Grand Erie District School Board offers several approaches to French language instruction:Overview of French Programs

Grand Erie District School Board offers several approaches to French language instruction:

• The mandatory program of Core French, beginning in Grade 4
• An optional Single-Track French Immersion program from Kindergarten to Grade 8, which is available at Dufferin School and Confederation School
• An optional Dual-Track French Immersion program at Burford District Elementary School (Kindergarten to Grade 5)/Paris Central School (Grade 6 to 7) or Caledonia Centennial School (Kindergarten to Grade 3) as well as Lakewood Elementary School, River Heights School (Kindergarten to Grade 4-8) and Walsh Public School (Kindergarten to Grade 7)
• An optional Secondary French Immersion program (Grades 9 to 12) available at Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School or North Park Collegiate and Vocational School, and Simcoe Composite School (Grade 9) in 2020-21.

The Core French and French Immersion programs differ in intensity, but share a common purpose: to develop a student’s oral communication (listening and speaking), reading, and writing skills in French language.

Both program provide benefits to students regardless of whether or not they plan post-secondary studies in French. There are, however, significant differences in focus as well as in the language competency expected of students.

Generally, the choice of program a student selects is determined by the total number of hours of French instruction accumulated by the end of Grade 8 (600 for Core French and a minimum of 3,800 for French Immersion). The longer exposure to French instruction provided by the Immersion program allows students to acquire a greater knowledge and understanding of the language as well as greater effectiveness in its use.

French Immersion Programs

The aim of Grand Erie’s French Immersion program is to:

• Provide a quality educational program that meets the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum, both at the elementary and secondary school level
• Develop and refine a student’s ability to communicate (understand, speak, read and write) with confidence in the French language
• Help students understand and appreciate Canada's francophone heritage as well as French culture and language throughout the world
• Expand student’s knowledge of the language through the study of francophone literature and research

By the end of the four-year French Immersion program in secondary school, students will:

• Participate easily in either language, at home, work or when travelling
• Be able to pursue post-secondary studies, or accept professional training in either French or English
• Be able to undertake employment in both French and English

Single- and Dual-Track French Immersion

Dual-Track schools offer French Immersion and English language classes, while single-track schools offer French Immersion programs only.

Core French

The Core French program is offered from Grades 4-8 in every Grand Erie school for a minimum of 200 minutes per five-day cycle.

In Grand Erie secondary schools, a student must earn at least one credit in French to obtain an Ontario Secondary School Graduation Diploma. In Grades 10-12, students may choose an additional academic Core French course each year.

Both the Ministry of Education and Grand Erie District School Board value the Core French program, which provides students with relevant learning experiences to develop their oral communication, reading, and writing skills in French.

Students in the Core French program will demonstrate a working understanding of information heard and read. They will also be able to speak in familiar situations.

• Click here to learn more about Core French