Children at one Oxford school aren’t just learning their ABCs, they are learning them in sign language too.

Pupils at Christ Church Cathedral School in Brewer Street have been learning to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in sign language.

Teacher KT Bruce said: “I have been teaching sign language with our cleaner, Sheena Webster, who had two deaf parents.

“It’s quite sweet. When you walk around school a lot of the pupils will say ‘thank you’ in sign language instead of saying it. It’s all about teaching the children to understand people who may not have the same advantages they do.”

Owen Goodwin, nine, said: “I enjoy signing a lot. It is a good thing to learn because you can talk to deaf people.”