At Dartford grammar school for girls, year 11 student Ocean Stewart gave a presentation about British sign language.

The presentation took place in a school assembly to the students of year 11. The students were able to learn the basics of sign language such as ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ and understand the importance of sign language in the UK.  Also, the students managed to learn the signs to the song ‘Titanium’ by Sia. I interviewed Ocean about the assembly and British sign language.

Firstly, when did you start learning sign language?

I learnt the basics a few years ago at Cadets and have been interested for a while as it is a good form of communication.

Have you been learning anymore sign language recently?

I learnt to sign the song ‘Titanium’ for the school assembly but I have to focus on revision at the moment so I’m not learning as much.

Were there any parts of sign language you have found really challenging?

 I found it difficult learning to coordinate all the parts of the body needed at once and understanding body language such as facial expressions as they are important for British sign language.

What message did you want to bring across in your assembly?

British sign language is pretty easy to learn and quite fun. It can be incorporated into daily life as well. I wanted to show that knowing British sign language is a valuable skill.

What advice would you give people who want to learn sign language?

My advice would be “just do it!” It’s a great skill to learn. Find somewhere to learn it and broaden your experiences! Don’t be scared.

Overall the students at Dartford grammar school for girls really enjoyed learning about British sign language and will hope to learn more about it in the future.

Alicia Wee - Dartford Grammar School for Girls