One in eight nursery classes has more than 30 per cent of children from abroad

There are 5,023 out of 40,059 – that is, 12.5 per cent, or roughly 1 in 8 – nursery classes where more than 30 per cent of the children are foreign nationals. There are 420 nursery schools where the proportion of foreign children exceeds 50 per cent and where Italian children are in the minority. Within these 420 schools, there are 1,406 classes with more than 50 per cent foreign children. In the coming years, this demographic trend – characterised by an increasing mix of foreign pupils – is set to extend to the subsequent levels of the education system.

The figures come from a study by the specialist journal *Tuttoscuola* concerning nursery schools (children aged between 4 and 6), which represent the ‘frontline’ of the Italian school system: in the coming years, this trend is set to extend to the subsequent levels of the education system. And the proportion of foreign pupils in pre-school is set to rise, in line with demographic trends: over the last six years, the number of Italian pupils has fallen by 14 per cent, whilst the number of foreign pupils has increased, albeit only slightly (+1 per cent).

There are a total of 13,027 state nursery schools across the country, attended by 768,256 children, of whom 105,327 are foreign nationals (13.7 per cent). These are divided into 40,059 classes. According to exclusive analysis carried out by Tuttoscuola, there are 5,023 classes (12.5 per cent) with more than 30 per cent foreign children, spread across 1,523 schools. There are 45,506 foreign children attending these 1,523 schools out of a total of 105,327. These schools, with a proportion of foreign pupils exceeding 30 per cent, therefore account for 43 per cent of all foreign pupils in nursery schools.

Where are the 1,523 schools located that are home to the 5,023 classes with more than 30 per cent of pupils from overseas? According to a study by Tuttoscuola based on official data from the Ministry of Education, they are predominantly in the North (70 per cent), naturally, since, as is well known, immigration has always been concentrated in areas offering employment and social services. In central Italy, the figure is 20 per cent, whilst in the South there are only around 10 per cent of nursery schools where the proportion of foreign pupils exceeds 30 per cent. Four northern regions (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Veneto) alone account for over 60 per cent of schools with classes where more than 30 per cent of pupils are foreign. In Lombardy, where there are 363 schools with classes containing more than 30 per cent foreign children, there are 100 such schools in the province of Milan and 51 in Brescia. In Emilia-Romagna, there are 238 schools with classes comprising more than 30 per cent foreign pupils, with 51 in Bologna and 49 in Modena. Piedmont has 175 schools with classes comprising more than 30 per cent foreign pupils (62 in Turin). In Lazio, Rome has 70 of the 98 nursery schools with classes in which the number of foreign children exceeds 30 per cent.