St. Francis International School

Saint Francis International School was founded in Rome in 1985 and teaches children from 3 to 14 years old in English, in a one-form-entry school of fewer than 200 students. Pre-school and Kindergarten follow a curriculum inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, while Elementary School (Grades 1-4) and Middle School (Grades 5-8) follow a blended American and international curriculum that prepares students for British and American high schools. An optional Italian Ministry programme (Programma Ministeriale Italiano) lets students sit the Italian state exams at the end of Grade 5 and Grade 8, giving access to the Italian Licei. The average class has 18 students in Elementary and Middle School, with extra adult support in the early years, and the school is a long-standing member of the Rome International Schools' Association (RISA) and part of Ingenium Education.

The school's mission is to provide a challenging educational environment that encourages high performance in a nurturing atmosphere, marked by dignity and respect for its diverse international community. Its values are respect, tolerance, solidarity, trust and integrity, and politeness, courtesy and good behaviour are given great importance. Despite its name, St. Francis is a non-denominational school that welcomes families of every background, culture and religion.

The school, on Via delle Benedettine in north-west Rome, has an indoor gym, a basketball court, a garden and playground, a cafeteria, a media room and a library. Sports clubs use the garden, moving to the gym in bad weather.

The school provides a fresh, balanced lunch every day, usually a first course, a second course, vegetables and fresh fruit or fruit juice, with separate menus for Early Childhood and for Elementary and Middle School. Certified allergies, intolerances and special dietary requirements are taken into account.

The school day runs from 8:30 to 15:30, Monday to Friday. An Early Morning Club opens at 8:00 for families who need an earlier drop-off, and after-school clubs run Monday to Thursday from 15:45 to 16:45. A school bus service run through partners covers many areas of Rome, and lunch is cooked fresh every day.

After-school clubs aim to offer a club for every child and change from term to term. They include Act and Play and Drama for the youngest, Art Lab and Craft and Play, Spanish through play, an I.T. club that teaches block-based coding, an electronics club working with Arduino kits, basketball, volleyball and soccer, a Books and Stories club in the library, a games and social club, a homework club and a guitar club for Middle School. One day a week trains the teams that represent the school in the RISA basketball and soccer tournaments. Students in Elementary and Middle School also belong to one of four houses, Juno, Minerva, Neptune and Vulcan, which compete in activities throughout the year, with Grade 8 students elected as house captains.