This article presents the pioneering project of abolishing failure in the state public schools in São Paulo state, developed in the late 1950 and implemented at the beginning of 1960 on an experimental basis at the Experimental School of Lapa, a school that worked as the official unit of research of the Department of Education. Despite its inaugural nature, such experiment has rarely appeared in publications on the subject and there are few records about it. First, this article outlines a brief historical context of the debate on the so-called automatic promotion, which in Brazil began in 1918, in the context of the First Republic, and strengthened especially in the 1950s, in the developmental period. Then the paper addresses components of the project conducted at the Experimental School of Lapa, justifying the relevance and topicality of automatic promotion. It also outlines its formatting, in particular the organization of classes, the curriculum, assessment and teaching role. After that, some excerpts from statements made by educators involved in the construction of the project are addressed. They reveal the project's strengths and contradictions. Also rare documents are presented on the topic, which were published in the context of such pioneering experiment. At the end, there are considerations regarding the experiment in question, which though little known has enormous historical importance. It is hoped that this article contributes to the construction of high quality public school, especially given the increasing implementation of the policy of cycles in Brazilian public schools.
History of education; Educational policies; Automatic promotion