Ottawa’s largest public school board is proposing sweeping changes to French Immersion that would give more students more entry points in early grades to learn the language.
The changes are based on a belief among Ottawa Carleton District School Board officials that the current learning model is not meeting the needs of all students.
The changes are being proposed for the 2026 school year. Currently, there is limited access to French Immersion for many students, but the board plans to implement two new program models into elementary schools that would be open learning opportunities for more students.
The first is an Enhanced English program with 84 per cent English and 16 per cent French learning. The second would offer French Immersion with 60 per cent French and 40 per cent English instruction.
ROADMAP TO CHANGE IN OCDSB FRENCH IMMERSION
OCDSB’s timeline for implementing the changes to the school system. (Graphic © Ava Thomas)
Experts cite many benefits to learning through French Immersion, such as enhanced cognitive skills and increased future educational and employment opportunities. That’s why the board’s plan calls for an increased amount of French instruction even in the Enhanced English program.
A key feature of the new model will be that at any point between Grade 1 and Grade 3, students and their parents can decide to take the Enhanced English or French Immersion pathway, increasing flexibility and making the French-focused program more accessible.
Board officials say implementing the changes will make learning French more equitable for those who are new to the Ottawa area or facing other socioeconomic challenges.
Diane Pernari, a spokesperson for the OCDSB, offered insights on potential unfairness in the current learning model.
“The data shows higher achievement results for students enrolled in French Immersion and that students with special education needs are likely to enroll in the Core French program,” said Pernari. “This may suggest an inequity.”
Along with providing more fluid entry points to French Immersion in the primary grades and greater inclusion overall, there will also be an increase in French learning from 200 to 240 minutes a week for those in the Enhanced English stream.
The Franco-Ontarian flag slides alongside the Canadian and Ontario flags along Longfields Drive in Barrhaven, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo © Ava Thomas]
Samuel Coeytaux, director of Alliance Française Ottawa – a non-profit association that describes its mission as bridging the gap between anglophone and francophone communities – said it’s important to maintain the opportunity for students to learn French as a second language.
“Everyone in Canada should have the right to learn French as early as possible and shouldn’t be forced to stay in a stream if they change their minds,” he said, adding that “any extra months of learning can make a big difference.”
The OCDSB held a public consultation process in 2024 with nearly 4,300 respondents. Parents with children in the English with Core French program said overwhelmingly that they want students to have the same opportunities, resources and activities as the French Immersion students.
As well, the consultation revealed that parents expressed a need for higher quality French teaching in the Core English program to enhance students’ learning.
Madison Mechura, a former OCDSB student in the Core English program, said she faced difficulties in that stream.
“In elementary school you would learn new things in French, but once you got older it just became very stagnant in Core English,” said Mechura, now a fourth-year Carleton University student.
“I’ve always felt like being a kid in Core English, we were seen as ‘less than’ and we all just wish we had more opportunities to learn French,” Mechura added.
OCDSB trustees have scheduled a delegation night on March 19 to continue discussions of the proposal and next steps toward its approval and implementation.
