, including the chair). The exam is marked out of 100.

The minimum pass mark is 60. The examination board may add up to three bonus points, but only for candidates who have achieved a total of at least 90 points from their academic credits and examination papers. This represents a tightening of the rules compared with the past: up until the previous session, bonus points could amount to as many as five, with a pass mark set at 80 points.

To be awarded a distinction, unanimity is required, and it is awarded only to those who achieve 100 points without the bonus: this requires the maximum number of academic credits and the highest marks in all three examination papers. A single ‘no’ – provided it is properly justified – is enough to see it slip away. The results also have an impact on future employment. In its latest report, AlmaLaurea quantifies the employment advantage as an additional 0.6 per cent for every extra point on the school-leaving certificate. That’s no small matter.

The Invalsi 2026 report confirmed a marked improvement in early school leaving. This year, the figure could fall to 7.3 per cent (from 11.5 per cent in 2022), compared with the already significant 8.2 per cent recorded by Istat in 2025. The ‘implicit’ version of the figure – defined as pupils who complete their studies without, however, achieving adequate levels of learning – is also improving: this year the figure stands at 6.3 per cent (in 2025 it stood at 8.7 per cent); at the same time, the number of pupils achieving high results is rising, increasing from 12.3 per cent to 13.1 per cent over a 12-month period.

Between 2019 and 2026, the proportion of young people obtaining a school-leaving certificate or vocational qualification will rise from 86.5 per cent to 92.7 per cent – effectively around 520,000 people, roughly equivalent to the population of Genoa. This result is linked to the strong performance of the Southern and Northern Agendas, in which Minister Valditara has invested over 1 billion euros. Tutors and careers advisers will continue to be in place in 2026/27 as well.

The August payslip shows the pay rises and back pay resulting from the renewal of the 2025–27 National Collective Labour Agreement. Specifically, this amounts to €143 for teachers and €107 for technical and administrative staff (ATA), in addition to the back pay, which totals €855 for teachers and €633 for ATA staff.

Since the Meloni government took office, three collective agreements for the education sector have been signed, involving an investment of almost 9 billion euros, resulting in total monthly pay rises of 412 euros for teachers and 304 euros for ATA staff. This has been made possible thanks to the funding secured through the budget laws, to which further resources for school staff – known as MIM – have been added, specifically 300 million for the 2019–2021 agreement and 240 million for the 2022–2024 agreement.

There is also news for headteachers: the 2022–24 National Collective Labour Agreement has been signed, providing for average pay rises of around 500 euros and average back pay of around 6,000 euros.