Author: Liam Morton

“Imagine a golden ticket to social mobility and future success” says ESB’s 70/70 Ambassador about ESB assessments

ESB announces its Ambassador for its 70/70 Campaign – Avril Newman!

Avril, former ESB Trustee, current Headteacher of London’s Sir William Borough Primary School and now 70/70 Ambassador shares the same goal as ESB – to equip disadvantaged learners with the skills needed to thrive in education, training and employment, enabling them to reach their aspirations.

Sir William Borough Primary School, a state school serving the local communities of Tower Hamlets has been completing ESB assessments for many years because it recognises the improvement in its pupils’ self-confidence and communication skills. 

Many of its pupils are from deprived backgrounds and live in overcrowded households where English is not their first language. A large proportion of children are also enrolled on free school meals and live on universal credit.

Says Avril: “I am overwhelmed to have been appointed as ESB’s 70/70 Ambassador! ESB assessments have been a great gift to our school. They give our pupils a structure and purpose and help them to find their voice.   

“The speeches that my learners complete as part of their ESB assessment are very close to the heart and the culture of the community that I serve. They have the most enchanting experience with an ESB assessor, and they then feel a sense of achievement when they receive a certificate at the end of it. Do not underestimate the joy of that golden ticket. The children take it home, and share it with their families. Those families who may not speak English, but take enormous pride in their children’s achievements.”

Please watch the video below of Avril talking about the impact that ESB assessments continue to have on her learners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9ROykIMpc

Says ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, “What better person to champion our 70/70 Campaign than Avril – who lives and breathes ESB’s ethos. Parallel to ESB’s vision, Avril is passionate about closing the disadvantage gap and her enthusiasm to provide all learners with equal opportunities is contagious.

“At ESB, we are steadfast in our determination to support as many disadvantaged groups as possible from the charity and community sectors, as well as educational centres and we are passionate to help close the disadvantage gap, as demonstrated by our 70/70 Campaign.”

How many centres have we financially supported over the past 3 academic years through our Christabel Burniston Fund?

The Christabel Burniston Fund, established in honour of our founder, Christabel Burniston MBE, facilitates access to our suite of speech and language qualifications to groups and organisations which are seeking to close the disadvantage gap.

The 70/70 Campaign provides an expansion on the support we already offer through our Christabel Burniston Fund.

• Over the last 3 academic years, ESB has supported a total of 51 Centres through its Christabel Burniston Fund with resounding success, demonstrated by the huge improvement in learners’ speaking and listening skills. We support schools, colleges and third sector organisations.

• 15 new centres registered in 2021-2022 will benefit from financial support through our Christabel Burniston Fund which include centres from both the Education and Third Sector. We continue to support a further 36 centres as they continue their ESB journey for their learners.

In return for our support through our Christabel Burniston Fund, we ask that our centres participate in data collection. From this data we produce evidence of the impact of an enhanced focus on Oracy and English language on learners who face disadvantage.  

We have already started collecting some impact data as a result of our Christabel Burniston-funded qualifications.

Impact of the Christabel-Funded Level 3 Certificate in Speech (Grade 8) qualifications on Disadvantaged Learners

After completion of ESB assessments:

• 100% of learners progressed from competent to highly competent in using Standard English when the context and audience required it.
• The ability to work as a team and communicate effectively in a group improved for all learners.
• All learners improved from competent to highly competent in both planning for different purposes and audiences, including selecting and organising information, and planning ideas effectively and persuasively for formal spoken presentations and debates.
• Listening skills showed consistent improvement. 64% of learners were competent, and 36% were judged to not be competent before the qualification preparation period, but by the end 64% of learners were highly competent and 36% were competent at listening to and building on the contributions of others, asking questions to clarify and inform, and challenging courteously when necessary.

Would you like to support your disadvantaged learners to reach their potential?

If you believe your learners or young people would benefit by developing key speaking,  listening skills and language skills, we would love to hear from you!

You may also be interested to hear that our Level 3 Graded Examinations in Speech qualifications and our Level 3 Debating qualification carry UCAS tariff points for university and HE entry. ESB offers a potential alternative to the Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ) at Level 3, with our ESB Level 3 Certificate in Speech (Grade 8) qualification requiring fewer ‘Guided Learning Hours’ (48 rather than 120) and carrying up to 30 UCAS points compared to the EPQ’s 28. 

Once you contact us you can also find out whether your centre is eligible for financial support through our 70/70 Campaign.

Congratulations to ESB’s former Vice-President, Merriel Halsall-Williams who takes up her position as Honorary Life President.

ESB’s previous Honorary Life President, Jocelyn Bell sadly passed away in 2020 and we celebrated her life’s work and immense contribution to the organisation at her service of remembrance.

Jocelyn’s contribution is also remembered through ESB’s prestigious Burniston Bell Award, named in honour of our founder, Christabel Burniston and Jocelyn.  The award ensures the continuation of their legacy and recognises the exceptional work of ESB teachers who are keeping Christabel and Jocelyn’s vision alive today.

Says ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, “I would like to congratulate Merriel on her appointment as Honorary Life President and thank her for her remarkable and on-going contribution to ESB. Merriel’s enduring relationship with ESB International began in 1953, when as a 15-year-old schoolgirl she met ESB’s founder Christabel Burniston. From that very moment, Merriel has made it her lifetime mission to champion the power of the spoken word. Her impact on public speaking is simply unique and immeasurable.

“Merriel was a dear friend of Jocelyn’s, and they shared many memories together. We are hopeful that Jocelyn would be happy knowing that such a talented lady as Merriel would be the one to act as stand-in for the role of ESB’s Honorary Life President.”

Says Merriel on her appointment: “I first met Christabel and Jocelyn when I enrolled as a student at Christabel’s Northwest School of Speech and Drama in Southport. Both Christabel and Jocelyn were truly inspirational teachers and role models, and I am so honoured to follow in their footsteps as ESB’s Honorary Life President. Since ESB’s inception, I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact and value that its assessments have on individuals, equipping them with the speaking and listening skills to last them a lifetime”.

ESB is currently in the run up to its 70^th anniversary next year and the organisation is planning a number of anniversary celebratory events, as well as promoting its 70/70 campaign, which aims to find and financially support, 70 centres where their learners, children, young people or community members face disadvantage and would be supported in their aspirations if they could achieve an ESB qualification.