Public primary education is delivered in separate primary schools or in schools providing for the preparatory grade-grade 8, or the preparatory grade-grade 12.

In urban areas, primary education is mainly organised in schools for the preparatory grade-grade 12.

In rural areas there are separate primary schools, especially in those villages where the number of children is too low for organising also lower secondary education.

National minorities are entitled to studies and learning in their mother tongue, at all levels and in all types and forms of school education under the law. Depending on local needs, at parents’ or guardians’ request and as provided by law, groups, classes or schools may be established where the language of schooling is a national minority language. 

All forms of education in Romanian, in national minority languages or in world languages are open for enrolment and attendance by any Romanian national or any national of a EU Member State or of the Swiss Confederation, irrespective of their mother tongue and their previous language of schooling.

In accordance with School Education Law (Law 198/2023), children who attended preschool education and are 6 years old by 31 August in the year of enrolment are enrolled in the preparatory grade.

Children who turn 6 years old between 31 August and the end of the calendar year may also be enrolled in the preparatory grade based on a written request from their parents / legal representative, if their development is appropriate as certified by a recommendation from their preschool teacher, the County Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance / Bucharest Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance  or a structure in a school education establishment which has been designated for this purpose by the County School Education Department / Bucharest School Education Department.

Based on a written request from parents / legal representative, children with special educational needs aged between 6 and 8 years by 31 August in the year of enrolment may also be enrolled in the preparatory grade in mainstream education.

In legitimate cases, based on a written request from parents / legal representative, enrolment in the preparatory grade of children who are 6 years old by 31 August in the year of enrolment may be postponed by one year at most.

In compulsory education, schools give priority for admission to primary education, within the limit of their approved enrolment plan, to those students who are domiciled in their catchment area.

Enrolment is based on an application letter submitted by the parent, the guardian or the legal provider. The parent, the guardian or the legal provider has a right to request admission to other school than that in their catchment area. Enrolment in this case is based on an application letter submitted by the parent, the guardian or the legal provider and is approved by the board of the school concerned, within the limit of its approved enrolment plan, after ensuring that students in its catchment area have been admitted.

When an ante-preschooler, a preschooler or a student is enrolled in a school, the head of the school signs an educational contract with the secondary beneficiaries of school education. The contract stipulates the parties’ mutual rights and obligations and guarantees the rights of primary and secondary beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of the typical educational contract approved by an order of the education minister. 

For sport and artistic activities at an advanced level, public classes / educational establishments with a sports or art programme, integrated and/or additional may be established. These schools function based on a specific curriculum that pursues both the goals of primary education and an intensive sport or art programme. Students’ admission to these schools is subject to passing some aptitude tests in accordance with the specificity of the programme provided. The number of weekly hours for this type of programme is larger than the number of weekly hours for a regular programme.

Inclusive education concerns all primary beneficiaries with their unique characteristics, interests, skills and learning needs, with a special focus on children at risk of marginalisation, exclusion or low achievement.

For every child/student with special educational needs who is integrated into mainstream education, the maximum enrolment for groups/classes is lowered by 3 ante preschoolers/preschoolers/students.

Special education is provided as from ante preschool level to postsecondary education and is differentiated depending on students’ special needs.

The number of children/students in a class/group in special education varies with the deficiency concerned. 

According to School Education Law (Law 198/2023), primary education includes the preparatory grade and grades 1-4 and is organised for students aged between 6 and 11 years.

A class in primary education has one educator, who is a teacher for primary education, and includes 16 students on average, but no less than 10 and no more than 22. In exceptional circumstances, learning formations may function below the minimum number or over the maximum number, with the approval of the Education Minister. It is not possible to have more than 2 primary beneficiaries over the maximum number.

The Ministry of Education may approve the organisation of second chance programmes, in order to promote primary education for people who are more than 3 years older the typical age for a grade and who, due to various reasons, have not completed this level of education.

The school year starts on 1 September and ends on 31 August the next calendar year.

The structure of the school year – namely the school days, holidays and national exam sessions – is determined by an order of the education minister.  For primary education, like for preschool education, the school year in Romania includes periods of classes, regular school holidays and a summer holiday. 

In extraordinary well-founded situations, depending on local special climate conditions and the specificity of schools, School Inspectorates may approve changes to the structure of a school year with an endorsement by the Ministry of Education and at the request of the school management. 

The structure of the school year integrates two programmes: Green Week and An Atypical Week. The duration of these programmes is 5 consecutive working days for each and they take place as planned by each school.

The activities conducted in the framework of the Green Week programme contribute to preventing climate change and to environmental protection. The programme fosters the development of ante preschoolers/preschoolers/students’ skills related to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research into the surrounding reality and the development of responsible behaviours with regard to the environment.

An Atypical Week is a national programme aiming to contribute to the development of learning to learn and socioemotional skills among preschoolers/students.

The school programme takes place 5 days a week. At school level, syllabuses are applied using schedules. The schedule covers the subjects of the core curriculum with their allocations of hours plus the subject/subjects in the curriculum of student choices from the school provision (CDOS).

The head teacher coordinates the commission responsible for drafting the schedule of the school and submits the schedule for approval by the board of the school.

Primary education classes usually take place in the morning. For schools working with at least two shifts, the hours are determined by the board of the school.

Classes for students in the preparatory grade and in grades 1 and 2 should not start before 8 a.m. or finish later than 2 p.m. In primary education, the duration of a lesson is 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break after each lesson and a 20-minute break after the second lesson in a day. In the preparatory grade and grade 1, teaching-learning-assessment activities cover 30-35 minutes, and the remaining time is dedicated to recreational activities of choice.

When classes in primary education work together with other classes at higher levels of education, the duration of lessons is 50 minutes, and the last 5 minutes are dedicated to recreational activities.

In accordance with School Education Law (Law 198/2023), a School After School programme may take place in schools. This programme is complementary to the school programme and comprise educational activities designed to strengthen, remedy or deepen the competences students acquire in the school programme, as well as other activities to support the right to education, including recreational or leisure activities.

The programme is organised by schools in partnership with local public authorities, the County Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance / Bucharest Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance, other schools, local/county libraries, parents’ associations, religious cults recognised in Romania or volunteers or nongovernmental organisations with objects in the field of education or related fields. 

The decision for conducting a School After School programme is adopted by the school through its board and is based on a need analysis.

School After School programmes are organised based on a methodology approved by an order of the education minister. The state may provide funding for the School After School programme from the public budget in order to support children and students from disadvantaged groups under the law. Funds for this programme may also come from foreign grants or from the budgets of central and local public administration authorities in compliance with the relevant legal provisions.