Learning British Sign Language (BSL) in England and Wales

For most people, the best way to learn to sign is through a BSL course taught by a qualified BSL teacher. Learning BSL in a class allows your teacher to watch you signing, spot any mistakes or habits, and help you to improve. You'll get to practise real conversations and may have the opportunity to get a qualification at the end of the course.

Sign language tutors should generally be qualified to at least two levels above the level they’re teaching. Tutors should ideally be deaf themselves or have lived experience of deafness, for example because they are a child of deaf adults (known as a CODA).

There are different types of BSL courses available, from basic introductory courses through to recognised qualifications like NVQs and even honours degrees. You can find out more about different courses through Signature, the recognised awarding body for BSL qualifications. The Signature website has a search function, which you can use to find a BSL course near you. You could also look up local colleges and deaf clubs online to find out what's available in your area.

You could also contact a BSL teacher directly. The BSL Teacher Directory has contact information for BSL tutors across the UK.

If you're the parent of a deaf child, speak to your Teacher of the Deaf or local deaf children’s society to see what's available for you and your family locally.

If you want to gain a qualification in BSL, you can find out how long each course will take on the Signature website. For example, Signature recommend that a Level 1 course should include around 64 hours of guided learning.

Introductory or family sign language courses are usually free. However, these courses will only teach you a very basic level of BSL. To develop your skills further, the cost of an accredited Level 1 course varies, ranging from free to more than £500. More advanced courses usually cost more.

Some local authorities offer funding for places on accredited courses from local providers. However, funding does not always cover assessment fees.

If you live in England and your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) you may be given the option to use a special educational need (SEN) Personal Budget to pay for the support you need, which could include sign language tuition. However, at present, there are few examples of deaf children receiving Personal Budgets.

If you're struggling to access BSL courses, either because of the cost or because there are no courses in your area, the National Deaf Children's Society may be able to help.

Find out about our family sign language courses or contact our free Helpline.

Some local authorities offer BSL courses as part of their Local Offer or provide financial support for parents for learning BSL. The type and level of support provided by local authorities varies, but can include:

• BSL lessons at home for the whole family, from a Teacher of the Deaf, BSL tutor or deaf role model
• introductory BSL courses aimed at families
• introductory courses for parents of young deaf children
• free Level 1 or Level 2 classes for families
• lending BSL resources such as books or flash cards
• family support workers
• groups for families and children to practise BSL
• liaising with other local organisations who can provide BSL lessons

Deaf children and parents or carers of deaf children are entitled to an assessment of their needs by children’s social care if they request one.

The Children Act 1989 (Department for Education) allows children’s social care to provide almost any services to a disabled child or their parents and carers if the assessment has shown that a service is necessary to 'safeguard and promote a child’s welfare'. This could include paying for parents, carers and extended family members to access sign language classes or communication support.

Family sign language classes are designed to teach basic BSL to the whole family. This can be a great way for deaf children to learn BSL alongside their siblings, parents and other family members. Learning BSL together allows the whole family to learn the same signs at the same time, so that everyone can communicate.

Family sign language classes usually focus on teaching specific signs and phrases which are useful to the family, such as 'milk' or 'cuddle', rather than structured BSL lessons.

To find out more, check your Local Offer to find out whether your local authority offers family sign language lessons, or sign up for our family sign language courses online.

To get started, check out our YouTube playlists.

• family sign language lessons (England)
• family sign language lessons (Wales)

Having conversations with deaf sign language users in your local community is a great way to practise sign language. They can introduce you to regional signs which are used in your local area and can help you to become more fluent.

• The Deaf Unity website has a list of deaf clubs across England (Deaf Unity).
• The Wales Council for Deaf People has a list of deaf clubs across Wales (WCDP).

You could also use Facebook to look for deaf clubs, deaf pubs and groups for sign language learners in your area or find your local deaf children's society.

If your deaf child is learning to sign, encourage your whole family to spend lots of time with deaf role models who use BSL as their first language. This could be through BSL tutors coming into your home, attending local deaf clubs and deaf events, or through your child's education provider or early years setting.

You could also watch TV programmes in BSL as a family.

• See Hear is the BBC's magazine show for the deaf community, presented in BSL. It covers different topics relevant to the deaf community.
• Lumo TV is the new name for BSL Zone. Lumo TV offers a wide range of shows in BSL, including children's programming. Some shows are broadcast on live TV on Mondays.
• Magic Hands is a CBeebies show which translates poetry into BSL for children.

In the UK, the main TV broadcasters often produce shows with a BSL translator in the corner of the screen (known as in-vision translation). These shows may be available on live TV or online. Even if your child is not old enough to understand the programme, try to build a habit of watching shows with BSL translation where available. This will expose your whole family to lots of high-quality BSL.

If your child has a speech and language therapist (SLT) or Teacher of the Deaf (ToD), make sure they have a good level of signing, and do not be afraid to ask for a different SLT or ToD with a higher level of BSL knowledge if you need to. Being proactive in asking for the support you need from your local authority can be stressful, but it’s worth it to make sure your child grows up with access to rich, fluent sign language.

There are lots of websites and apps available which offer online BSL lessons and tips. These can be a great way to practise the BSL you've learned in your class or learn some basic BSL if you cannot join a BSL class just yet. Because BSL is a 3D language, it’s harder to learn through a screen, especially when you’re just starting out. Being physically present also makes it easier to engage in paired or group activities, practise turn-taking, and understand the natural flow of signed conversations.

The standard of online BSL courses and BSL apps vary widely. If you're thinking of signing up for an online BSL course, try to find out:

• if the course is designed or taught by a qualified BSL teacher
• if the course is accredited (officially recognised)
• if the video clips used in the course are signed by deaf people whose first language is BSL, or by qualified BSL translators or interpreters

Some examples of online BSL courses are:

• Doncaster Deaf Trust's online Level 1 course
• Signworld
• British-Sign.co.uk

Some examples of apps to help you learn BSL are:

• Bright BSL
• Lingvano