The exams regulator warned the previous government it wouldn’t be possible to launch the long-awaited British sign language (BSL) GCSE in the timeframe announced by ministers, Schools Week can reveal.
Conservative ministers pledged to introduce the qualification next September, arguing it will “breakdown barriers, advance equality of opportunity, and celebrate the history and rich culture” of BSL.
But it now looks likely that date will be missed, campaigners say. It has since emerged Ofqual also advised the previous incumbents of Downing Street that it would not be possible to meet the timeframe.
BSL work ‘taking time’
Lindsay Foster, of BSL awarding body Signature, said: “It is [our] belief, given how close we are to 2025, that it is unrealistic that first teaching will commerce in September 2025.
“Although the delay may be frustrating, it is important that this qualification is right and meets the needs of those who will be taking it.”
Before a qualification is accredited by Ofqual, the body has to determine assessment rules and produce guidance on this. It then goes through a two-stage review.
The first is an independent review by at least two subject experts and Ofqual staff. A panel then considers the findings.
Final decisions on accreditation are taken by independent members of the regulator.
A spokesperson for the regulator said it is “obliged to secure rigorous standards in the implementation of qualifications to ensure they are robust and respected”.
“We must ensure this new GCSE is well designed, takes in the views of the deaf community, and meets the needs of students learning BSL – and this work takes time.”
Deaf charities and other campaigners have been calling for a BSL GCSE for years, and the government has been planning to introduce one for around five years, but with little progress.
This comes after Schools Week revealed that the natural history GCSE is also unlikely to be introduced by its original target of next September as the sign-off process was stalled earlier this year.
The proposals were announced to great fanfare by then-education secretary Nadhim Zahawi in 2022, forming part of the government’s sustainability and climate strategy.
