Sign language and Makaton in primary schools

There are many reasons why primary schools are choosing to teach sign language or Makaton. ‘Sign language promotes inclusivity with those within the school who rely on sign language, as well as with the wider community,’ says Simon Harvey of www.british-sign.co.uk. ‘It’s also a great way to learn about non-verbal communication methods in general.’

Mandy Grist, speech and language adviser at the children’s communication charity I CAN, says that learning Makaton helps all children communicate when they start school. ‘Using signs together with talking helps children to concentrate and listen to what is being said,’ she says. ‘It gives them something to look at as well as hear, and helps them make the connection between spoken words and their meaning.’

It also helps children with special needs feel more accepted: ‘It can help all children to feel included, as no one is singled out as requiring signing support,’ Mandy adds. ‘Some schools teach signing as part of their disability awareness work.’

Signing can help children of all abilities develop communication skills when they start school.

‘It can support young children coming into the new setting by slowing down teachers’ rate of speech and reducing the amount of language they use, as they’re signing at the same time,’ Mandy explains. ‘Young children benefit from this slow rate of speech, as they need lots of processing time: as much as seven to 10 seconds.’

The visual nature of signing means children tend to enjoy it, which can encourage reluctant communicators as well as those with special educational needs (SEN). This makes communication more inclusive.

‘Signs give children whose speech is difficult to understand a way of getting their message across,’ Mandy says. ‘It lets them make a contribution that others will understand, and so take part in class activities.’

Elizabeth Knight of The Makaton Charity adds that Makaton can help children understand more sophisticated concepts as they progress.

‘It can be used to help children develop literacy skills and grammatical understanding,’ she explains. ‘We even have a resource that is designed to help with understanding the language of maths, which has been shown to help children access the curriculum.’

Where signing is taught, it tends to be in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) and Year 1.

BSL is also becoming more popular as an extra-curricular option in secondary schools.

‘BSL can be taught either by teachers who are able to sign themselves, or by an external expert who comes in to provide sessions,’ says Simon.

‘Usually, schools begin with the fingerspelling alphabet; this can be picked up very quickly, and from there, there are lots of games that can be used to reinforce signs in a fun way.’

In the case of Makaton, schools usually bring in a tutor to teach staff how to sign; they then pass their skills on to pupils.

‘Children will typically start using one sign or symbol to represent a whole phrase, then put concepts together to make two- and three-word phrases, and so on,’ says Elizabeth.

Mandy adds that the emphasis is on making signing fun. ‘Teachers use a range of activities, including singing, relating signing to real life objects, and linking with parents so they can reinforce the skills at home,’ she explains.