AO of the year

ESB announces partnership with The Noisy Classroom

ESB is proud to announce its partnership with The Noisy Classroom, a website and training organisation dedicated to supporting speaking and listening across the curriculum.

The director, Debbie Newman, is a qualified English teacher, a former President of the Cambridge Union Society, a world champion debate coach and a former assessor for the English Speaking Board.

She has gathered together a band of associate trainers whose experience includes working at the English-Speaking Union, the National Theatre and the City Lit.

These trainers run workshops for students and CPD events for teachers in debating, public speaking and drama. The organisation works with Linklaters to run debating in Hackney primary schools and with the PiXL club to run a national secondary debate programme called “Up for Debate”. The website is full of free to access videos and resources for the classroom.

Debbie explained the ethos:

The Noisy Classroom is passionate about helping children to become articulate and confident adults.

All of our lives we will be judged based on our ability with the spoken word. Whether it is going for a school, university or job interview, delivering a pitch or a presentation, arguing in court or working in telesales, our speaking powers can help us achieve our goals.

The organisation places particular emphasis on debating; she explained:

Debating is Oracy Plus. That is because as well as teaching the skills of public speaking, it also develops critical thinking. These skills in turn improve essay writing and examination performance.

She added:

That is why The Noisy Classroom is delighted that the English Speaking Board has added debating to its suite of excellent qualifications in oral communication.

Oracy Speech

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