smaller branch units with as few as students provide education from first to third or first to sixth grade students in geographically remote regions in bigger cities school sizes reach over pupils compulsory education for pupils between and years old is offered in socalled basic schools and is organised as a single structure without distinction between primary and lower secondary levels currently slovenian schools must employ a large number of professional support staff as a share of total staff and retain them regardless of the size of the school making the system very costly