BDA’s response to Ofqual’s rules for the new GCSE in British Sign Language

The BDA warmly welcomes Ofqual’s regulatory milestone and now calls for rapid implementation and Deaf-led delivery 

The British Deaf Association (BDA) welcomes today’s announcement by Ofqual concerning the finalised subject-level conditions, requirements and guidance for a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL). This represents a significant step forward for the Deaf community and BSL learners across England. 

The BDA recognises this as a landmark moment: for the first time BSL will have the potential to be offered at GCSE level, with formal regulation in place. This supports the recognition of BSL as a full language, aligns with the spirit of the British Sign Language Act 2022, and supports the cultural, linguistic and educational rights of Deaf people. Deaf signing children will be able to communicate more with their friends. As children grow up, they will take their BSL knowledge to help them engage with tens of thousands of deaf signers. Some may be inspired to move into shortage occupations such as becoming a BSL interpreter. 

We welcome Ofqual’s commitment to high-quality assessment, accessibility for students who use BSL, and fairness for all learners. Ensuring robust standards is essential for the qualification to be trusted by learners, schools, employers and higher education. 

However, the BDA emphasises that accessibility must go beyond compliance - the voices, knowledge and expertise of the Deaf community must be integral to both delivery and ongoing governance of the new GCSE. The BDA looks to work with Ofqual, awarding organisations and schools to ensure Deaf teachers and first-language signers use their fluency to offer the highest quality teaching.  

The BDA calls for clear plans to build a sustainable, Deaf-led workforce of specialist BSL teachers, and for sufficient resourcing of schools, colleges and training institutions to offer the GCSE to all learners. Without this, the risk is that the qualification exists on paper but opportunities to study for it remains limited.

Next steps and collaboration

The BDA stands ready to collaborate with Ofqual, the Department for Education and awarding organisations to support: 

  • Development of specifications, teacher training and materials that reflect Deaf culture, BSL linguistic diversity and inclusive pedagogy. 
  • Engagement with schools and Deaf community stakeholders to ensure uptake, awareness and equitable access. 
  • Monitoring of rollout, uptake, and outcomes of the GCSE to ensure it meets the aspirations of Deaf learners and the wider signing community.

Rebecca Mansell, Chief Executive Officer says, “Today’s decision marks a welcome recognition of BSL as a serious academic subject. For too long, young people have waited for the chance to study BSL at GCSE level on equal terms. We welcome the regulatory framework in place and look forward to schools, the Deaf community and the relevant authorities working together to deliver something meaningful, timely and culturally authentic. But we also call for urgency and action - a framework alone is not enough. Only through Deaf-led teaching and transparent rollout can this qualification fulfil its potential. The BDA will be vigilant to ensure this opportunity becomes real for young people nationwide.”

Media enquiries
For further information, interviews or BSL-interpreted responses, please contact:
media@bda.org.uk 


Notes: 

About the Consultation 

The feedback from the consultation provides clarification around the rules that all exam boards will need to follow. This includes guidance on assessment methods, standards, and accessibility to ensure the qualification is robust and inclusive for all learners. 

This now means that the BSL GCSE is now available to be developed by the awarding bodies.  

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