Testimonials

This course has had such an impact on my life. Im going to be honest, last year was tough and I was feeling down with both my personal life and my work life. One of the things that got me through it all seeing Bob on a Wednesday afternoon!  Things are a lot better at work now and in my personal life but still, my most enjoyable times are chatting to Bob (in sign language might I add which feels AMAZING) on a Wednesday afternoon.  I am about to start volunteering for the Gloucestershire Deaf Association, through which I have met someone who creates content for BSLBT which he has asked me to get involved in. This, along with some other connections means my future career may take me into creating content for the Deaf community so to say this course has been life changing is no exaggeration.

BSL level 1 2023/2024

Starting out, I found learning sign language with Bob quite challenging because it was all new to me. Although I had completed level 2 BSL back in 2005, it felt like a long time ago. Currently, I’m studying BSL level 6 with Bob, and I must admit, I initially felt overwhelmed. However, Bob has been incredibly supportive throughout the process. He patiently repeats concepts until I understand them and dedicates a lot of time to help me progress.  Thanks to Bob, I’ve not only improved my sign language skills but also gained valuable insights into deaf culture and learned about new criteria. Bob’s teaching has helped me polish up my BSL proficiency significantly. I’m truly grateful for his dedication and support.  I wholeheartedly recommend Bob to anyone interested in learning BSL at any level.

BSL Level 6 – 2024

Bob McCluskey is my BSL teacher for level 6. He excels in teaching, is humble, and ensures that I understand the material well, whether it’s for lessons, assessments, or paperwork. Additionally, he motivates me to embrace challenges and develop confidence. As for Julia McCluskey, she serves as an Executive Assistant. She demonstrates exceptional responsiveness and efficiency in sorting out various tasks.

BSL Level 6 – Tutor – 2024

Bob is a very engaging teacher and you can feel his enthusiasm for his teaching, great course!.  The course was informative and presented in a relaxed, friendly manner. The main message of ‘not all deaf people are the same, face the same issues, or have the same approach to communication’ was made clear, as was a broad understanding of the pros and cons of various communication methods. Breaks were appropriately scheduled, which helped with pacing and was much appreciated.   Very interesting and informative session – the 3 hours flew by!  Face to Face and Zoom

Deaf Awareness from 2018 to now

Since starting the course in October, I feel extremely privileged to have been chosen to learn this wonderful new language. Although not a natural signer, I am increasing confidence weekly, with the support from Bob and the rest of the students.

Learning BSL has opened my eyes to not only a new language, but to the world of the deaf community. I am now actively involved in BSL groups, have made friends at my local Deaf club, and am using my new skills to help retrain to support deaf and hearing impaired primary aged children. I feel that everyone should have an understanding of BSL, and will try my best to be an advocate and encourage others to learn. I love this new community I am part of, and want everyone to know about it!

BSL Level 1 & 2 – 2022/2024

I’m thoroughly enjoying classes with Bob. He’s so patient and you don’t feel silly if you get things wrong. He just shows the correct sign and it’s no problem. He is also very funny! I like the humour he incorporates.😀

BSL level 1 – 2023/2024

So, overall I’m really happy with the course! I like that Bob adds personal experience and stories into the lessons to make it relatable ! The course content is really good too. I do feel like it’s pushed me more & I’ve learnt a lot so far! And looking forward to achieving the overall  pass!!! I was worried about the presentations etc but doing them really does help to build confidence and I was actually surprised that I enjoyed watching the receptive videos to decipher the meaning ! Very challenging in a positive way!

BSL level 4 – 2023/2024

I want to say a huge thank you for this opportunity, I am really enjoying it and always look forward to the next lesson.   Bob you are a great teacher and was very kind and welcoming to me joining the course.  The lessons I find are structured very well, I like how we are taught signs and then put into groups to use those signs in sentences.   I am looking forward to continuing this course with you and look forward to hopefully enrolling onto level 2 after completing the level 1.

BSL Level 2 – 2023/2024

I am really enjoying my BSL Level 3 lessons with Bob, I am not going to lie I have found it a challenge as it has been 10 years since my level 2 qualification. However I feel as though I am gaining in confidence and learning lots of new signs and NMF, I think Bob is patient with me when I look like a rabbit in the headlights sometimes when he asks questions!  I enjoy the breakout rooms, to discuss the questions set for us the previous week and it has opened my eyes to deaf culture and history, I am particularly interested in deaf education.

BSL Level 3 – 2023/2024

Bob is a very knowledgeable and supportive teacher with a great sense of humour and focus to detail.  The lessons are structured very well and the learning blocks are themed and hence, as in context to each other, relatively easy to learn.  Each sign is repeated several times and followed up a week later and encouraged to be used thereafter.  The group size is perfect to allow for interesting communications and a good ratio of active and passive time for each individual.

