This blog was originally posted on the NDCS campaigns blog and is shared here by kind permission.
Earlier this year, the National Deaf Children’s Society Youth Advisory Board, after months of hard work, launched their new Right to Sign campaign, calling for more opportunities for young people to learn sign language in schools.
They surveyed over 2,000 young people – deaf and hearing – and found that a whopping 92% thought schools should offer British Sign Language (BSL) as a GCSE. They published a report setting out the results in full and the case for action.
And the response from the Government? No.
On Tuesday, when asked if the Department for Education in England would encourage exam boards to offer BSL as a GCSE, the Minister, Nick Gibb, said: “At present, there are no plans to introduce any further GCSEs beyond those to which the Government has already committed.”
To our knowledge, this is the first time the Government has ruled out introducing a BSL GCSE since the campaign was launched. It’s a massive disappointment and a real slap in the face for all of the hard work done so far by the Youth Advisory Board.
It’s hard not to feel angry about the response. It’s simply unfair and unjust that BSL, an official language in the UK used by thousands of people, is being treated in a way which implies it has a lower status and importance than other languages already being taught as GCSEs. It could even be seen as discriminatory to deaf people.
We’re not going to be deterred and will keep pressing the Department for Education in England for action – our briefing sets out some of the arguments we’re using. Two members of the Youth Advisory Board will also be asking MPs to support their campaign when they head to party political conferences later this month.
If you want to show your support for our work, please sign the Youth Advisory Board petition. More information about the different ways you can support the campaign can be found on the Buzz website.
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Cathy
September 14, 2017
So people are angry that the Minister has said “no”. But why be angry? It is not as though we are really prepared for teaching a BSL GCSE are we? Do we have enough Deaf teachers to teach the language around the country? Will these Deaf people be qualified to teach? How would they handle a class of 30 children when they cannot hear what is going on? Will they need an interpreter to understand the children? Most likely yes, they will. This actually means that cost goes through the roof before we have even started! And who is going to teach Deaf people to become qualified teachers in the first place? Or are we just going to all march in unqualified and start teaching BSL?!
If there are not enough Deaf teachers who are capable of teaching at GCSE level what then? Shall hearing people start teaching it? But they will have to attend BSL classes and I cannot see how they will find the time?!
And what about the children? At GCSE level exams are crucial. What happens when they get confused between English Grammar and BSL grammar? Less bright children, especially, could end up very confused. Who then takes responsibility for wrecking their English skills?
Iam really sorry, but even as a profoundly Deaf bilingual person, myself, I feel we are banging the drum for a BSL GCSE far too soon, without a solid plan in place. I agree with the minister saying “no!”
Editor
September 14, 2017
Completely disagree with you on every point you’ve made.
Above all, one thing you’ve missed is the benefit for deaf children and people of more people becoming fluent in BSL, and learning how to communicate with us.
Planning: When a commitment is made to teach BSL as a GCSE, people can begin to plan and prepare. There are deaf teachers of BSL all over the country who can get it started, while others train in anticipation of further work in future.
Your point about needing an interpreter – that’s the same as any other job a Deaf person does, which they can apply for ATW support for. But I also know many BSL teachers who teach with no further communication support – in fact, this helps them teach BSL by making the class communicate in sign/Deaf friendly communication.
And your point about pupils getting mixed up between different grammar? Isn’t that part of learning ANY language? For example, French has a very different grammar to English.
Penelope Beschizza
September 14, 2017
As an UK citizen who works part-time, pays taxes, rates, NI etc., and being Deaf (with fibromyalgia + etc), I literally felt:
🙁 insulted
🙁 ostracised &
🙁 rudely put aside with the attitude of the minister and complacency of the government.
Cathy, I see your points…….but!…………………………. the NDCS’s Young Advisory Panel – brilliant youngsters, a former student I worked with was in the previous YAP – they have the RIGHT as frontline deaf learners to present clear and solid evidence of the demand for BSL both as a secondary language and qualification.
Deaf students in mainstream education for decades acknowledge this.
Even now, we see young deaf adults facing years of anger, regret and bitterness after leaving school, recognising what was denied them as ‘whole persons’.
Agree with the LC Editor – because in some mainstream schools with Deaf Units, the potential is there for BSL Deaf teachers to work within the Language department;s and Deaf people can have active roles in teaching and learning support.
Sign with everyday gestures and using spatial spaces (like higher & lower, strands/layers, hierarchy and levels of quality and quantity) in mainstream spoken classes enhance the audio/visual learning channels.
BSL in schools does enhance the whole school experience.
Last but not least, the minister not only betrayed the YAP, our future deaf electors, he has betrayed future deaf generations, families, carers, friends, colleagues, communities and society.
How about this – the minister sees a group of young deaf people, one wonders what his real attitude was like – he acted in a way that brushed off ‘human rights dignity’.
NO WAY.
Cathy
September 14, 2017
I can understand your points, but is the editor aware that you are supposed to be one level above the level you are teaching, this means that Deaf teachers need to be at A level standard to teach GCSE. How many do we have at that standard? I can barely count on one hand those teaching BSL who have A levels.
It is all very well saying we have a RIGHT but this hardly sits well when we do not have qualified teachers nor in enough numbers to spread nationwide.
As for the grammar, don’t forget BSL still uses the same words as English and that is why kids could be more confused between the two.
I don’t agree that the Minister has simply brushed us off and given us no dignity! Iam sure they have thought the logistics of this through.
When we have massive numbers of qualified deaf teachers capable of teaching at GCSE level then I will bang the drum with you and not before.
Editor
September 15, 2017
That’s a very negative view of both deaf people and deaf teachers, in my view. Deaf BSL teachers are qualified, so it’s a real shame that another deaf person is taking them down.
Nathan
September 14, 2017
Everyone is unfortunately on the assumption that goverments do everything and then surprise surprise people start blaming the government when they don’t get the answer they want to hear ….
Why do people think the government are responsible for GCSEs?
GCSE are marketed and sold by exam boards . E.g AQA, edExcel, OCR etc….it’s up to them to introduce subjects – not the government!
Having a quick look at AQA website , they offer various languages such as Bengali etc
As usual, this is just another deaf charity with their highly paid exveutices stirring the pot for political purposes instead of rolling up their sleeves and get down to work with a exam board to offer a BSL curriculum. But it’s far easier to complain and blame the government……