New GCSE will be the first of its kind and will teach students how to communicate through sign language
Students are one step closer to the British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE being taught in schools, as the Government launches a 12-week consultation on the content of the new qualification.
The qualification will include students being taught to communicate effectively with other signers for use in work, social and academic settings, providing them with valuable life skills welcomed by employers.
The Department for Education (DfE) has been working closely with subject experts, stakeholders and schools to develop proposed content to ensure that this new GCSE is internationally recognised and accepted in school and college performance tables. In line all qualifications, the GCSE will be knowledge-rich, diverse and as challenging as any other GCSE.
Views on the new qualification, including the language skills to be studied and the role of history, are being sought from teachers, employers and the deaf and hearing communities. The Government aims to introduce this for first teaching from September 2025.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:
Ofqual Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said:
Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:
Tasha Ghouri, influencer and activist for the deaf community said:
Ian Morgan, Chief Executive, Eduqas, said:
Lindsay Foster, Executive Director at Signature said:
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, said:
The recently published special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) improvement plan set out how all children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, will get the support they need to succeed in their education.
British Sign Language was recognised in law as a language of Great Britain in the BSL Act (2022) and the new GCSE will be key to advancing inclusivity within education.
The study of BSL will enable students to develop ways of expressing and negotiating meaning through visual spatial language, communication and visual memory skills that will be an advantage to them for the rest of their lives.
As well as learning how to sign effectively, the GCSE will also give students an understanding of the history of sign language in the UK. This will provide a solid foundation for students’ understanding of how the language has reached its current form.