At DSBN, ESL and ELD (English Language Development) programs are designed to meet diverse student needs and create meaningful opportunities for growth and engagement.
All DSBN secondary schools support multilingual learners, and every educator plays a role in supporting students in ways that honour their languages, cultures, and lived experiences.
Students who are new to learning English typically begin at one of the board’s ESL or ELD site schools:
- Westlane Secondary School (ESL)
- St. Catharines Collegiate (ESL and ELD)
- Welland Centennial Secondary School (ESL and ELD)
- Stamford Collegiate (ELD)
ESL (English as a Second Language) Students:
- Have age-appropriate literacy and numeracy skills in their first language
- Have had consistent prior schooling in their home country or elsewhere
- Are developing English proficiency to access the Ontario curriculum
ELD (English Literacy Development) Students:
- Have limited or no literacy skills
- May have had significant gaps or interruptions in formal schooling
- Need to develop foundational literacy and numeracy while learning English
Note: New students may need an English language assessment before course selection. The Welcome Centre will contact families and guide them through the process if needed.