The School of Signs has now launched and over 800 schools have now signed up. We decided it would be a good time to answer your most frequently asked questions about the programme of study.
1.Can families of deaf children access this?
Yes! We are not limiting access to only schools- we encourage anyone who would benefit from these free resources to make the most of them. This includes home educators, and families of deaf children. You can set up an account on the site and list the school type as ‘Other’.
2.Will teachers need prior knowledge of BSL?
No, there will be no pre-knowledge requirement. The School of Signs programme of study has been made in collaboration with the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) and all lessons have been pre-recorded by a qualified Deaf teacher. The lesson content will be delivered in BSL, accompanied with an English voice-over and subtitles, allowing hearing teachers and pupils to engage. Teachers will be given all of the resources, tools and lesson plans they need to support the students learning.
3.Can this be used in nurseries and pre-schools?
Yes- this resource is open to all. The content is aimed towards primary school aged children, so some of the lesson content may be targeted to a little bit older of a demographic, but we would encourage you to give it a go and see which of the resources are most useful for you. Each school can make this platform their own, whether they want to deliver all 10 lessons in their entirety, or just cherry-pick individual topics and printouts that suit their learners needs.
4.Will this be in Wales too?
Yes. We already have many Welsh schools signed up and using the School of Signs, so please feel free to join them.
5.Can parents sign up for their kids’ school?
No, they can’t. We would encourage them to tell the school about it and reach out to the teachers to do it for them.
6.Will the School of Signs cost a fee?
No, the programme of study is free of charge and always will be.
7.Is it suitable for secondary lower years?
The programme of study is targeted towards primary schools but is open to all and schools can select which parts are most relevant to their audience.