BSL Curriculum

British Sign Language is included in the Curriculum for Wales. This means that for deaf children who use BSL, their language is now part of the curriculum, with BSL progression steps at the same level as English and Welsh. It also means that schools can choose to teach BSL as an additional language to both deaf and hearing children. Click the links below for more information on BSL in the curriculum.

FAQs about BSL in the Curriculum

What is BSL?

British Sign Language (BSL) is a visual language with its own grammar, lexicon and linguistic structure. People who use BSL have their own unique Deaf culture and community. BSL is the first language of many deaf people in the UK and many deaf children here in Swansea schools.

What is the BSL Curriculum Guidance?

The guidance gives information to help schools plan and teach BSL. It includes information about what BSL is, how it can fit with the general school curriculum, and things that schools need to think about or do if they’re going to teach BSL.

What are the BSL Descriptions of Learning?

The curriculum for Wales has descriptions of learning for all the areas – science and technology, English, Maths, etc – these describe what learning should look like as children progress through school. There are also BSL descriptions of learning and they are at the same level as English, Welsh and international languages.

Which children will be learning BSL?

Deaf children who use BSL as their first language already will continue learning BSL in school. Schools will need to use the Descriptions of Learning to make sure that deaf children are making progress in BSL, just like English/Welsh.

Other children may also be learning BSL in school. The Curriculum for Wales says that all children will learn Welsh, English and at least one other language from primary school. That other language could be an international language like Spanish or French, or it could be British Sign Language. It will be up to each school to decide which language(s) they will teach.

The guidance says that anyone can learn BSL regardless of their home language or if they go to an English or Welsh school. This includes learners with additional learning needs (ALN). So pretty much anyone could learn BSL! But it will be up to the school if they decide to teach BSL as an additional language. They will need to think about what languages their staff already know, what training is available, and what languages are used in the local community.  

Who will be teaching BSL in schools?

This will look different depending on the school. In some schools they might be training staff in the school to teach BSL, or they may bring in a BSL tutor from outside the school. It’s important that whoever is teaching BSL has the right qualifications and expertise. It’s also important that schools are involving the deaf community and deaf culture.

What support is there for families who want to learn BSL?

The teachers of the deaf provide support for parents of deaf babies or children in Swansea who want to learn BSL. We have lots of BSL videos available as well. We also encourage parents who are learning BSL to meet people in the local Deaf community, and connect with other parents of deaf children.

What support is there for schools who want to teach BSL?

In Swansea we have funded video resources and training materials for schools – for example, showing BSL sentence structure and vocabulary, BSL stories and poems, and training on bilingual education and language development for deaf children. These materials are available to all Swansea schools. Teachers of the deaf are available for advice and can signpost schools to qualified BSL tutors and members of the deaf community. Schools can also ask for support from the local consortium.

What about Makaton, Signalong, SSE?

As mentioned before, BSL is a full language in its own right with its own grammar and sentence structure separate to English. Makaton, Signalong, and SSE are communication systems, not languages, and they are used along with spoken English. BSL provides full access to language for deaf children, so this is the language that our team uses in Swansea. Also, because Makaton, Signalong and SSE are not languages, they cannot be used to meet the international language requirement in schools.

What about exams?

Qualifications Wales are in the process of developing a BSL GCSE. Watch this space!

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact your child's Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People