English Speaking Board (International) Ltd

Author: Liam Morton

  • Royal recognition for Merriel Halsall-Williams’ Cranmer Awards

    ESB Trustee and Vice President, Merriel Halsall-Williams brushed shoulders with royalty when the Prince of Wales visited Lambeth Palace to present the Prayer Book Society’s Cranmer Awards.
    prince of wales
    Prince of Wales with Cranmer Award Winners

    Merriel founded the annual competition for the Prayer Book Society in 1989 to introduce young people to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and to experience the magnitude of Thomas Cranmer’s words through reading aloud.

    His Royal Highness met the worthy winners to present their awards, after hearing them read their favourite passages from memory.  He has been a long-standing supporter of the competition, and says ‘I believe the Prayer Book is a glorious part of every English-speaker’s heritage.’

    Merriel, who organised the competition, was delighted to again welcome the Prince of Wales to the event and says,

    I’m so proud of the youngsters who showed passion and skill bringing Cranmer’s words beautifully to life, and I’m overjoyed that Prince Charles was able to witness the magic of the event.

    Merriel was recently awarded the prestigious Richard Ellis Award for her continuing outstanding dedication to the work of ESB.

    prince of wales
    His Royal Highness with Merriel Halsall-Williams

     

    To read more about Prince Charles’ appearance at the Cranmer Awards, please visit https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6730091/Prince-Wales-presents-awards-calls-demonstration-pride-heritage.html

    To find out more about the Prayer Book Society’s Cranmer Awards, go to https://www.pbs.org.uk/competitions-bursaries/the-cranmer-award

  • It’s a boy! ESB baby arrives just after Mum’s successful assessment!

    Hilay Mohamad has to be one of ESB’s most dedicated learners – after going into labour during her assessment!

    When Hilay arrived at North London’s Stanmore College to begin her ESOL Skills for Life Entry 3 Award assessment, she gave no indication to Assessor Nicola Rose that she would be swept off to hospital to give birth as soon as her 29 minutes of assessment time were up.

    Said Nicola, “Hilay was a shining example of a dedicated ESB learner.  She spoke clearly and accurately in her assessment, despite the fact of her baby’s imminent arrival! Her composure and tenacity were truly inspiring and I’m delighted to say that she also passed her assessment with full marks. A successful day all round!”

    As soon as her assessment was over, Hilay and her husband Ibrahim rushed to Barnet Hospital to prepare for the birth of Abubakar Mohamed. Hilay says,

    I was nervous doing my assessment because I knew that I did not have much time! I’m very happy that Abubakar was born in excellent health and I passed my Entry 3 qualification!

    ESB sends its congratulations to both Hilay and Ibraham Mohamed on their new addition to the family.

    Baby Abubakar Mohamed

  • ESB has updated its Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

    English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. has updated its Malpractice and Maladministration Policy as part of its review process to ensure all procedures and practices continue to meet the required legislative and regulatory compliance.

    ESB is committed to taking all reasonable steps to present the occurrence of any malpractice or maladministration in the development, delivery and award of qualifications.

    You can access the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy here.
    You can access the Sanctions Policy here (p.10).

  • Czech learners find their voice in first ESB assessment

    prague school

    English Speaking Board (International)’s centres come in all shapes and sizes, from all over the world, but it’s not often we find ESB assessments taking place underneath a castle.

    Park Lane International School in Prague is unique as it stands tucked away beneath the walls of the city’s breathtaking castle, close to the historic Old Town.

    ESB Assessor, Julia Ward flew out to the Czech Republic to assess the learners, and was blown away by the talent and dedication shown by the youngsters in their presentations and poetry recitals.

    Says Julia,

    It was a delight to see the pupils carry out their ESB assessments with such confidence and skill, as well as hearing how much they enjoyed the experience afterwards!

    Siobhan Woodruff, English Teacher at the school says,

    Prior to the examination, the pupils were a bundle of nerves, but nobody would have believed that they were nervous when watching the actual presentations – they looked and sounded like supremely confident young adults.

    Please click here to see Park Lane International School’s website.