The Portuguese curriculum for homeschooling families

Home education in Portugal gives families freedom of method, not of content. The law sets no timetable, no number of hours and no textbooks for families. It does require that learning follows the national curriculum documents, and the tests at the end of each cycle assess exactly that 11. Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, de 3 de agostoDiário da República. This guide explains which documents count in 2026/27 and where to find them.

What the law asks for

Article 7.º of Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021 says the curriculum in ensino doméstico and ensino individual follows the principles, values and competence areas of the Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Schooling (Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória), with reference to the Essential Learnings (Aprendizagens Essenciais) of each cycle and of each secundário subject. The themes of Cidadania e Desenvolvimento must also be covered 1.

In practice your collaboration agreement (protocolo de colaboração) must explain how you will manage the curriculum so that the school can check the Aprendizagens Essenciais, the Perfil competences and the citizenship work 1. The annual plan guide shows how to write that down; the portfolio guide shows how to record it.

Aprendizagens Essenciais

The Aprendizagens Essenciais (AE) are short official documents, one per subject and year (sometimes per cycle), that list what a pupil should know and be able to do. Since 2021 they are the only curricular reference; the older Metas Curriculares were revoked 55. Despacho n.º 6605-A/2021, de 6 de julhoDiário da República.

Most documents share the same layout: a domain (for example Oralidade, Leitura, Escrita, Educação Literária and Gramática in Português), the learning outcomes, examples of teaching strategies, and the Perfil competence areas each domain develops 33. Aprendizagens Essenciais, Ensino BásicoDireção-Geral da Educação / EduQA. Reading the outcomes column for your child's year is the quickest way to see what the school will expect.

Versions in force in 2026/27

The official index pages list every PDF by subject and year: ensino básico and ensino secundário 34. The básico page also keeps the superseded 2018 Matemática documents under "Histórico"; do not plan from those.

Perfil dos Alunos: areas A to J

The Perfil dos Alunos (2017) sets out the principles, values and ten competence areas that every subject should develop 1010. Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória (Despacho n.º 6478/2017)Direção-Geral da Educação:

Tagging portfolio evidence with these letters is a simple way to show the school that the Perfil is being worked on.

Matrizes curriculares: weekly time as a reference

Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2018 sets the base curriculum grids (matrizes curriculares-base) for schools: which subjects exist in each year and how much weekly time they get 22. Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2018, de 6 de julho (curriculum of ensino básico and secundário)Diário da República. Families are not bound by these hours 1, but they show the relative weight of each subject and schools recognise the proportions.

1.º ciclo (hours per week)

Cidadania e Desenvolvimento and TIC are cross-curricular in 1.º ciclo. Source: DL 55/2018, Annex I 2.

2.º ciclo (minutes per week)

Schools split the time inside each area themselves. Source: DL 55/2018 2. Your school's own "planos curriculares" show its split.

The revision coming in 2027/28

EduQA put revised AE for all subjects of básico and secundário into public consultation from 27 March to 28 April 2026 1111. Revisão das Aprendizagens EssenciaisEduQA. The drafts add performance descriptors at two levels (Proficiente and Avançado) and a section linking each subject to the citizenship dimensions. A second consultation is planned, and press reports expect gradual entry into force from 2027/28 1919. Sociedade Portuguesa de Matemática critica Aprendizagens Essenciais (27 April 2026)Público. Reported details include keeping Inglês from 3.º ano and giving Educação Física its own emphasis from 1.º ano 1818. Inglês mantém-se a partir do 3.º ano, Educação Física no 1.º ano (28 March 2026)Jornal de Notícias. The Government has also announced new matrices and a merger of the 1.º and 2.º ciclos, with no final text yet 2121. Governo vai rever currículos e organização dos 1.º e 2.º ciclos até 2027Diário de Notícias.

For 2026/27, plan with the documents in force. Use the drafts only to see what may change.

Reading lists

The AE de Português ask for whole works to be read. For ensino básico, the de facto reading list is the list of works for Educação Literária from 1.º to 9.º ano, published with the 2015 Português programme 1313. Programa e Metas Curriculares de Português do Ensino Básico (2015), lists for Educação LiteráriaDireção-Geral da Educação. The Metas themselves are no longer a reference, but schools and textbooks still use the list. In secundário, the AE de Português name authors and works directly 4.

The Plano Nacional de Leitura publishes recommended books by age 1414. Plano Nacional de Leitura, recommended booksPlano Nacional de Leitura 2027. In September 2026 its online catalogue was suspended during the move to EduQA; the titles can still be found through the Lisbon municipal libraries catalogue 14.

Free official resources

• Estudo Autónomo: self-study guides of about 90 minutes each, by year, subject and theme, numbered in the order of the AE 1515. Guiões de Trabalho AutónomoEstudo Autónomo (DGE / EduQA). Useful as a ready-made sequence.
• Provas-Ensaio: free digital practice tests with marking criteria for 1.º, 2.º and 3.º ciclo, the best preview of the digital ModA and provas finais format 1616. Provas-EnsaioIAVE / EduQA.
• AE Matemática site: tasks and brochures that accompany the 2021 Matemática AE 1717. Aprendizagens Essenciais de Matemática, project site with tasksDireção-Geral da Educação.
• Dossiê de Preparação para Exames Nacionais 2026: thematic notebooks for secundário exam preparation 2020. Dossiê de Preparação para Exames Nacionais 2026EduQA.

For how all this is tested, see the exams overview.

Related guides

• Annual plan
• Portfolio
• Protocolo de colaboração
• Special educational needs