Education in Slovenia

Primary school

Children first enter primary schooling at the age of 5 if born after 1 September and the age of 6 if born before and finish at the age of 14 or 15. Each group of children born in the same year forms one grade or class in primary school which lasts until the end of primary school. Each grade or year is divided into two terms. Once or twice per term, children have holidays: autumn, Christmas, winter and May first holidays; each holiday is approximately one week long. At summer time, school ends on 24 June, The school holidays are Summer (2 months), Autumn holidays, Christmas and New years holidays, and First May holidays. While National Days are also school free. The next school year starts on the 1st of September.

First period

Children begin their schooling with the First period. From the first to the fifth grade children stay in one classroom, have one class or form and one teacher. In some schools, sports, art and music are taught by separate teachers or are supervised by an appropriate teacher. In the beginning of the first year a supervisory teacher helps the master teacher lead the younger students into the new system. Students start with reading, writing and counting. Children are taught their native language (Slovenian, Hungarian or Italian, depending on the area of their schooling), mathematics, natural and sociological sciences, music, physical education and art. In the first grade they begin to learn their first foreign language, which is usually English. Until the fourth grade, children receive descriptive marks, and thereafter examinations are marked with number grades.

Second period

The Second period of primary schooling begins with the sixth grade when children are assigned to new teachers. A master teacher teaches one or two subjects, all others are taught by other specialized teachers. The main subjects are math, Slovenian (as native language), one foreign language (English, Italian or Hungarian), PE, music, geography, history and art. Later in this period, physics, chemistry, biology, ethics and craft are added to the curriculum. In the seventh, eighth and ninth grade they must choose at least two hours of elective subjects, and may choose a non-compulsory third hour. With around forty to choose from, the subjects offered include foreign languages, astronomy, fine art, philosophy, computer science etc.

Marks and grades

The grades are the same as in other countries that belonged to Yugoslavia before 1991. In primary school marks start with 1 (insufficient) and is the only failure mark. The second one is 2 (sufficient), the next is 3 (good), then 4 (very good) and the best is 5 (excellent).