A GCSE in British Sign Language might be on the horizon

For years, charities and organisations that support those with hearing loss have been campaigning to introduce a GCSE in British Sign Language. Thanks to their hard work over the years, their dream may be coming true sooner rather than later.

Fighting for their rights

The Government pledged to introduce a BSL GCSE in 2018 after Deaf teenager Daniel Jillings forced the UK Government to begin work on the qualification after threatening legal action.

The Covid-19 pandemic put things on hold for a couple of years, but now things are getting back to normal, work on the GCSE had resumed.

A public consultation was due to take place in the “first half of 2022” according to Signature, the leading awarding body for British Sign Language, although that date was recently pushed back until 2023.

Both Signature and the Department of Education, however, insist that they remain committed to introducing the qualification.

The benefits of having BSL as a GCSE

Around 1 in 10 deaf children and young people use sign language in their education, and according to figures released by the National Deaf Children’s Society, only 35.1% of deaf children achieved a grade 5 (equivalent to a former high C/low B) in both English and Maths, compared with 55.8% of hearing children.

But having Sign Language as an available option would help hearing children also. It would give them the change to learn a new language, one which is different from the traditional French or Spanish options available in most schools.

Any schoolchild learning BSL can communicate more effectively with their deaf peers, inevitably leading to more people choosing interpreting as a career.

What will be assessed in a BSL GCSE?

While the qualification is yet to be written, it is likely that the GCSE in British Sign Language would be assessed differently than other spoken languages.

Lindsay Foster, executive director of Signature, explained: “A GCSE in BSL should not be the equivalent of learning a modern foreign language (MFL) but should be in a separate category of its own as a recognised language of English/Scotland and Wales,”

“I would expect the assessment to cover productive skills, receptive skills, and conversational skills in the language but it’s important also to include knowledge of the cultural history,” she adds.

While an optional GCSE in BSL isn’t the answer to all problems deaf people face, it is a very big step for the deaf community.

It not only increases understanding of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, but raises awareness some children face in school.

We’ll keep you updated.