Lowestoft deaf teen pleased British Sign Language to be taught as GCSE

Daniel Jillings said a GCSE in BSL - to start in 2025 - would help both deaf and hearing students

A deaf teenager campaigning for British Sign Language (BSL) to become a GCSE subject said he was "really pleased" it would be taught in classes from 2025.

Daniel Jillings, 17, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, had campaigned on the issue since he was 12 years old.

He said it was unfair that he could not take a GCSE in his own language.

The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed GCSE subject content had been published on Thursday following a 12-week consultation in the summer.

Daniel is profoundly deaf and was born without a cochlea, meaning he cannot use hearing aids or cochlear implants and does not use speech.

He has always used BSL to communicate.

"I've been waiting a long time and Covid obviously delayed everything but it's finally starting to get ready to be rolled out and I'm really pleased and excited," he said.

"The deaf community has been waiting for a long time. So I expect everybody is going to feel very thrilled by this news.''

The government says British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE will be taught to pupils in England from September 2025

Chief executive of the National Deaf Children's Society, Susan Daniels, praised Daniel's contribution to the campaign.

"An incredible amount of work has been undertaken to get to this point, not least from young deaf campaigner Daniel Jillings who fought so hard for the right to study a GCSE in BSL," she said.

Responding, Daniel said: "It's all about learning a new language. It's a new skill, you'll be meeting the deaf community and it's going to provide some amazing opportunities.

"BSL is a beautiful language, it's a visual language and it got its own culture and history which will be taught as part of the GCSE''.

Elm Tree Primary School, which Daniel Jillings attended, introduced BSL classes in December so all of its pupils could communicate together

The British Deaf Association estimated about 151,000 people use BSL in the UK, with 87,000 being deaf.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "Studying British Sign Language can open so many doors for young people, giving pupils an understanding of how thousands of people communicate and ultimately even expanding job prospects."