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<p>The government understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL)
for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people. The department
also appreciates the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access
BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.</p><p>Funding
is available through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focusing
on BSL up to, and including, Level 2. These qualifications include the Level 1 Award
in BSL, which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve
simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence
in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances
as to whether they are entitled to free provision or are expected to meet part of
the cost through co-funding.</p><p>For qualifications at Level 3 and above, Advanced
Learner Loans (ALLs) are available for certain BSL qualifications. Individuals can
access information on which qualifications are eligible at: <a href="https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search"
target="_blank">https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search</a>. More general
information about the provision of ALLs is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan</a>. If undertaking a BSL
qualification that leads to a master’s level qualification, eligible students can
access a postgraduate loan, as long as they have not previously accessed the postgraduate
loan product, or already hold a Level 7 qualification. Several universities and organisations
offer such qualifications.</p><p>For parents learning BSL on an AEB funded course,
there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and
providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing
learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport,
accommodation, books, equipment, and childcare. Learning support funding also helps
colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning
difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out
in the Equality Act 2010.</p><p>The government has not assessed the accessibility
of BSL classes and qualifications for those who are ineligible for the AEB. In areas
where the AEB is devolved, it is for the Mayoral Combined Authority or Greater London
Authority to decide how funding is spent.</p><p>In the rest of the country the Education
and Skills Funding Agency manages the AEB. Learners who are employed and earn above
the low wage threshold can be co-funded to complete provision up to, and including,
Level 2, meaning that government pays a 50% contribution to the course cost. This
includes some BSL qualifications. For these learners, the department suggests contacting
the education provider regarding enrolment and payment processes. Apart from the statutory
entitlements, it is for AEB providers to choose how they wish to prioritise funding
within their AEB allocations.</p><p>In addition, on 15 June, the department launched
a public consultation on the proposed subject content for a new GCSE in British Sign
Language (BSL). The aim is for first teaching of the GCSE to take place from September
2025. The aim is that by introducing this new GCSE, more schools and colleges will
choose to teach BSL in turn, increasing the number of BSL users and advance equality
of opportunity.</p><p>The table below contains adult (19+) further education (FE)
and skills learning aim enrolments from the 2017/18 academic year onwards that have
‘British Sign Language’ or ‘BSL’ in their aim title. Additional breakdowns are provided
for education and training learning, and for learners declaring themselves as hearing
impaired. The department does not hold information as to whether the learners taking
these aims have deaf children.</p><p>Adult (19+) learning aim enrolments with ‘BSL’
or ‘British Sign Language’ in the title</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Academic
year</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Further education and skills</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Education
and training</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Education and training up to level 2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>All
enrolments</p></td><td><p>of which hearing impaired.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2,010</p></td><td><p>1,990</p></td><td><p>1,910</p></td><td><p>90</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2,130</p></td><td><p>2,100</p></td><td><p>2,020</p></td><td><p>140</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>1,520</p></td><td><p>1,510</p></td><td><p>1,430</p></td><td><p>120</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>1,030</p></td><td><p>1,010</p></td><td><p>970</p></td><td><p>90</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>1,050</p></td><td><p>1,050</p></td><td><p>1,030</p></td><td><p>90</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>To Note:</p><p>1) Figures rounded to the nearest 10</p><p>2) Data Source is
the Individualised Learner Record.</p><p>3) Education and training aim enrolments
includes learning funded via the AEB</p><p>4) Learners have the option to record a
single instance of a primary learning difficulty or disability on the ILR, which we
are reporting here. It will not include learners with a hearing impairment that do
not wish to declare their disability, or who have multiple disabilities and do not
declare a hearing impairment as their primary disability.</p><p>5) Aim enrolments
are a count of enrolments at aims level (including component aims) for each academic
year. Learners are counted for each aim they are studying and so, can be counted more
than once. It is not a count of unique learners. Care should be taken when interpreting
different learner characteristics as they could be repeated where a learner does more
than one aim.</p><p>FE within the FE and skills and apprenticeship and traineeships
publications covers learners who are studying courses in a FE College, with a training
provider or within their local community. It also includes employees undertaking an
apprenticeship or other qualification in the workplace. Education and training are
mainly classroom-based adult FE that is not classed as an apprenticeship, community
learning or workplace learning. It can also include distance learning or e-learning.
It includes traineeships and offender learning.</p>
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