BSL Sessions

British Sign Language (BSL)

We offer a range of BSL lessons to children, staff and parents:

• The Deaf children within the provision receive a weekly 1 to 1 BSL sessions.

• Each year group in the school has a weekly BSL session with our Deaf instructor. These sessions are a brilliant opportunity for all Bentley West pupils to learn a second language.

• BSL Level 1 for a small group of Year 6 children,

• BSL Level 1 for parents with Deaf children within the school and some from surrounding schools,

• BSL Level 1 for the school's staff,

• BSL taster sessions for Year 5 (Summer half term only)

Whole School Weekly BSL sessions

The BSL sessions for the whole school have a weekly focus. For this year, we will be learning about signs around the school such as the signs for the different school subjects, school equipments, places and rooms around the school, describing your favourite hobbies and asking and giving directions around the school. 

 This is what we have been learning about each week:

• 3rd and 10th October: Deaf Awareness and fingerspelling the BSL alphabet.

• 17th October: Deaf awareness and and fingerspelling the BSL alphabet with our names.

• 31st October: Celebrations during Autumn  and basic greetings.

• 7th November: More celebrations during Autumn and how to finish a conversation.

• 14th November: Signs of different school subjects.

• 21st November: Signs of different school equipment we use.

• 28th November: Signs of school furniture around the classroom.

• 5th December: Christmas signs

• 12th December: Sign the Christmas song, We Wish You a Merry Christmas in BSL!

• 9th January - Names of rooms/places around the school (as part of the Directions topic)

• 16th January - Directions vocabulary.

• 23rd January - Giving directions around the building/whole school.

• 30th January - Asking and giving directions.

• 6th February - Landkmarks around Bentley

• 13th February - Towns and cities around Bentley.

• 27th February - No classes due to timetable changes

• 6th March - Signs of different weather

• 13th March - No classes due to school strikes

• 20th March - Describing the weather .

• 27th March - Easter signs

British Sign Language (BSL) - Level 1 Qualifications

BSL sessions for Year 6 Pupils

We would like to welcome our tenth cohort of Year 6 children to undertake their BSL Level One course. This course runs throughout the year, as the children complete the three modules that make up the level one curriculum. Throughout this, the children's productive (signing) and receptive (understanding) signing skills will be developed and assessed. The weekly sessions will cover everything the children need to gain their level 1 certificate.

This term the children will focus on the first module, BSL 101. This contains: 

• basic conversation skills when meeting someone

• basic number knowledge

• a range of family signs

• a range of signs linking to our school

• basic directions

If you are interesting in your child taking part, please come and speak to a member of the Deaf Base team.

BSL Signing Classes for Parents/Carers

Every Wednesday, our Deaf Instructor, Mr Page, delivers a free signing class specially for parents of Deaf children.  These sessions are open not just to parents of Deaf children at our school, but to parents of children with all degrees of hearing loss who attend to the weekly Field Mice sessions.

The parents/carers will be taught British Sign Language (BSL). They will have an opportunity to learn some sign language based on what their child/ren are learning in their classroom, events happening around us such as Easter or Christmas for example and some basic Deaf awareness. The signing classes provide a valuable opportunity for the adults to meet a Deaf adult and learn some simple signs to use around the school and at home! This is an excellent opportunity for the adults to develop their conversational skills in BSL with a Deaf adult.

The signing classes take place every Wednesday between 9.00am -10.45am. If you are interested in attending the class, please contact us for further information and to make sure you are part of the right group at the right time.

BSL Signing Classes for Parents/Carers

Our Deaf instructor delivers weekly signing classes for Bentley West's staff. This is a great opportunity for the staff to develop their signing skills in order to communicate more effectively and confidently with the Deaf staff and children at Bentley West.

The class will also cover some topical language including celebrations and current affairs as they happen.

We have started our signing  classes again, we have been focusing solely on conversational skills and using appropriate vocabulary to include in their conversation in  BSL. The staff are currently working on their conversational skills discussing events in everyday life to complete their BSL Unit 103. As we are aiming to complete the final BSL unit at the end of the academic year, we will be practicing our vocabulary and polishing up our conversational skills.

Shortly, we will start working on the elements from the BSL 103 unit which will cover topics such as their every day lives, the weather, and travel/transport.