Enhancing communication: Why children should learn British sign Language in their classroom

In our increasingly diverse world, the ability to communicate across different languages is more valuable than ever. One language, which the classroom often fails to consider is British Sign Language (BSL). Teaching children BSL from a young age offers numerous benefits that extend far beyond the classroom, fostering inclusivity, maximising accessibility, and development, whether that is cognitively or kinaesthetically.

Very often, students learn Makaton, and often people believe this is the same as BSL. However, there is a difference between the two types of language. Makaton is more widely used between individuals who have learning or communication difficulties. In contrast, BSL has its own vocabulary which has evolved over the past centuries.

Here at Signature, we recognise these benefits and often get to witness the impact that learning BSL has on real people’s lives.

Who is Signature?

Signature are the leading awarding body for British Sign Language and deaf communication qualifications. Established in 1982, Signature has played a pivotal role in promoting and teaching British Sign Language, having delivered courses to more than half a million people. Over the past 42 years, the individuals at Signature have continuously adapted qualifications, to ensure accessibility and inclusivity is maximised. Indeed, these two notions lie at the heart of Signature’s values.

The figures:

Statistics across the UK have found that across the UK, there are 50,000 children who are deaf. Additionally, in 2022, the Government founded that there around 151,000 BSL users across the UK in total, in which 87,000 of whom are Deaf. With an ageing population, studies from RNID have found that 1 in 3 adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Indeed, with a growing number of BSL users, bridging the communication gap between hearing and deaf communities is vital for a more inclusive society. Additionally, for those who are hearing, it cultivates a sense of consideration and understanding, further improving our society’s deaf awareness.

Bridging the communication gap facilitates kinaesthetic development, whilst also providing an opportunity to mitigate the mental health challenges that are faced more widely by deaf or hard of hearing individuals. Ultimately, if more people learn BSL, communication can be enhanced, therefore, reducing the isolation often experienced by deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Currently, research shows that 40% of deaf or hard of hearing are affected by mental health issues, compared to just 25% of the hearing population (NHS).

Due to a lack of BSL in the classroom, there exists a gap in the grades achieved in deaf children in comparison to their hearing counterparts. On average, deaf children achieve an entire GCSE grade less than their hearing peers. Just 35.1% of deaf children gained a grade 5 in English and Maths, compared to 55.8% of hearing children. Integrating BSL into the classroom fosters a more inclusive environment due to communication barriers being minimised. This integration promotes mutual understanding, ensuring that deaf students can engage more fully in their education.

Engagement within the classroom: Benefits for kinaesthetic learners:

Research from neuroscience infers that movement encourages the brain to process information more effectively.  Consequently, integrating movement into learning activities can enhance the learning experience for all students and not just those who are primarily ‘hands-on’ learners. BSL involves the use of hand movements and facial gestures. Indeed, this physical engagement helps students to develop their fine motor skills as well as their hand-eye coordination. Through having BSL integrated into the classroom, students are encouraged to physically express their words which further reinforces learning through visual and kinaesthetic association. Indeed, this enhances vocabulary and spelling. The variation that is seen within learning BSL equips students with new strategies to help communication skills, use of language, spelling and remembering words. Namely, BSL aids memory and activates channels of communication that spoken language cannot fulfil.

Cognitive benefits

As well as the kinaesthetic benefits, there are also numerous cognitive benefits associated with learning BSL. British Sign Language is a very visual form of communication, using gestures, facial expression, and body language. The use of gestures in BSL helps improve students’ memory. Students are able to associate signs with words, something which helps to strengthen memory retention