BSL Level 1 – 2023/2024

I enjoyed learning BSL level 4 with Bob and my class on Zoom.  It was well organised and easy to communicate with Bob about exams and the course.  The other people in the class were lovely and it was interesting watching different signers from around the country and sharing our views. We supported each other and Bob made it fun and with his sarcasm and humour, you will have great time on this course.  I highly recommend.  So much so I am now on his course learning BSL level 6.

Level 4 & 6 – 2022-2024

The training with Bob was fantastic – really engaging and entertaining delivery. The historical context and information on BSL and deaf culture in our first session was fascinating and gave us a great grounding ahead of learning to sign.  The group exercises were really accessible and worked well even over Zoom. I’ve really valued the sessions so far and am looking forward to continue to learn and practice BSL.

Deaf Awareness – July 2023

The weekly homework tasks to build up a folder of research were really helpful. So were the practice presentations.  The group size was good.  The time of the class worked well for me.

Level 3 – 2022-2023

Studying Level 2 has given me the confidence to now work within a deaf school. I also helped students prepare for their Level 2 exams, something that I would not have thought possible a year ago.  I have already recommended Bob to two other individuals. I like his way of teaching. He is very patient and understanding. I was quite nervous but Bob puts you at ease.

Level 2 – 2022-2023

I think if I was to compare my BSL today to a year ago it has improved a lot and I have really enjoyed the topics, partly because I can relate them to my grandparents. I really wish they were alive now – I would have hundreds of questions to ask them.

Level 3 – 2022-2023

I have really enjoyed the Level 2 BSL Course. The lessons provided by Bob were always delivered clearly, professionally and with patience. There were also many funny stories to be told and it was nice to meet the people in our group. The paperwork was always emailed in advance of the lessons, and was easy to access. I felt well prepared for the exams and would recommend this course to anyone looking to further develop their signing skills and communication with the deaf community.

Level 2 2022-2023

I have now completed 3 years of BSL and can’t wait to start the third.   Bob is a very encouraging teacher and the lessons are always fun and we learn such a lot.   The course has given me so much confidence and am loving learning a wonderful new skill.

Bob’s classes have been the highlight of my week for the past four years.  During my level 6 studies, I have learnt an incredible amount thanks to Bob.  His teaching style is great and engaging and is always set out in such a way that I feel I am learning without realising.  Thank you Bob!

Bob is a great teacher, his lessons are always very well organised.  Since the start of the course, I have learnt lots and feel my sign language has improved.  I would definitely recommend Bob

Bob is an excellent teacher.  Excellent on picking up the small details when we sign incorrectly.
Always with a smile and very encouraging. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending him for BSL lessons.

I really enjoyed lessons with Bob, they were well set out , well paced and included good amounts of reviewing what we had learnt in previous lessons. Bob included lots of opportunities to learn about Deaf culture which I also appreciated.

At times it was challenging to learn but Bob was always patient and supportive
throughout the course. He made the lessons fun by including a variety of approaches
to teaching.

Bob is a great teacher, I learnt a lot and my BSL significantly improved. I wish I could afford level 3!  I learnt more practicing BSL and Bob watching the conversations really helped when I got stuck or didn’t know a sign that I wanted to use.

Bob was kind, helpful and a good teacher. He taught her some things she didn’t know eg
polish on facial expressions and multi channel signs.

Always enjoy lessons. I like the weekly story telling where we got tested

I have absolutely loved my BSL classes with Bob and feel I have learnt a huge amount.

Bob was friendly and happy to go at a slower pace for those of us just starting off with no Makaton
experience. Photo images when learning new vocab I found helpful – had no worries about the
exam.

Bob’s lessons are fantastic, he explains everything really well.  If I’m ever unsure he will explain again or in a different way until I fully understand.  Really look forward to my lessons each week as the more I learnt, the more confident I get. Great teacher, great course, highly recommended.

Bob is a great teacher, he has made the classes really fun and interesting.  I have learnt so much from his classes and feel that my BSL has improved a great deal.  I would fully recommend Bob as a teacher and attending his classes.

I am happy with all my lessons with Bob. He keeps me ‘in the know’ with relevant information and we converse well. I am developing my signs as part of my job role (TOD) and feel quite happy to ask him questions if I am unsure about how deaf people may feel. I work with deaf children and need this support so I can feel more confident conversing with them and relating to them.

I was really happy with Bob. His approach was really relaxed, friendly and he explained everything very clearly and simple. I would welcome more new signs to learn maybe a list of 20 signs every week to improve my skills even better.

I am really happy with my Level 3 course. Bob is an excellent teacher who clearly cares about his students succeeding. Bob delivers engaging, well prepared lessons, and teaches in a clear way. Bob gives constructive feedback to help me learn as I go along, and lots of opportunity for exam preparation.

I am really enjoying the course and teaching style. Bob tries to include everyone in the discussions which is great for both productive and receptive.

I am happy with the course. I feel that Bob has addressed any concerns well and has handled the concerns of all students well. Bob is good with checking questions with signature and letting us know. I find the video clips useful at the end of the class, pausing them to discuss and check we understand, it has been great.