Question reference: S6W-08407
- Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 6 May 2022
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Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 17 May 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports British Sign Language (BSL) in schools, colleges and universities for people who (a) need an interpreter to assist their learning, (b) may wish to become BSL interpreters and (c) may wish to learn BSL.
Answer
We are committed to supporting children, young people and students who use British Sign Language (BSL) at all stages of their learning.
Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including BSL users. The Scottish Government provides funding of £150,000 to the Scottish Sensory Centre to support training for staff working with children and young people with sensory impairments, including BSL users.
All colleges and universities in Scotland have published BSL plans (accessible in BSL and English) setting out how students who use BSL are supported. Students attending college or university are also eligible to apply for additional financial support to help with any additional costs which arise as a result of a disability or additional learning need. This can include support towards the cost of BSL interpreters to assist their learning.
BSL is currently taught as a second additional language in schools as part of the 1+2 languages policy. This means it can be taught from P5 at the latest up to the end of S3. Learning does not need to be continuous during this time. The uptake of schools teaching BSL has increased steadily, and SQA awards are designed for both hearing and deaf learners to develop their language skills.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is working with the University of Edinburgh on the development of an undergraduate degree in Primary Education and BSL. This would lead to graduates qualifying as primary teachers with enhanced BSL skills. GTCS is also considering further action to remove barriers that make it difficult for BSL users to become registered teachers, including reviewing registration rules.
The ’BSL Interpreting in Scotland: Landscape review’, commissioned by the Scottish Government in relation to Actions 7, 8, and 9 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 - 2023, was published in February 2020 with 13 recommendations. The recommendations include reference to improvements and development of vocational and academic pathways for interpreter training and BSL qualifications, and development of this work is currently being considered.
We have also committed to providing additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free British Sign Language tuition for deaf children from the age of five, and work to implement that commitment is underway, in consultation with stakeholders.