Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

The School of Signs Teach your pupils BSL for free to open up opportunities and understanding for both deaf and hearing children... THE NEXT BIG THING [ THE TREND ] ONLINE ADAPTIVE LEARNING The School of Signs is a free British Sign Language (BSL) programme of study for UK primary schools. Created with qualified deaf teachers and partners, it offers 20 online lessons, an interactive series and resource support to make BSL both accessible and engaging, helping schools boost pupil’s confidence and communication skills. WHAT’S HAPPENING? The School of Signs enables schools to introduce British Sign Language for free and with no prior experience required. Developed over 18 months, with partners the Royal Association for Deaf People, ITV Signpost and 2Simple, the programme includes 20 lessons, an interactive series called Codebreakers , and varying classroom resources, including lesson plans and videos. With a hybrid learning model, blending classroom learning with engaging content, lessons are both dynamic and accessible. Schools can seamlessly track pupils’ progress, set homework, and access teacher CPD support. By integrating BSL into primary schools, language learning becomes more inclusive, culturally enriching, and supportive of students communication skills and social development. WHAT’S THE IMPACT? We hope to equip primary school pupils with the correct skills to communicate confidently with BSL users. Introducing BSL at primary school level lays the foundations for language learning and encourages children to adopt inclusive attitudes towards the deaf community. With 50,000 deaf children in the UK and over 151,000 BSL users, bridging the communication gap is vital in creating a more inclusive society. We strongly believe that learning BSL boosts confidence and helps foster a more empathetic learning environment. Feedback from schools who have already implemented BSL into the classroom report that there are cognitive improvements such as improved memory and better concentration skills. By creating a programme of study which is interactive, accessible, and engaging, The School of Signs supports both staff and children in developing meaningful communication skills in BSL which they can carry through till later life. GET INVOLVED Access The School of Signs for free at theschoolofsigns.org.uk to find both the lessons and the interactive series, Codebreakers , as well as resources and homework. Teachers will receive CPD support and can track students’ progress, making the programmes implementation simple. WHAT’S NEXT? The School of Signs has now launched and is available nationwide for primary schools. With partnerships like 2Simple’s Purple Mash, schools can seamlessly integrate the programme into everyday teaching. By developing this programme, we want to create pathways for continued BSL learning beyond primary education, and by introducing BSL at a young age, we hope to normalise its use in day-to-day life, ensuring deaf awareness becomes a usual part of school culture. The schools who have signed up to the programme will now play a part in shaping more inclusive classrooms, and subsequently, more inclusive communities. We hope that The School of Signs can make BSL a valued part of a child’s education, and help develop key skills for life. Contact: Website: theschoolofsigns.org.uk Discover More... Schools can visit theschoolofsigns.org.uk to register their school and start teaching today. 16 | www.teachwire.net PARTNER CONT ENT