A French immersion school for children from junior kindergarten to grade six will open in Orangeville in time for the 2008-09 school year.

The former Springbrook school at 16 Century Drive will open under a new school board and possibly a new name in September as Dufferin parents choosing an education in French for their children can stop having to send their offspring out of the county.

Clair Francoeur, spokesperson for the Conseil Scolaire de District due Centre-Sud- Ouest (CSDCSO), said the board had been planning for some time to obtain a facility in Orangeville and the move means parents who chose to send their children to a French immersion system can now do so locally.

A representative of the Upper Grand District School Board said provincial regulations allowed the CSDCSO to purchase the school for a token one dollar.

The law states that when one board's educational facility becomes available, other school boards must be informed to see if the building can be used. If not, the building is opened up to other interests at its market value.

Ms. Francoeur said parents were sending their children as far away as Kitchener and Guelph for a French-oriented education. She pointed out that Orangeville has 27 families who opted to direct their education property tax to the French system.

The school will also feature a daycare centre for parents with smaller children. The facility will need some work, such as on the heating and water systems, but Ms. Francoeur is confident the building will be brought up to code.

As to who will be eligible to enroll in the new school, children of English-only parents may be better suited at another school, as Ms. Francoeur said by law students with a right to French immersion are those whose parents who either speak or have studied French.

"These are not just French lessons we're talking about here, these students are fully immersed in French, in all subjects. It's just like any other school in the province, with the same curriculum, just taught in French. Parents need to know how to speak the language to provide the support at home," she said.