It was with great sadness that we learnt that passionate ESB supporter, our dear colleague and friend, Avril Newman, has passed away.
Avril embraced all aspects of ESB as a teacher, as a headteacher, as an ESB Trustee – twice! and as the face of our 70/70 anniversary campaign when she took on the role of Ambassador.
Avril also coined the phrase, which for the past few years has become the cornerstone of how we describe the organisation, when she described what ESB has to offer: “Imagine a golden ticket to social mobility and future success.” Spoken from the heart and as ever, with Avril, authentic and coming from a place of great knowledge and professionalism.
Avril was an amazing educator – and taught in Tower Hamlets in London for an incredible 55 years! In that time, she was headteacher of the fantastic Sir William Burrough School for 28 years.
Her daughter, Debbie, who followed her Mum into the world of education and created the ground-breaking Oracy-led Noisy Classroom, and who was herself a former Trustee of ESB, said:
Mum was such a passionate supporter of ESB and so many children at Sir William Burrough School benefited from being involved. She was delighted to become an Ambassador for the 70/70 Campaign and do what she could to spread the word. She was so thrilled when her granddaughter, my daughter, Talia, took her first ESB exam last year making us officially three generations of ESB!
She was also a magistrate and a Freeman of the City of London (and yes she did take a sheep over London Bridge)!
In her working life, Avril shared the same goal as ESB – to enable disadvantaged learners to communicate more effectively to allow them to reach their aspirations and follow their dreams. She was a Trustee at English Speaking Board on two occasions. She first stepped down from the role in 2009 when her daughter Debbie took over her position. She then returned to the Board in 2013 until 2021.
Her school, a state education Primary School serving the local communities of Tower Hamlets, completed ESB assessments for many years as Avril was a fervent believer that it helped her learners, many of whom came from homes where English was not their first language, to improve their self-confidence and communication skills.
At the time of being appointed as our Ambassador, Avril said:
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 that those children take home, that they can share and display, that their families in overcrowded, intergenerational, non-English speaking homes have enormous pride in.
Sir William Burrough School, paid their own tribute: “Avril was the leader of Sir William Burrough for almost 30 years and in this time ceaselessly and passionately championed the school and its community. We remember her with the fondest of memories and cherish the proud legacy that she leaves behind.“
A BBC Report broadcast in 1999 discussing progress that minority groups could make given the right teaching, held up Avril’s school as a perfect example. The BBC said: “Bangladeshi pupils at one primary school in London prove that underachievement is not inevitable. At the Sir William Burrough primary school in the East End, in the national English tests they generally outstrip not only their white peers, but also the national average. The school puts its success down partly to its open-minded attitude to pupils whose mother tongue is not English”.
Avril, always proud of her learners, contributed: “It is important to remember many ethnic minority children are bright and must not be treated as if they had learning difficulties, just because they have language difficulties.“
Finally, ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, who knew Avril well in all her ESB roles, remembers:
Avril was such a special person and a magnificent educator. As the new CEO to ESB, she wanted me to see ESB in action and shared her school with me on a number of occasions to witness those children experience an Oracy education. For me she was committed, principled, dedicated, loving and empathetic. When I wanted to create a campaign to celebrate the impact of ESB when we turned 70, there was no-one else whom I would have chosen to be the ambassador for our 70/70 campaign. We wanted to increase the participation of our Outreach campaign where we support schools in situations like hers to access the life changing experience we believed “doing ESB” to be. She fulfilled that role as only she could, coining a phrase that became its headline.
Her educational legacy is clear, thousands of children who were empowered and respected in an environment that gave them life changing, rich, impactful and varied experiences. I am always humbled that educators like Avril chose ESB to be part of that experience. Thank you Avril, ESB will continue to honour your legacy in our Outreach campaign.
