Guidance for international families

School Search in Tuscany for International Families

By Rossana Giorgi · Updated 18 September 2026

The right school is a decision about your child's daily life, not just a curriculum. A private school search brings the educational, developmental and practical questions into the same conversation.

Start with the child and the move

Before compiling a shortlist, write down your priorities: the languages your child uses comfortably, their experience of previous schools, the kind of classroom in which they participate best, and your likely length of stay in Italy. A two-year assignment and an open-ended move may lead to different questions about continuity.

Location belongs in the same discussion. A school that appears ideal on paper may be difficult to combine with your home, working hours and other children's schedules. Consider the actual journey and the school day before committing to a property.

Compare school types with specific questions

• International schools: clarify the curriculum in the relevant year group, language expectations, entry process and how a future transfer would be handled.
• Bilingual schools: ask how the languages are used across subjects and what support a child receives while adjusting.
• Italian schools: discuss language transition, classroom expectations, communication with parents and the support relevant to your child.

A school's category does not tell you whether it can meet a particular child's needs. Ask for concrete descriptions of practice and discuss the relevant year group.

A useful conversation with admissions

1. Is there a place in the appropriate year group, and what does the application involve?
2. Who should review our child's existing school information before we apply?
3. How would the first weeks be planned for a pupil arriving from abroad?
4. What language and learning support is available, who provides it, and are there additional charges?
5. Who would be our point of contact, and when would we review the transition?
6. What are the full fees, deposit conditions and notice requirements?

Keep written notes and distinguish confirmed arrangements from possibilities that still need discussion. Admission and support should be clarified directly with each school.

Where to begin your research

Official websites provide a useful starting point, rather than a personalised recommendation. The International School of Florence publishes an admissions process that includes document review and screening. The Canadian School of Florence and International School of Siena also publish information for prospective families. Check the current details directly and ask whether the school can consider your child's particular circumstances.

How I can support the search

We agree a brief around your family, review the relevant information, develop a considered shortlist and prepare school conversations. Support can include agreed meetings and guidance through the transition. Where learning or developmental needs require closer discussion, we make those questions explicit from the beginning.

I am based in Livorno and work across Tuscany, including Florence, Pisa, Lucca and the coast. Much of the preparation can happen online before you move. Scope and fees are agreed privately; I do not receive school referral commissions.