Each week around 15 students have been coming along to a British Sign Language taster course to learn the basics of sign language. 

 

Sign Language teacher Mrs Addison, who has hearing difficulties herself and has been signing for nearly a decade, has been teaching the students how to finger spell the alphabet, names of places, the time and names of family members along with many other key signs and phrases. 

 

The students have grasped the basics well and have been really enthusiastic and eager to learn. It is planned that the Sign Language sessions will run as an enrichment activity next year so students can have the opportunity to gain a Level 1 qualification and develop their signing skills even further.

 

Christopher Reid, an Upper Sixth student studying Theology, Psychology and Classical Civilisation said; “It’s really interesting learning something so different from my normal subjects and rewarding. I hope if I meet a deaf person I’ll be able to remember basic greetings and how to spell my name, or if I see someone in a shop I’ll be able to help.”

 

Each sign has elementary units and are made up of hand shape, orientation, location movements and facial expression and can use arms and body movement to express the signer’s thoughts.

 

Loreto encourages students to enrich their studies outside of the classroom by offering a wide range of activities to complement and broaden their academic experiences.