Sign our petition asking that the Government change the National Curriculum to include British Sign Language.

We are campaigning that BSL be added as a language option to the Key Stage 2 (Junior) National Curriculum, so schools can choose to teach it rather than a Modern Foreign Language. 

As part of UK Parliament Week 2023 (6-12th November), the children of Park View Primary voted that this was the issue we wanted to put to Parliament. We believe that our children need to experience using their voices and engage with the democratic systems of the UK. 

As a school with a Resourced Provision for Deaf Children, we have several pupils who use BSL as a primary form of communication and BSL is a regular feature of school life. We experience first hand the value BSL offers, not only to the children from the resourced provision but to the majority of our students.

Please see the comments from our children in support of teaching BSL:

Why We Support British Sign Language in the National Curriculum

We are proud to support the petition calling for British Sign Language (BSL) to be recognised as an option within the National Curriculum. We believe that giving schools the choice to teach BSL as an alternative to a modern foreign language would create a more inclusive, accessible and relevant learning experience for many children.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 people in the UK use BSL as their primary or preferred language, with many more using it in their daily lives to communicate with friends, family members and colleagues. The BSL Act 2022 formally recognised British Sign Language as a language in England, Scotland and Wales, highlighting its importance within our society.

As mainstream schools welcome increasing numbers of children who speak English as an Additional Language and those with a range of communication needs, BSL offers a valuable tool that can support learning, inclusion and communication for all pupils.

At present, schools wishing to teach BSL must do so in addition to a modern foreign language. With curriculum time already stretched, this can make it difficult for schools to dedicate sufficient time to teaching BSL in the depth and quality it deserves. Allowing BSL to be taught within the National Curriculum framework would give schools greater flexibility and enable them to deliver high-quality BSL teaching as part of their language provision.

The Benefits of Teaching BSL

We believe that incorporating BSL into the curriculum would:

• Create a more inclusive and welcoming school community for deaf people, their families and the wider community.
• Raise awareness and understanding of deaf culture and the importance of accessible communication.
• Provide an additional form of communication that can support learning across the curriculum.
• Strengthen communication between deaf children, children with communication needs and their peers.
• Open pathways to future qualifications and career opportunities.
• Enable pupils to engage with a language that is increasingly visible across media, technology and public services.
• Provide meaningful professional development opportunities for school staff through readily available training programmes and resources.
• Give children a strong foundation for progression to the BSL GCSE and further study.

Challenges with the Current Modern Foreign Language Model

While we recognise the many benefits of learning a foreign language, there are challenges that schools such as ours can face:

• Many pupils already speak two or more languages and may be expected to learn a third or fourth language in school.
• Opportunities to practise the language outside lessons can be limited, making retention and fluency more difficult.
• Some families have limited opportunities to travel abroad and apply their language skills in real-life situations.
• Many primary schools do not have specialist or fluent language teachers.
• Non-specialist teachers may find pronunciation and grammar teaching challenging.
• Pupils do not always continue learning the same language when they move to secondary school.

Looking Ahead

By allowing schools to choose British Sign Language as part of their language curriculum, thousands of children could benefit from learning a highly relevant, practical and inclusive language. We believe this would provide schools with the time and flexibility needed to deliver BSL to a high standard, while helping to create a more accessible and understanding society for future generations.

Thank you for taking the time to read about why we support giving schools the option to teach BSL as part of the National Curriculum.