All students who come to the college have the opportunity to learn Sign Language. Sign Language is taught by a small dedicated team of deaf staff. They adapt their style and pace to allow students with learning and physical disabilities equal access to achieve Signature qualifications.
British Sign Language (BSL) qualifications are designed to develop an ability to communicate with deaf people. This area provides a range of sign language programmes for beginners.
Level 1 Award in British Sign Language
This programme covers a range of topics:
- 101 Introductions Unit: Meeting people, using numbers, weather, transport, directions
- 102 Conversational Unit: At home people, animals and objects, using numbers, interests and activities, food and drink
- 103 Communicate in BSL: About Every Day Life Unit - sample topics are describe your daily routine, describe your daily travel, describe somewhere you visit in your daily life
Candidates must achieve all three units for the full award.
Level 2 Certificate in British Sign Language
This qualification consists of three units: receptive, productive and conversational. Students must achieve all three units to attain the full qualification.
There are four themes which enable students to build on vocabulary, grammar and skills learnt at Level 1.
- Theme 1 - 'Everyday conversation' - All learners will study this topic
- Theme 2 - 'Eating and drinking'
- Theme 3 - 'Shopping and spending'
- Theme 4 - 'There will be two chosen themes out of three optional themes for conversational and productive units'
To obtain the Receptive unit candidates must answer multiple-choice questions from a DVD of narrative.