Ofqual has published its official rules to guide the design of a new British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE – but exam boards have not committed to creating the qualification.
Deaf charities have welcomed it as a “key milestone” for deaf children, and hope the GCSE will raise the profile of BSL and deafness.
But the country’s biggest exam board AQA has confirmed it will not be offering the award, while others say they are deciding whether to develop it.
Exam boards mull creating BSL GCSE
Just four exam boards are recognised by Ofqual to award GCSEs in England: AQA, OCR, Pearson and WJEC Eduqas.
It is now up to them to develop a BSL GCSE offer, which would then have to go through Ofqual’s accreditation process before the qualification could be rolled out.
A spokesperson for the biggest exam board, AQA, said it “strongly supports attempts to make the education and assessment system more inclusive and representative of the students it serves” and “recognise[s] the challenges faced by deaf students”.
But they added: “At this time, we have decided not to create an AQA specification for a GCSE in British Sign Language.
“We are exploring other ways in which we can support BSL users to access existing qualifications, to enable them to better demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills across the curriculum.”
WJEC said it was not currently developing a BSL GCSE, but “will be reviewing this decision” as part of its response to the government’s curriculum and assessment review.
Cambridge OCR told Schools Week a decision is yet to be made. And Pearson said it would be carefully considering whether to develop the qualification, and will review the new Ofqual rules in coming weeks.
Ofqual has confirmed only these four organisations would be able to submit a BSL GCSE specification for accreditation. Any other awarding organisation wanting to deliver the qualification wold first need to gain recognition from Ofqual to provide GCSEs.
New rules an ‘important step’
Ofqual’s executive director of policy, Catherine Large, hailed the publication of rules as an “important step” towards establishing the “new and unique” GCSE.
“It could help bring communities together by improving communication between deaf and hearing people,” she said.
The Department for Education set the curriculum for the GCSE in 2023, but Ofqual is responsible for ensuring assessments are “valid, reliable and fair for all students”.
The rules are designed to ensure arrangements are appropriate for new learners of BSL, and “as accessible as possible for students who use BSL as their first or primary language”, said Ofqual.
The British Deaf Association (BDA) estimates 151,000 people in the UK use BSL, 87,000 of whom are deaf. Around 22,000 people in England and Wales use BSL as their main language, 2021 census data shows.
Ofqual published its rules following a public consultation, in which the regulator said its proposals were met with support. It decided to implement all the conditions, requirements and guidance outlined in its consultation.
The new regulatory requirements cover the language and accessibility of the assessments, vocabulary and grammar, prohibiting access to dictionaries, the use of stimulus materials, the assessment objectives and the expectations for non-exam assessments.
The GCSE “will assess students’ ability to comprehend BSL, produce signs accurately, interact using BSL, and demonstrate understanding of the history of BSL,” said an Ofqual press release.
Charities welcome new rules
George Crockford, chief executive the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), welcomed the rules as a “landmark” for young deaf campaigners who “have fought so hard for the right to study a GCSE in BSL”.
He described it as “a key milestone in creating a world where anything is possible for deaf children.”
Lindsay Foster, executive director of charity Signature, said: “We are excited to see this next milestone delivered after more than 15 years of work.”
The DfE initially hoped the qualification would be launched this autumn, but after progress stalled, BSL is now not expected to be taught until 2028 at the earliest.
Foster anticipates “there will continue to be some challenges as we move forward”.
She said BSL “does not neatly fit into the traditional GCSE or MFL [modern foreign languages] assessment criteria boxes and will require some innovative thinking for the organisations who want to develop it”
“Ofqual will also need to continue to engage constructively around any more creative solutions to these challenges…BSL is a visual language that cannot be compared to or classified as an MFL.”
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