Connect with us

Published

on

The long-anticipated British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE will not be ready by the September 2025 deadline, Sky News understands.

It is understood the course could take several more years to finalise.

The government announced in 2023 that the qualification will be available to study at secondary schools from the start of the 2025 academic year.

Plans for the same subject have been scrapped in Wales due to practical challenges.

The two-year course will allow students to learn how to effectively use BSL – which is considered the fourth most widely used language in the UK – and those who pass the exams will obtain a level two qualification.

‘Left in limbo’

The delays in England have left many in the deaf community frustrated, particularly charities like the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) which has been campaigning for the GCSE for over a decade.

More on Education

Susan Daniels, chief executive of the NDCS, said: “There’s no reason why this GCSE shouldn’t be available now.

“Deaf young people have been campaigning for so many years to get this GCSE in place, but they’ve just been left in limbo and it’s a disgrace.”

She added: “We’ve been asking the Department [for Education] for constant updates but haven’t received the information.

“We want the government to work with us to make sure that the GCSE is available to deaf children, young people and their hearing peers as soon as possible.”

GCSEs are available to anyone of any age, meaning a BSL qualification can even help some hearing parents to communicate with their deaf children.

Ruth Taunt
Image:
Ruth Taunt


‘Life-changing for the whole family’

Ruth Taunt and her husband have taken it upon themselves to learn BSL because it is their four-year-old daughter Olive’s first language.

The training has cost nearly £8,000 between them, which she recognises “isn’t accessible to many people”.

Mrs Taunt said: “I think parents should have the right to be able to communicate with their child, so I think a GCSE in BSL will be a game-changer all around.

“From my own personal perspective, if my eldest daughter, she’s hearing, learnt BSL alongside her hearing friends and they came to visit us and Olive and could communicate with her fully, that would just be life-changing for the whole family and especially for Olive.”

4-year-old Olive is ‘thriving’ at Heathlands, a specialist deaf school in St Albans.
Image:
Four-year-old Olive is ‘thriving’ at Heathlands, a specialist deaf school in St Albans

She added: “You’re more likely to bump into a deaf person than needing to speak French or Spanish in England.”

According to the British Deaf Association, there are around 151,000 BSL users in the UK, and about 87,000 of them are deaf.

Rosejyn Mbae is among the parents interested in taking the GCSE once it becomes available so that she can better communicate with her daughter Claire.

Rosejyn Mbae (left) and her daughter Claire
Image:
Rosejyn Mbae (left) and her daughter Claire

Ms Mbae said: “It will be very important because we have so many deaf children who don’t have people to communicate with.

“Claire wants her independence, would like to go take the bus on her own, go for shopping on her own, but if the community doesn’t understand BSL, it will be very difficult for her.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education told Sky News: “Our Curriculum and Assessment review brings together leading education experts, leaders and staff to consider how to ensure young people have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, as well as the crucial work and life skills necessary to succeed in both the workplace and throughout their lives.

“We continue to work closely with Ofqual to deliver the BSL GCSE as quickly as possible, while ensuring the new GCSE is high quality and rigorous.

“Ofqual is finalising their proposed assessment arrangements for public consultation and their technical consultation will be launched in due course.”

The GCSE will allow deaf students to obtain an additional qualification in their first language
Image:
The GCSE will allow deaf students to obtain an additional qualification in their first language

A spokesperson for Ofqual added: “We must ensure this entirely new GCSE is well designed, takes in the views of the deaf community, and meets the needs of students learning BSL – and this work takes time.

“We are obliged to secure rigorous standards when introducing new qualifications, to ensure they are robust and respected.”

With a significant amount of work left to do, both the Department for Education and Ofqual were unable to confirm a new date for the GCSE.

Continue Reading

UK

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Published

on

By

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
Image:
Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Image:
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

UK

Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Published

on

By

Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.

The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.

Wrexham's James McClean lifts the trophy after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
Image:
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA

Wrexham's Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Image:
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.

The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.

Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.

Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right) and Ryan's wife Blake Lively before the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
Image:
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA

Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.

More on Ryan Reynolds

Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.

Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.

Wrexham's Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Image:
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.

As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.

Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.

Continue Reading

UK

Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been ‘successful’

Published

on

By

Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been 'successful'

“It has been a success.”

Just Stop Oil (JSO) insists it’s been “successful” – as its members ceremoniously hang up their orange high-vis vests during a march in central London.

Since the group formed three years ago, it’s drawn attention and criticism for its colourful, controversial protests, which ranged from disrupting sporting events to throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and climbing on gantries over the M25. It sprayed orange paint over Stonehenge, and cost police forces tens of millions of pounds.

Those days are now behind it; to the relief of many.

Read more
JSO co-founder wins court appeal
Activists target grave of Charles Darwin
77 year old JSO activist recalled to prison

As a few hundred activists marched through London on Saturday, blocking roads as they went; taxi drivers blared their horns and football fans shouted abuse from the pavement.

The PA News Agency filmed the moment a white minivan seemed to drive towards a group of protesters blocking the road.

Protesters shouted “I’m being pushed back!” to police, while the driver could be heard shouting “What about my right to get home?” to the officers gathered.

But JSO never set out to be popular. And it believes its tactics – though hated – have been successful; thanks to the new Labour government’s commitment to not issue new oil or gas exploration licences.

That’s why, it says, its ceasing direct action.

JSO hangs up its high vis jackets in central London on Saturday
Image:
JSO hangs up its high-vis jackets in central London on Saturday

A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO's disbanding
Image:
A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO’s disbanding

“This moment marks the success of the JSO campaign – our demand was to end new oil and gas licences and that is now government policy.

“As a result of which four billion barrels of oil are being kept under the North Sea. The campaign has reached a natural end.”

Dr Oscar Berglund, senior lecturer in international public and social policy, disagrees that JSO is disappearing because it’s been “successful”.

He told Sky News policing strength and public perception might have more to do with it.

“They have very low levels of popularity. About 17% of the British population are kind of broadly supportive of what Just Stop Oil do. And that’s too low to recruit.

“It’s difficult to recruit members to something that is that unpopular, and then that a lot of people for good reason I think have kind of stopped believing in that kind of disruption as a means to achieve meaningful change.”

Group triggers specific new protest laws

One thing it did change is the law.

Policing commentator Graham Wettone tells us: “Obstruction of the highway, obstruction of rail networks for example, these are specific offences now.

“It’s given the police more tactics, more methods, more offences they can consider, even stopping and searching somebody who may have something to either lock themselves on or glue themselves to something.”

A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague
Image:
A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague

Emma Smart was held in prison for her activism with both Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.

“The high-vis might be going away,” she tells me, “but we aren’t.”

“These people aren’t going anywhere, we are still committed, dedicated, terrified by the failings of this government and governments around the world.”

JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh's sunflowers
Image:
JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh’s sunflowers

Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge
Image:
Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge

She hopes for a time of reflection before it returns in a new form but says the need for climate activism is stronger than ever.

She also believes that while most people dislike JSO tactics, it still raises awareness of the cause and might even push people to more moderate campaign groups.

Just Stop Oil came behind other, similarly controversial climate campaign groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, and as it says goodbye, its disruptive methods have been seized upon by other organisations like the Pro-Palestinian Youth Justice.

The infamous Just Stop Oil orange vests might be going away, but the individual activists, their cause and campaign tactics feel here to stay.

Continue Reading

Trending