Lockview family of schools being reorganized to make way for pre-primary

Grades schools in the Beaver Bank, N.S., area will have a new look next year to make way for the province’s pre-primary program.

In a notice to parents issued on Tuesday, Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) confirmed there will be changes coming to Beaver Bank-Monarch Driver Elementary, Beaver Bank-Kinsac Elementary and Harold T. Barrett Junior High.

READ MORE: More questions as final Nova Scotia pre-primary programming rolls out

Both elementary schools will configure from a P-Grade 6 school to a pre-primary to Grade 5. The junior high school will now include sixth graders.

Lockview High School will continue to accommodate students in grades 9 to 12.

The changes will go into effect starting in September 2020.

“The reorganizing will provide Grade 6 students with additional opportunities to access specialized (and often larger) spaces like the gymnasium, cafeteria and family studies room,” Elwin LeRoux, HRCE regional executive director of education, said in a letter to parents and guardians.

“Between now and the end of the school year, staff from the HRCE will work with your School Advisory Council and school communities to plan a smooth transition.”

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READ MORE: ‘It’s been a game-changer’: Pre-primary education program expanding throughout Nova Scotia

Last week, Premier Stephen McNeil announced the final rollout of the universal pre-primary program for the remaining 48 school communities across the province.

The plan will see 31 of those programs implemented in school communities in the HRCE map.

1:40 ‘It’s been a game-changer’ – pre-primary expanding throughout the province

Parents and opposition critics have recently voiced concerns about how the final pieces will be put into place, with many saying classrooms are ill-equipped to accommodate additional students.

Nova Scotia Education Minister says additional infrastructure like property will need to be purchased, as well as additional renovations to some schools.

With files from Jesse Thomas.