John Walker: What do we gain from a GCSE in BSL?

Who would have thought the government would change their mind to potentially support the development of a GCSE in BSL?

There were pressures on many sides including: MPs who could use sign language, the petitions submitted, the crowd funding to take this issue to court, the current popularity of signed languages (see Maisie Watts) and the growing numbers of hearing children who learn a form of signed language in pre-school and primary education.

The most important beneficiaries will be deaf children, who will have the opportunity to learn BSL and to qualify in their own language.

So, if it happens, what do we gain from a GCSE in BSL?

1. A more accurate set of GCSEs that represents the pupils’ abilities

Education, in mainstream schools, is rarely tailored towards deaf children’s needs; pupils have to adapt to a mainstream approach to learning.

But a BSL GCSE would be the first qualification that could allow pupils to learn accordingly to their abilities, not disabilities – it will provide a more accurate representation of their skills. Let’s imagine, a pupil could leave school with a grade of 8 (A*) in BSL and 5 (C) in English – this would show the pupil’s potential.

Furthermore, future statistics would spot a trend if deaf pupils were able to attain high level qualification in BSL but not in other subjects. It becomes a realistic litmus test on the state of mainstream education for deaf children. It helps to push the agenda that there is more to be done.

2. Our language is equivalent to other languages

This will mark the end of the days where sign language is considered only to be a communication aid or a teaching tool, BSL should be taught as a language for life.

At the point when pupils leave their schools, where communication is controlled to facilitate learning, they are overwhelmed by the fact that communication is rarely clear. Learning BSL will give young deaf people the chance to prepare for their future.

3. It is not just about deaf pupils

With the majority of deaf children attending mainstream schools, for the first time, deaf pupils can learn BSL alongside their hearing peers. It will help to foster new relationships in a positive way.

This positive message will impact future generations because hearing pupils could continue to use the language in adulthood. I wrote in another Limping Chicken article of my trip to the States, when I met hearing signers everywhere, especially in places where an interpreter are rarely present.

4. Pupils who use communication support workers are rarely taught sign language

Pupils who communicate in sign language often use communication support workers. Bizarrely, students are taught most subjects through this medium but are rarely taught how to use the language.

Comparatively, I have never seen a hearing pupil taught a subject in English without support from a lesson on English, so how is it possible for deaf pupils to not receive the same in BSL?

5. Pupil profiles do not include abilities in BSL

Consequently, a school may create a profile of each deaf pupil but these documents, at the moment, include little information about the individual’s abilities in BSL, they only refer to English.

Quite often, these profiles do not match the pupils accurately, they focus more on the aspirations of the educational system. Perhaps now, deaf children’s signing abilities will be captured, recorded and monitored on par with English.

6. It is BSL and English

We have discussed bilingual education for years and we have yet to develop bilingual education in mainstream education, apart from a few gems around the world.

Let’s be clear here: the advocates for BSL have always campaigned for English and BSL to be taught side by side, as two languages. BSL can facilitate the learning of English, and vice versa.

7. There is never a choice, if there is no choice available

Deaf pupils have never received the choice to learn BSL because no qualification has existed, so it is hard to measure what the impact will be on students and whether they desire to learn the language. After all, deaf pupils can not make choices, if the choice is not there in the first place.

With a BSL GCSE, pupils could learn the language and later decide if BSL is useful for them and their journey through education and adult life. After all, it is the deaf pupil who is the real expert.

8. BSL uses a different modality

Many languages function in the listening/speaking modality, but BSL functions in the seeing/moving lifeworld – it is an additional mindset that will allow pupils to communicate in different ways. While, not all deaf pupils learn in the same way, nor do hearing pupils; and this GCSE will be a new lease in life for many.

9. Jobs for many

There is a potential of employment opportunities for people who are fluent in BSL; many will be Deaf and some will be hearing. If a language is a bona fide language, we will need to take the view that anyone should be able to learn the language and teach it.

For lessons where foreign languages are taught, most pupils in secondary schools learn a languages from a non-native user. In reality, there are not enough Deaf BSL tutors in the UK, but their skills will be essential for future A levels, teacher training, and BSL degrees in universities. BSL teachers need to start preparing to teach levels 3 to 6, where their excellent skills and cultural knowledge are really needed.

10. More bilingual professionals

If you ask a Deaf person what would they prefer: a sign language interpreter for a doctor’s appointment or a doctor who can sign directly. It is more likely that most will ask for a doctor who has a fair fluency in BSL – we all want to communicate directly with professionals in our own language. A BSL GCSE will inspire pupils to use their skills in their future careers, deaf or hearing.

John Walker, Teaching Fellow at Sussex Centre for Language Studies, and Doctoral Researcher in human geographies at University of Sussex. The centre provides a range of undergraduate and open course programmes, which is growing year on year, in BSL and Deaf culture in Brighton, Sussex. Past projects have included, Eurosigns, Eurosign Interpreter, Signall, Hidden Histories: Intercultural dialogue, and Mapping Deaf Brighton. Deputy Chair of Signature, national awarding body for sign language, applied sign language and communication strategies. The views expressed here are John’s views and his alone, and not those of the organisations he may represent.