French Immersion catchment areas suspended in Vancouver
Posted January 19, 2018 8:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – French Immersion continues to be a popular option for Vancouver parents – but the program may be a victim of its own success.
The Vancouver School Board has changed its French Immersion enrolment policy for this coming year, to address too few spots to meet demand in some neighbourhoods.
Up until now, parents were encouraged to enrol their kids in French Immersion schools within their catchment areas, but that policy is being eased up, temporarily.
Adrian Keough, a director of instruction at the school board, points out demand for French Immersion is higher in some neighbourhoods than others.
“Areas straddling Main Street on either side and neighbourhoods north of King Edward have seen a growth of families with young children as opposed to the city’s southeast and southwest.”
That uneven demand meant tighter competition for a limited number of seats at some schools.
“Some communities would have had 50 applicants with maybe ten to 15 spots. And in other neighbourhoods, there were fewer applicants for just as many spaces. So it was more difficult in certain neighbourhoods to secure a space.”
Due to parents complaining about the uneven playing field, the school board is doing away with catchment areas for the coming year, meaning families can register their children at any school, regardless of where they live.
The school board says it’s looking at a long-term solution, including adjusting priority registration zone boundaries or using a weighting formula, where proximity is just one factor in determining which students can attend a French Immersion school.
