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Put sign language on the National curriculum for all children from nursery through to secondary schools

“This Association in Conference Assembled Urges Her Majesty’s Government to Put Sign Language on the National Curriculum for All Children From Nursery Through to Secondary Schools.”

Head Office,

2019

Sent to Secretary of State for Education

At the moment there is no teaching of British Sign Language on the National Curriculum.

The majority of people surveyed by The National Deaf Children’s Society in May 2017 have said that sign language should be taught in schools.  The survey revealed that 92 % said that British Sign Language (BSL) should be offered as a GCSE.

British Sign Language (BSL) is a recognised language within the UK and is used by thousands of people; however it is not yet available as a GCSE subject that can be taught in schools.  After a campaign led by deaf young people, we understand that the Department for Education agreed in principle that a new GCSE can be introduced.  However progress in developing this appears slow.   

We are now calling on the Dept. of Education to ensure this does happen, as quickly as possible, so that no deaf young person is left unable to gain a GCSE qualification in their own language.  It is estimated that 10% of deaf children use sign language in their education, it is a language used across the country by thousands of people, the longer it goes on that it is not taught alongside other languages in schools such as Welsh or French etc, it implies it has a lower status and importance.  This is not fair or just, equality is an issue here, it could even be seen as discriminatory to deaf people, putting them at a disadvantage compared to their hearing peers.

Furthermore, by allowing BSL to be taught as a GCSE, it would help wider Government initiatives, in that our research has shown that there is a shortage in sign language interpreters, resulting in higher costs for Government programmes, such as (Access to work) making it harder for deaf people to enter the workforce.  A BSL GCSE could lead to more people considering interpreting for deaf people as a career, and so help address these issues.

The National Deaf Children’s Society issued a briefing in September 2019, reporting that they understood it may take two years at least for the Government to be able to introduce BSL as a new GCSE, and that relevant criteria must be met in order for this to happen.  Like them we as an Association are keen to see much quicker progress on this, and would like some reassurance that it will happen.

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March 2022 Update

To all clubs,

We have been asked by some clubs if we are going to do anything to help in the relief of the Ukraine refugees, we are going to suggest that rather than clubs doing any fundraising and sending it into the office it would be more efficient if clubs did their own thing and sent it to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) and then let Head Office know how much they contributed and we would gather the information together and see in total how much our clubs have sent.

The DEC is made up of 15 charities including The Red Cross, Save the Children and Oxfam. All of these charities are well known to us and right now they need our help.

Our club members have always been very generous with their time and efforts for many charities but we think on this occasion we should all work together once more as we did for the victims of the earthquake in Nepal.

Heavy fighting, shelling and air strikes across the country have had devastating consequences for ordinary people. Homes have been destroyed. Families have been separated. Lives have been lost.

At Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, huge numbers of people are arriving with only what they can carry.

DEC charities and their local partners are in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries providing food, water, shelter and medical assistance.

Please don’t think you should wait until you have a goodly amount before you donate, funds are needed now so just keep donating. Let the National Association of Women’s Clubs do what they are good at: helping others. 

Thanking you in anticipation of your help

Chris and the Committee