Plan for sign language GCSE by 2025 ‘unrealistic’

The British Sign Language GCSE seems unlikely to launch next September as planned.

Signature, which offers BSL qualifications, recently met with Ofqual to discuss the progress of the BSL GCSE. The previous government announced last year that the GCSE would launch in 2025.

However, Signature said it was told no date had been provided for a second consultation on the GCSE, though it was assured that Ofqual was actively working on the new qualification to make sure the assessment methodology would be appropriate. Ofqual said the next consultation will be published “in due course”.

Lindsay Foster, executive director of Signature, is reported as saying: “It is Signature’s belief that given how close we are to 2025, it is unrealistic that first teaching will commence in September 2025.”