Lindow Community Primary School Becomes First in Cheshire to Teach British Sign Language as Part of the Curriculum
Lindow Community Primary School in Wilmslow has become the first primary school in Cheshire to introduce British Sign Language (BSL) as part of its curriculum for every pupil.
The school has launched a progressive BSL programme that will see all 150 pupils taught the language each week, from Reception through to Year 6.
The initiative has been developed over three years by the school’s Teacher of the Deaf and senior lead, Sharon Brown, working in partnership with DSN (Deaf & Sensory Network), the region’s leading deafness support charity.
Sharon said: “Lindow has a specialist resource provision for deaf children, currently supporting four pupils, but the new curriculum takes BSL beyond the specialist setting and embeds it across the whole school.”
Developing Skills Year by Year
Teachers have undertaken extensive BSL and deaf awareness training led by DSN’s deaf tutor, Lisa Birtles, with some members of staff progressing to Level 3 BSL and beyond.
Pupils will build their skills progressively. Children will begin with greetings, fingerspelling, colours, weather, family and signed stories in Reception before moving on to conversations, grammar, presentations and real-life communication.
The curriculum also covers deaf awareness, history and culture, language, communication, inclusivity and access to technology.
Sharon added: “We wanted to create something that genuinely embedded BSL within the life of the school rather than it being something used only within our deaf resource provision.
“The children build their skills year on year, from basic vocabulary and receptive skills through to expression, handshape, direction, grammar and increasingly confident conversations.
“Our ambition is that every child who leaves Lindow has meaningful BSL skills and a much greater understanding of deaf culture, inclusion and communication.”
BSL is also being incorporated into signed songs, assemblies, performances and enrichment activities.
Creating an Inclusive School Community
Tom O’Keefe, Headteacher at Lindow Community Primary School, said: “We are incredibly proud to be the first primary school in Cheshire to introduce a comprehensive BSL curriculum of this kind.
“For us, inclusion is about creating a whole-school culture where everyone has the tools and confidence to communicate with one another.
“We hope what we are doing here can demonstrate what is possible and inspire other schools to consider how BSL and deaf awareness could become part of their own curriculum.”
The partnership with DSN has also included bespoke staff training, while BSL Level 2 courses are being delivered for staff, parents and members of the wider community.
Gill Reeder, Chief Executive of DSN, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, said: “Communication is fundamental to inclusion. By teaching hearing children BSL alongside their deaf peers, Lindow is giving everyone the opportunity to meet one another halfway.
“We would love to see this become a model that other schools across Cheshire and beyond can learn from.”
Native deaf BSL user and DSN tutor Lisa Birtles added: “Seeing BSL taught from such an early age is incredibly important. Children grow up seeing signing as a normal part of communication, which helps break down barriers.
“For deaf children, seeing their language valued by their friends, teachers and wider school community is incredibly powerful, and we have been delighted to see the curriculum Sharon and the team have worked so hard to create finally become a reality.”
Lindow now hopes the approach will help establish the school as a centre of excellence for deaf education and encourage more deaf families to consider the school.
For information about deaf awareness training, partnership working and BSL courses, visit DSN or email [email protected].
To learn more about Lindow Community Primary School and its Deaf Resource Base, visit the school’s website.