BSL:UPTAKE » Blog Archive » Scoping Study, Part 9 – BSL-related provision: pre-school and school issues

Scoping Study, Part 9 – BSL-related provision: pre-school and school issues

Evidence in this report demonstrates that very few services and schools have staff with advanced levels of BSL, and that there are wide regional variations. Few Deaf staff are employed, particularly in visiting services, and there are fewer Deaf ToDs than there were 4 years ago. In general, it seems that BSL currently tends to be encouraged as a result of perceived need rather than as a positive bilingual option.

As a background to this, there remain unresolved controversies around the place of BSL within the linguistic spectrum facilitated by pre-school and school services – particularly in early years, and particularly in the light of developments in cochlear implantation.

The practical reality is that there have been few opportunities for staff to receive advanced level training, or to formally assess and monitor development of BSL language. However, this is likely to improve as a result of recent developments in BSL language development assessment and in advanced level training.

Therefore it seems timely to nationally take stock of:

evidence underpinning the potential place of BSL at pre-school and school stages; and

resources needed for fully informed linguistic choices.