BSL: Suffolk primary school adds British Sign Language to the curriculum

Have you learned any sign language at school?

Languages like French, German and Spanish are taught in lots of schools across the UK, but have you ever had a go at learning British Sign Language (BSL)?

A primary school in Suffolk has become one of the first to add BSL to its curriculum, swapping out French and Spanish lessons for tutoring in the language which is used by lots of people who have hearing loss.

Staff at the school were inspired to introduce BSL by one of their former pupils who campaigns for the language to be used more widely.

His mum is now teaching sign language at the school and it's a subject lots of the pupils have been enjoying learning.

"I went into Asda and this little girl came charging up to me and signed; 'Good afternoon Mrs Jillings'," the BSL teacher told ITV News.

"That was just perfect. That says it all really."

Thanks to the campaign BSL will be a GCSE option made available to students across the UK from 2025.

Lots of children who are hard of hearing use sign language to communicate

The primary school also has four other students who have hearing loss and it recognises the importance of making them feel included.

"Socially it can be very isolating if they don't have any signing peers," said Mrs Jillings.

"So for me it's a dream to see all the hearing peers at a school learning to sign and having that full communication."

The school is getting ready for its Christmas carol concert which will feature both a singing and sign language choir.

If you cannot see the quiz, click here.

We want to know - have you ever learned BSL at school? And if not, would you like to give it a go? You can let us know in the comments below.