This paper examines educational reforms for primary schools in Italy and the challenge and opportunities they pose to the traditional role of class teacher. Recent Italian policy has moved Italy in a ‘new right’ direction already taken by many industrialised countries including Scotland. As a result a market philosophy is being implemented and education commodified and decentralised. Schools are required to be more accountable to parents and to demonstrate greater efficiency in the management of resources. The paper draws on data from an empirical study complemented by an historical and policy analysis of the Italian primary school setting. The role of the class teacher is investigated through an in-depth longitudinal qualitative study of an Italian primary school supported by survey and interviews with state educators. The findings identify resilience within a historical teacher-centred approach to pedagogy and reveal tensions that exist between this position and the demands made by the proposed reforms. The implications of these tensions, including those for teacher education, are compared with the European Council strategic framework for education and with similar findings in Scotland and Denmark. The study is part of the collaborative Curriculum Workshop. Full accounts of the methodology and literature review are provided.