Dear Ms Taylor,
Ein cyf/Our ref DC/JH/10272/24: Letter to NDCS and Signature on BSL GCSE
Further to your letter to NDCS and Signature dated 5th December 2024 which was published on 18th December 2024 by Signature, the British Deaf Association (BDA) and BDA Cymru wanted to raise concerns about Qualification Wales’ response to NDCS and Signature’s letter by naming the BDA as one of the organisations that contributed towards the suspension of the Made-For-Wales BSL GCSE.
The BDA absolutely refutes the suggestion that we influenced Qualification Wales’ decision to suspend the Made-For-Wales BSL GCSE and we are disturbed that we have been named as one of the stakeholders. For clarity, we have obtained a copy of the minutes through a Freedom of Information request, and there is no indication that we contributed to the suspension. We are confident that our position has always been in support of advancing BSL education and ensuring equitable access to qualification.
Senedd documentation makes it clear as a matter of public record dating back to 30th June 2023, that the shortage of BSL teachers was brought up in the cross-party minutes by individuals and not the BDA. Concerns have been raised about the BSL teaching supply in Wales, and the record shows that this was not an issue brought forward by the BDA.
These Cross-Party Group minutes indicate that “The Chair suggested the Secretary capture those thoughts [about teacher shortages] and any others in a letter to the Senedd Education Committee”. As CPG members will know, that letter was sent by Mark Isherwood MS, as Chair of the CPG, on 12th November 2023. It was addressed to the Senedd Committee members and copied to Ian Morgan, Chief Executive, Welsh Joint Education Committee, and Philip Blaker, Chief Executive, Qualifications Wales. In summary, it is clear from the above that the relevant authorities in Wales, up to Senedd level, had issues of teaching supply drawn to their attention well over a year ago, if not before, and that the BDA was not the body raising the issue.
In March 2024, Qualification Wales announced the delay in rolling out the BSL GCSE as highlighted in this BBC article. Following the news release, BDA Cymru reached out to Qualification Wales to ask for more information about the decision to delay the BSL GCSE in Wales. Qualification Wales outlined concerns about the standard lexicon after becoming aware of differing dialects in BSL in Wales.
They also expressed concern about the shortage of BSL teachers available to deliver the course, particularly following the announcement in March. BDA Cymru pointed out that all languages have different dialects including English, Welsh, Spanish, etc and that BSL is no different. BDA Cymru asked if Qualification Wales had worked with ABSLTA because they had a list of BSL teachers not on the local books. They were unaware of ABSLTA.
Qualification Wales advised they would be back in touch in May 2024 to further discuss progress. In July 2024, Qualification Wales asked BDA Cymru if we held data on BSL teachers in Wales. We said no and signposted them to ABSLTA again. BDA Cymru also advised checking Signature’s BSL teachers listing.
When Qualification Wales announced the news in October 2024 that it was scrapping the Made-For-Wales BSL GCSE, BDA Cymru reached out to the Welsh Government to obtain Freedom of Information from Qualification Wales on all meetings with the BDA/BDA Cymru and any board papers relating to the 2024 decision not to progress a BSL GCSE in Wales.
Upon reviewing all documents received, we are satisfied the BDA and BDA Cymru acted in the best interests in supporting the development of a Made-For-Wales BSL GCSE by offering advice, guidance and signposting to ensure Qualification Wales were presented with solutions to their concerns.
Like the NDCS and Signature, the BDA and BDA Cymru remain committed to working towards a GCSE in BSL in England and Wales. At the recent Labour Party conference in Liverpool, young people were asked what kind of GCSE they wanted to see in the future, and they overwhelmingly said they wanted to see a GCSE in BSL.
BSL is an incredibly popular language that is well respected and loved by both deaf and hearing learners of all ages across the UK. Deaf people want this qualification and we stand ready to support Qualification Wales and Ofqual to overcome these challenges. We have always been supportive of the qualification and will continue to do so.
We would appreciate a clear statement acknowledging that we did not contribute to the decision to suspend the qualification.
Yours sincerely,
Rebecca Mansell & Martin Griffiths
Chief Executive Officer and BDA Wales Manager
