Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of British Sign Language GCSE in mainstream secondary schools.

The department published British Sign Language GCSE subject content in December 2023, following a public consultation last summer. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications, which must be reviewed and accredited by Ofqual before schools and colleges are able to teach them. As such, no schools are currently offering the GCSE. The department’s aim is that exam board specifications will be available to schools who wish to offer the GCSE from September 2025.