In Portugal, education is only obligatory from the age of 6 till the age of 18. However, there is pre-primary education in Portugal, which goes from 4 months up to 5 years, divided into Nursery and Kindergarten. NURSERY The usual maternity leave lasts till the child is four months old. Children from four months to three years old may frequent a nursery ( Infantário or Creche ). The large majority of nurseries are private, however, there are some state-run nurseries as well. KINDERGARTEN From the age of three years old till the age of five years old, children are often put in Kindergartens ( Jardins de Infância ), which can be private or state-run. State-run kindergartens provision is free of charge. From 5/6 years on, school is obligatory for 12 years. These 12 years are divided into Basic Education , from 1st to 9th grade, and Secondary Education , from 10th to 12th. There are private and public schools. Every schoo...