Lower Meadow Primary Academy Astrea Academy Trust
BSL at Lower Meadow
BSL Intent
By teaching British Sign Language we aim to provide knowledge of, and proficiency in, a language which enables our children, and adults, to communicate with all their peers in school, as well as to provide a life skill. Through our teaching, differences are celebrated, and awareness of other cultures and inclusion are promoted, reinforcing our core values of empathy, curiosity and mutual respect.
BSL teaching takes place in short bursts throughout the week and is fun and engaging. The BSL curriculum has been designed in conjunction with a specialist Teacher of the Deaf to fit the needs of the school. For example, emotional vocabulary is developed alongside BSL signs to support the expression of emotions as this is a recognised area of difficulty for our children. The curriculum is progressive, beginning in the EYFS stage, where children learn to sign simple songs and everyday words, moving to BSL grammar knowledge being used in more complex conversations in Key stage 2. In this way, throughout school, links are made to the development of vocabulary, grammar, oracy and listening.
BSL Implementation