‘No plans’ to introduce free BSL courses for parents and guardians of deaf children, Government confirms (BSL)

The UK Government has “no plans” to introduce free British Sign Language (BSL) courses for parents and guardians of deaf children, the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed, in a revised response to a petition calling on it to do so.

Mother Katie Littlejohns, whose son Alvie is moderately deaf, launched the petition last year. which has since gone on to gain almost 19,500 signatures at the time of writing.

In a piece for The Limping Chicken in October, Katie said it is “absolutely vital” that a child being deaf should not prevent them from learning a language.

“Free courses that are out there are great, but these teach the basics, not fluency.

“If parents can’t afford the BSL courses, and don’t qualify for funding (ie universal credit) they won’t be able to undertake them.

“As a mum who was already suffering with postnatal depression, the impact it had on me as I worried that I may not be able to communicate with my son and how this could effect his development and mental health was simply devastating,” she wrote.

A month later, the UK Government issued an initial response to the petition, referencing the Adult Education Budget to support adult learners studying for a qualification.

However, the reply was branded “irrelevant” by Katie as one which “doesn’t address the actual purpose of the petition”, and the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) said it “misses the mark by a wide distance”.

It was also criticised by MPs sitting on the Petitions Committee, who asked the DfE to provide a “revised” response because it felt the original one “did not directly address the request of the petition”.

Excellent meeting with @vickyfoxcroft @grahamhturner discussing our campaign. Thank you for your support 🙏🏼 Free BSL courses for parents of deaf children is so important. #BSL #deaf #disabilityinclusion #Disability please sign and share the petition https://t.co/NPTsoh9Yrx pic.twitter.com/f0b3l06Mx1

— Katie Littlejohns (@KatielittleJ) January 10, 2023

On Tuesday, the DfE issues a second reply to the petition, stating that while the government “recognises how important it is for parents and guardians of children” to access a BSL course, there are “no plans to introduce a universal free BSL course for this cohort”.

It continues: “Funding is available through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focussing on British Sign Language (BSL) up to and including Level 2.

“About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority who determine which provision to fund for learnersresident in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides the remaining funding for learners resident in non-devolved areas.

“Some providers of Community Learning offer BSL courses, and those providers determine the course fees, including levels of fee remission. For qualifications at Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.”

The DfE concluded by saying a list of BSL qualifications and funding offers can be found on the department’s qualifications webpage.

Speaking to The Limping Chicken, Katie said she was “disheartened” by the latest response to her petition.

“They acknowledged the importance yet no plans. How can the child be learning BSL if the parents can’t afford to learn it to teach them?

“For goodness sake. So a poor revision that proves to acknowledge the plight but not help [address] it,” she said.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.