A welcoming and inclusive environment
The French-language education network aims to make establishments more accessible and facilitate admissions procedures, whether via programs for newcomers or early childhood services.
The rights to a French-language education in Ontario is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as Ontario’s Education Act. Members of the French-language education network work to facilitate access to their institutions in each community that they serve.
Admission
Admissions to French-language school are achieved in either of the following two ways:
- According to section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a child is admissible without any further requirements if their parent meets one of the following criteria:
- their first language learned and still understood is French;
- they have received their primary school instruction in Canada in French;
- one of their other children has received or is receiving primary or secondary school instruction in French.
- Furthermore, in adopting Ontario’s Education Act, the Ontario Legislature recognizes the importance of expanding rights for admission to children of parents who do not meet the basic requirements laid out in section 23 of the Charter. A mechanism for admissions by way of section 293 —a selection committee—was devised through which it is possible to admit these students.
A rights holder choosing not to have their child educated in a French-language school is at risk of depriving their descendants of this right. In order for their children to receive an education in French, these descendants would need to submit an application to the admissions committee of the relevant school board for review.
French-language education in Ontario is a comprehensive network of publicly funded Catholic and public schools (elementary and secondary), French-language colleges and bilingual universities offering a wide range of quality services and programs from early childhood to postsecondary education, including employment and adult education programs. Members of the network work to facilitate access to their institutions in each of the communities they serve.
School-age
In Ontario, all children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend a formal education program.
Ontario Education Act (section 21)
Admissions Policy
To provide an ever-increasingly welcoming and inclusive service, French-language school boards revised their admissions policy in 2009 with the aims of:
- ensuring that school boards include effective methods of recruiting eligible students in their policies;
- standardizing admissions for French-speaking newcomers to French-language schools as much as possible;
- making provisions for admitting newcomers who speak neither French nor English to French-language schools;
- standardizing rules governing admission committee operations to ensure fairness across the province;
- increasing accountability and transparency of the French-language education system to bolster public trust.
Document: L’admission, l’accueil et l’accompagnement des élèves dans les écoles de langue française de l’Ontario [Admitting, Welcoming and Supporting Students In French-Language Schools in Ontario] (PDF)
Post-secondary school admissions eligibility
Access to studies in a post-secondary or adult education institution is recognized for anyone wishing to pursue their education in French.
The French-language education network consists of the following post-secondary institutions:
- two French-language colleges of applied arts and technology with several campuses;
- two bilingual universities with three affiliated or federated institutions;
- three other institutions offering French-language post-secondary programs;
- and a range of French-language learning and training opportunities.
These post-secondary institutions offer programs of study in English or French are among the best in Canada. They offer a competitive advantage to students (Canadian or international) who wish to study in French in an environment that encourages and supports a mastery of both English and French.
Advantage Ontario (website for newcomers and list of post-secondary programs offered in French)
Welcome to Ontario’s French-language education network and to the province of Ontario. In this section, you will find information about this education network and services offered.
Moving to another country or province brings its own set of challenges
You need to find a place to live, a new job, a school for your children…
Although these are major steps, each one is essential to integrating with your community of choice.
The governments of Canada and Ontario have a wide range of resources to help you find information and ease your transition.
No matter where you come from, you will find useful information about the education system in Ontario and, more specifically, about French-language education.
Ontario’s education system
There are four publicly funded school systems in Ontario: the public French-language system, the Catholic French-language system, the public English-language system, and the Catholic English-language system.
Ontario French-language education has an excellent reputation. It is made up of a continuum of learning from early childhood to post-secondary education, including employment training.
Admissions process
French-language schools encourage applications from families who are new to Ontario.
To provide an ever-increasingly welcoming and inclusive services, French-language school boards revised their admissions policy in 2009 with the aims of:
- ensuring that school boards include in their policies effective methods of recruiting eligible students;
- standardizing admissions for French-speaking newcomers to French-language schools as much as possible;
- making provisions for admitting newcomers who speak neither French nor English to French-language schools;
- standardizing rules governing admission committee operations to ensure fairness across the province;
- increasing accountability and transparency of the French-language education system to bolster public trust.
Document: L’admission, l’accueil et l’accompagnement des élèves dans les écoles de langue française de l’Ontario [Admitting, Welcoming and Supporting Students in French-Language Schools in Ontario] (PDF)
To find out more, see also the «Admissions Criteria» section and the following documents: French-Language Schools Welcome New Students, available in the following eight languages:
Programs and services for newcomers
Actualisation linguistique en français (ALF) framework program
This program is designed for students in French-language schools who speak little to no French. Depending on their particular needs, they receive individualized instruction in a regular classroom.
- Le curriculum de l’Ontario de la 1re à la 8e année – Actualisation linguistique en français [The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8 – French-language proficiency] (PDF)
- Le curriculum de l’Ontario de la 9e à la 12e année – Actualisation linguistique en français [The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12 – French-language proficiency] (PDF)
Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants (PANA) [Support program for newcomers]
PANA is designed for students who have recently arrived in Canada to familiarize themselves with their new environment. The program helps them learn about Canadian society and address particular needs in oral communication, reading and writing.
- Le curriculum de l’Ontario de la 1re à la 8e année – Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants [The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8 – Support program for newcomers] (PDF)
- Le curriculum de l’Ontario de la 9e à la 12e année – Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants [The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12 – Support program for newcomers] (PDF)
Travailleuses et travailleurs d’établissement dans les écoles (TÉÉ) [Settlement workers in schools]
This program is available in some French-language elementary and secondary schools and allows settlement workers to enter schools to welcome newly arrived families and their children. Settlement workers aim to assist newcomers in integrating and fully thriving.
TÉÉ: Programme des travailleuses et des travailleurs d’établissement dans les écoles [Settlement workers in schools]
Ontario has a wide range of early childhood programs and services. Ontario’s aim is to develop a system in which all children and families have access to a wide range of high quality, inclusive and affordable child care and early childhood programs and services that are child and family-centred and that contribute to children’s learning, development and well-being.
Programs for toddlers
Believing that readiness to learn begins with play and inquiry, all French-language school boards in Ontario offer the Kindergarten Program (2016) to children from age four. This learning program also fosters the development of critical thinking skills that children need today and in the future to synthesize information, make informed decisions, communicate effectively and thrive in a constantly changing global community.
Additionally, most school boards and schools offer programs for three-year-olds as well as childcare in a school setting. Many childcare centres also welcome children as young as 18 months.
A wide range of services
In Ontario, a range of early childhood programs and services are available to meet the needs of parents and support the learning, development, and well-being of young children:
- childcare services;
- child and family programs;
- the Kindergarten Program, 2016;
- before and after-school programs.
French-language schools offer all of the above programs, including
- learning hubs;
- playgroups;
- French-language programs in a school setting for three-year-olds;
- programs to improve oral communication in French;
- school readiness or kindergarten readiness programs.
Useful links
- Ontario Ministry of Education, section for parents
- Association francophone à l’éducation des services à l’enfance de l’Ontario (AFÉSEO) [Ontario Francophone association of children’s services]. This site also includes a directory of children’s services: www.afeseo.ca