British Sign Language Update - 10 December 2024 

Qualifications Wales recognises that studying British Sign Language between the ages of 14 and 16 will give learners a vital life skill, valued by both employers and members of the Deaf community. As part of its work to reform GCSEs, Qualifications Wales was aiming for a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL) to be available in 2027, within the new National Qualifications offer.  

After carrying out detailed scoping work, and careful consideration of continuing challenges, the decision was made in October 2024 to suspend development of this GCSE and offer learners the opportunity to study BSL as part of a new Skills for Life qualification. This qualification will be available in all schools from September 2027.  

The existing range of qualifications available to Deaf learners, offered by the awarding body Signature, will continue to be designated for use in Wales - including those qualifications that are similar to the GCSE. This will ensure that the small number of learners who choose to take these qualifications each year may continue to do so.    

Background 

From the outset, Qualifications Wales adopted a different approach to development of a made-for-Wales GCSE in BSL, compared with similar work for other subjects. This was to allow more time to work with a specialist advisory group - that included a senior academic in sign language and deaf studies, teachers of Deaf children and young people, and the owner of a company providing deaf awareness training and BSL support. 

Through research and engagement with this group, and others, it became increasingly clear that the GCSE should be aimed at those learning BSL for the first time. While this would not preclude Deaf learners who primarily communicate via BSL from entering the GCSE (as would be the case for a bilingual learner taking a modern foreign language GCSE), they were not the target cohort. A similar decision was made for the GCSE in BSL under development in England. 

During our discussions with stakeholders, it also became clear that the development of this qualification still posed many practical challenges for the Welsh education sector. In particular, there is not a ready-made workforce of qualified teachers who could teach a GCSE in this subject. This issue rightfully presents a significant concern to many within both the BSL and school communities.  

We also received representations from the Deaf community that teaching should only be undertaken by Deaf teachers. There are very few BSL teachers with a teaching qualification, and very few qualified teachers able to teach BSL. During Qualifications Wales’ regular engagement headteachers, none had indicated an intention to offer GCSE BSL in their schools.  

Another challenge is that there is currently no official repository or ‘dictionary’ for BSL in Wales, which would be necessary to support consistent teaching and learning. Unlike other UK nations, Wales does not have a centralised means for developing new signs. 

Collectively, these concerns represent significant challenges for supporting and managing the planned introduction of a GCSE. Without the necessary workforce and resources, and in the absence of assurances that these would be made available, it was not viable to continue development of a GCSE in BSL.  

Qualifications Wales feels confident that the BSL units in the new Skills for Life qualification will be a fitting introduction for those learners for who the GCSE was initially intended. The BSL units (from Entry Level to Level 2) will also enable more learners to study the subject than if their introduction to it demanded the 120-140 guided learning hours required for a full GCSE - meaning that a greater number of learners will have access to this important, inclusive life skill. These units will be manageable for schools and lend themselves to peripatetic teaching, making good use of the existing teacher workforce. 

Depending on the successful delivery and take-up of these new BSL units, and satisfactory assurance that delivery challenges can be addressed, Qualifications Wales will consider, over time, whether the National Qualifications offer could be further expanded to include a GCSE in BSL specifically designed for Wales. 

In the meantime, awarding bodies developing the GCSE British Sign Language in England will be able to apply to have this qualification designated for use by learners in Wales.