VICTORIA -- Families with children who attend a Francophone elementary school in Victoria will have no disruption to their learning in the next school year as they change school locations, according to the B.C. government.
Students at École élémentaire Beausoleil will move from their current school at 1623 Bank St. to a new, $9.9-million modular school on the property of Braefoot Elementary in September.
The students are moving because the school's lease on its current building, owned by the Greater Victoria School District, is set to expire this summer.
The new temporary school will consist of 12 modules connected by covered walkways "to create a 'village' and provide all the amenities needed to facilitate a safe, functional and positive learning environment for students," according to the province.
"We recognize this has been a difficult situation for Beausoleil students and their families," said Murray Rankin, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head in a statement Tuesday.
"That’s why we have worked closely with the (Conseil scolaire Francophone) to ensure the school has a facility in place as soon as possible, which will allow students to continue learning in French in our community," he said.
Currently, Beausoleil offers classes for children in kindergarten to Grade 3. The new modular facility will offer programs up to Grade 4 in September, then grades 5 and 6 in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
In the meantime, the CSF says it is continuing to work with the Greater Victoria School District on developing a permanent space for a new school at the Lansdowne Middle school campus.
"Francophone families in Victoria deserve to have access to the same high-quality education in both of Canada’s official languages," said Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside.
"With funding now in place for a modular school to be built for École Beausoleil students, those families now have certainty that their school can continue to operate while work is underway on a permanent solution," she said.
