GCSE BSL for schools
Let OxfordBSL guide your students through the new GCSE BSL, so they can gain a better understanding of the Deaf community, a qualification and skill that can lead to new opportunities and develop a love of a beautiful language!
Exam boards are busy working on their syllabuses for the GCSE and your Year 9 pupils will be thinking about their GCSE options soon; now is the ideal time to consider offering GCSE BSL as an option at your school. OxfordBSL will guarantee you a qualified teacher who is both experienced in the language and has the ability to deliver a high standard of teaching.
With the flexibility to work freelance or employed on a part-time contract to suit your school or academy trust, now is the time to get in touch to discuss the GCSE further.
Syllabus
Extract below from the Gov.uk website - GCSE BSL Everything You Need to Know
What will be on the BSL curriculum?
As part of the GCSE, students will be taught at least 750 signs and how to use them to communicate effectively with other signers for use in work, social and academic settings.
Students will also learn about the history of BSL, and how it evolved into the language it is today.
The GCSE assumes no prior knowledge of BSL but will be accessible for students who use it as their first language.
We have worked closely with subject experts, stakeholders, exam boards and schools to ensure the subject content is knowledge-rich, diverse in its teaching and challenging. The qualification is internationally recognised and accepted in school and college performance tables.
You can view the BSL GCSE subject content on Gov.uk.
When will the GCSE be available?
We aim to have exam board syllabuses approved by September 2025.
The BSL GCSE has been in development since 2019 but was delayed due to the pandemic.
Qualifications do take time to develop from scratch. Once the subject content has been finalised post-consultation, any exam boards that choose to offer the GCSE need time to develop a full specification.
Specifications must be reviewed and accredited by Ofqual before schools and colleges are able to teach them.
Schools also require time to prepare for the introduction of new qualifications, including planning any timetable changes and ensuring teachers have the support they need to teach them.
What are the benefits of studying BSL at GCSE?
BSL was recognised in law as a language of Great Britain in the BSL Act (2022), and the new GCSE will be key to helping inclusivity within education.
The study of BSL will help students to develop ways of expressing and negotiating meaning through visual spatial language, communication and visual memory skills that will be an advantage to them for the rest of their lives.
As well as learning how to sign effectively, the GCSE will also give students an understanding of the history of sign language in the UK. This will provide a solid foundation for students' understanding of how the language has reached its current form.
Course Content
Further information about the GCSE course offered by OxfordBSL will be available when the syllabuses are finalised by exam boards.
The proposed subject content can be found here. Broadly speaking, it will contain similar content to the Level 1 and Level 2 Signature courses that OxfordBSL currently offers.
Get in touch
Email info@oxfordbsl.com for more information or to arrange a meeting to discuss your requirements.