As I stepped into the classroom the first thing that hit me was the silence. The children were completely engaged, focused on their teacher, using every ounce of concentration they had. You could almost feel the learning, and it was magical to witness.

I had walked into a British Sign Language (BSL) lesson, taught by deaf instructor Tina Kemp, who has worked at Brimsdown Primary School for 20 years.

Initially hired to support one child at the mainstream school who was deaf, the headteacher was so inspired by what she saw that she asked Tina if she would teach sign language to the whole school.

Now every child at Brimsdown, from Reception to Year 6, learns BSL and the school has the only Additional Resource Base (HIRBiE) for deaf people in Enfield.

Whenever I visit Brimsdown, I leave feeling inspired by what I’ve seen there - the connection between BSL and respect in the school, the link to positive behaviour, the way the children talk to each other. Inclusion at the school feels natural.

Rolling it out trust-wide

I can’t bottle this feeling, but I believe every child should have the opportunity to experience it.

To do this, we’ve just committed to offering BSL to all pupils across the 10 schools in our trust.

This is a major undertaking, but we believe the benefits are too widespread to ignore. Numerous studies have highlighted the positive impact of learning sign language: it can improve vocabulary, fine motor skills and self-esteem, and has been linked to a higher reading age of up to two years.

We’ve seen evidence of these sorts of benefits first-hand at Brimsdown. Children who learn BSL are showing a much better capacity for retention and memory; for example, when sign language is incorporated into other areas of learning, like topic words, we’ve found that the retention of those words is markedly increased.  

With more than half of pupils at the school speaking English as an additional language, learning BSL has also helped them to communicate with friends and teachers more easily - something that is especially useful when they’re feeling sad or upset.

For example, one child in early years, who didn’t speak or understand any English, was so frustrated that she had constant outbursts. She is now communicating through basic signing and is much happier. She feels safe.

BSL is visual and fun, and it’s accessible for all learners. Children with special educational needs or disabilities can be completely included, and we’ve seen it engage even the most challenging to engage pupils.

In most areas of school, children start at different levels, yet with BSL they are all starting from scratch together and pupils who don’t always excel in class are doing so in BSL, which is giving them more confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

From dream to reality

Of course, though, despite these benefits, rolling this out into schools when teachers have enough on their timetables was not something we undertook lightly.

When we first suggested teaching BSL across all Ivy schools, the headteachers were interested in theory, but they had plenty of questions. Most of them were about the logistics; how long are the lessons? Can we get a whole school done in one day? How will it work for a three-form entry compared to a one-form entry?

Some schools have decided to teach BSL instead of a modern foreign language, whereas others are choosing to fit it into their existing school day.

There was another sticking point - it’s not cheap and when school budgets are already stretched, there’s not much wiggle room for curriculum extras.

So, we said we would sponsor it, meaning that lessons will be offered at a subsidised rate for all Ivy schools. At this point, the heads were keen. Then we hosted a masterclass, where Tina and headteachers at schools that teach BSL spoke about the benefits of sign language.

After that, everyone wanted it.

In terms of expense, the main cost is staff. We’re fortunate to have existing expertise and Tina now teaches at two other schools in the trust, giving weekly lessons to all year groups. The heads have said it’s one of the best things they do on the curriculum.

However, to be able to provide this trust-wide, we need extra resources and we’re currently recruiting for at least one BSL outreach worker so that we can offer the lessons to all schools by the summer term.

The trust will pay for this, and schools will be asked to contribute, although we’re hoping to apply for funding to reduce this burden.

Some teachers have expressed an interest in learning BSL and we’re making lessons available to staff too. However, children will be taught by deaf instructors because understanding deaf awareness is just as important as learning the language.

Parental engagement

When our schools started teaching BSL, they informed parents in writing, and one school invited parents in to watch a lesson. So far, no one has raised any concerns and feedback has been nothing but positive.

One dad, who is from Afghanistan, told us that they now use sign language at home with their daughter and it’s helping them to learn English. He said the way they teach at college is too hard and he’s learning more English through BSL.

Recently, I attended a Q&A session with parents at a school that is considering joining our trust. I was telling them about who we are and what we do, and the area that attracted the most interest by far was BSL lessons.

In many ways, launching a trust-wide project like this couldn’t have come at a better time. Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis captured the heart of the nation when she became the first-ever deaf winner of Strictly Come Dancing last year.

Not only has she helped to improve deaf awareness, but many more people are becoming interested in learning sign language.

On 18 March, there will be a third reading of a bill to give BSL legal status, which requires the government to put guidance in place for providing public services and information to deaf people who use BSL.

This is an exciting time, not just for our trust but for the deaf community and all the children who will benefit from this amazing, inclusive language.

Making BSL lessons available to all children has been a vision of mine for a long time and now, when I speak to staff, parents and trustees about it, they understand it too.

Matthew Kleiner-Mann is trust leader at Ivy Learning Trust