ESB International Concludes Singapore Roadshow and Looks Ahead to Long-Term Partnerships
English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. (ESB International) has concluded its 2026 Singapore Roadshow following a week of school visits, meetings and conversations focused on the future of Oracy, English language development and confident communication.
Chief Executive Adrian Gallagher and Head of Commercial Jonathan Smith travelled to Singapore from 21 to 25 September as part of a programme designed to strengthen existing relationships, meet new schools and education partners, and better understand the priorities of international education communities in the region.
But while the Roadshow itself has come to an end, ESB International’s ambitions in Singapore have not.
The visit was designed as a starting point for deeper, long-term engagement with international schools across the country, and ESB International intends to continue developing those relationships in the months and years ahead.
Listening to international schools face to face
A central aim of the Singapore Roadshow was simple: to spend time in schools.
Digital meetings make international collaboration easier than ever, but there remains real value in visiting a school, seeing its learning environment first-hand and sitting down with educators to understand what they want for their learners.
Throughout the week, Adrian and Jonathan met school leaders, teachers, education partners and other stakeholders to discuss areas including Oracy, public speaking, debating, enrichment, EAL and English language development.
Those conversations reflected the wider purpose of the Roadshow, which was created to listen to schools and explore where ESB International’s learner-centred qualifications and assessment approach could complement different curricula and school communities.
That face-to-face approach will remain an important part of ESB International’s international growth.
Rather than relying solely on remote outreach from the UK, ESB International wants to continue spending time in the countries and communities it hopes to support, building relationships directly with the people delivering education every day.
Celebrating more than a decade with Tanglin Trust School
One of the highlights of the week was a visit to long-standing ESB International centre Tanglin Trust School.
Tanglin Trust School has worked with ESB International for more than a decade, giving generations of learners opportunities to develop and demonstrate their speaking, listening and communication skills.
Adrian and Jonathan met Kitty Dudgeon, who coordinates ESB International teaching and assessment activity at Tanglin, as well as Craig Considine, Chief Executive Officer of Tanglin Trust School.
The visit provided an opportunity to celebrate an established Oracy partnership, hear from the school community and consider how the relationship can continue to develop in the years ahead.
For ESB International, Tanglin represents exactly the kind of partnership it wants to build more widely: one based not simply on delivering qualifications, but on listening to the centre, understanding its learners and supporting communication education over the long term.
ESB International’s Oracy qualifications can support learners from the early years through to post-16 education, with opportunities spanning speaking and listening, public speaking, presentation, debating, critical thinking and learner-led communication.
Starting new conversations with schools in Singapore
The Roadshow was also about creating new relationships.
Adrian and Jonathan were warmly welcomed to Dulwich College, including a visit to the Junior School and an opportunity to learn more about the school community.
Visits such as this were deliberately exploratory. Rather than arriving with a predetermined solution, ESB International wanted to understand how different international schools approach communication, enrichment and learner development, and where there may be opportunities to work together in future.
Schools do not need to wait for the next formal visit to begin a conversation with ESB International. The team is keen to hear from schools reviewing their provision in Oracy, public speaking, debating, EAL or wider communication skills, whether they are ready to introduce qualifications now or simply want to explore what might be possible.
Taking the conversation beyond Singapore at Bett Asia
The week also created an opportunity to connect ESB International’s work in Singapore with a wider regional conversation.
Adrian travelled to Bett Asia in Kuala Lumpur, where education leaders, school representatives, policymakers and innovators from across the Asia-Pacific region came together to discuss developments in education.
His attendance extended the conversations taking place during the Singapore Roadshow beyond one country and reflected ESB International’s wider ambition to build relationships with international schools and education partners throughout Asia.
For ESB International, communication skills are relevant across school life.
Learners need to explain ideas, contribute to discussions, present research, construct arguments, listen to different perspectives and communicate with confidence in increasingly diverse environments.
ESB International’s Oracy qualifications are designed to give schools a structured framework through which those skills can be developed and independently recognised. Assessments can be delivered in person or remotely, giving international centres flexibility in how they work with ESB International.
Rounding off the week at the British High Commission
Towards the end of the Roadshow, Adrian and Jonathan also visited the British High Commission in Singapore.
It was a fitting way to bring together a week focused on relationships, international collaboration and understanding how ESB International can build a meaningful, sustainable presence in the region.
The visit also reinforced an important message from the week: ESB International does not see Singapore as a short-term campaign or a one-off overseas visit.
The Roadshow ends, but our work in Singapore continues
The most important outcome of the Singapore Roadshow is what happens next.
ESB International intends to build on the conversations started during the week, continue supporting its existing relationships and develop new partnerships with international schools across Singapore.
That means staying in contact with schools after Adrian and Jonathan return to the UK, continuing conversations remotely where useful and, importantly, returning to Singapore for further face-to-face engagement.
The organisation’s aim is to develop a sustained presence over the coming years, working with schools that share its belief that confident communication, learner voice and the ability to express ideas with purpose deserve meaningful recognition.
The Singapore Roadshow demonstrated the value of getting out from behind the screen, visiting schools and hearing directly from the people working with learners every day.
That is an approach ESB International intends to continue.
Could ESB International support your school?
If your international school is exploring Oracy, public speaking, debating, EAL, English language development or communication-focused enrichment, the end of the Roadshow does not mean the end of the opportunity to speak with us.
Schools can register their interest for a future conversation with the ESB International team. The current enquiry form remains available for schools wishing to continue or begin a conversation after the September visit.
You can also download our Oracy for International Schools prospectus, which introduces our qualification pathways from Early Years and Primary through to Secondary and post-16 education, together with our approach to assessment and international delivery.
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