Integrating British Sign Language into deaf education

This article argues for the integration of British Sign Language (BSL) into the core of deaf education in England. Despite progress in early identification and intervention, deaf pupils continue to experience educational disadvantage, with persistent attainment gaps compared to their hearing peers. Current policy remains rooted in a medicalised model of deafness, with BSL marginalised in favour of speech and audiological interventions. The authors identify five key challenges: the dominance of disability frameworks over language rights; the medicalisation of deaf education; the exclusion of BSL from the National Curriculum; the impact of socio-economic inequality; and weak assessment arrangements. The paper explores how meaningful integration of BSL would look, including the adoption of the BSL Curriculum, the rollout of the BSL GCSE, workforce development for BSL teachers, and reform of assessment practices. Drawing on policy reviews, attainment data, and practitioner insights, the authors show how a bilingual model, placing BSL on an equal footing with English, can support improved outcomes for deaf pupils and enrich learning for hearing peers.