Category: ESOL International

Strengthening Our Partnership with Europalso
ESB International was delighted to reaffirm our long-standing and successful partnership with Europalso at a professional seminar this past weekend, represented by our Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, and Chief Assessor, Anthea Wilson. The seminar was hosted for Europalo’s language school owners and offered a great opportunity for training, collaboration and networking.

ESB International CEO, Tina Renshaw, delivers updates to over 150 Europalso language schools.

ESB International was on hand to discuss another strong academic year, as well as outlining what the future holds for our work in Greece:

✅ 17 years of partnership – delivering high-quality ESOL International assessments for Greek learners.
✅ Innovation in assessment – from adult online assessments to our online assessor training platform, ensuring quality and accessibility.
✅ Outstanding May 2025 results:
- B1 learners achieved their best overall results since 2020.
- B2 candidates demonstrated strong language control and lexis above level expectations.
- C1 performance was among the highest since 2020, with significant improvements in writing.
- C2 candidates excelled in listening, reading and use of English skills
✅ 168 oral assessors delivered 100% error-free administration, and results were delivered faster than ever.

Looking ahead:
- A 10-year collaboration plan, ESB-designed e-certificates, and continued growth in online learning and webinars.
- ESB International will also be hosting an upcoming webinar on 6th November to support continued CPD for our online assessments.
The trip also represented Tina’s final visit to Europalso ahead of her departure from ESB International at the end of the year after 9 years as Chief Executive.

Europalso has always made ESB feel incredibly welcome, and I’m deeply grateful for the trust and partnership we continue to share. Your unwavering commitment to ESB International, and to the learners we serve, makes me incredibly proud and gives me every confidence for the years ahead.
Tina Renshaw, Chief Executive, ESB International

Our commitment to Europalso, language school owners and learners remains unwavering. Thank you to the Europalso community for your enduring trust and partnership.
19 September 2025
ESB Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, to step down after 9 years

After nine years at the helm of English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. (ESB International), our Chief Executive Tina Renshaw is stepping down from her role. During her tenure, Tina has led the organisation through a period of growth and transformation, championing the values of accessible, high-quality assessment and communication skills for all. We thank her for her dedication and visionary leadership.

Tina has shared a personal statement reflecting on her time with ESB International, which you can read below.

Dear Centres, teachers and tutors,

I will be leaving my role as CEO of ESB International at the end of October, as I know that the time is right for me to find a new challenge and for the organisation to embrace new leadership and ideas.

For 9 years I have loved this leadership opportunity and feel that the whole ESB International team evolved a new phase for this wonderful organisation of which I am truly proud. To hear everyday of our impact on your children, young people and adults is life affirming and humbling – their improved Oracy skills or English language skills earning them a qualification. Yet our work together with you as centre organisers, exam teams, teachers, tutors and for your learners creates far much more than that- it grows their confidence, sense of agency and self respect, they feel the affirmation of achievement, of being listened to when speaking and experience the acceptance and service of learning from and listening to others.

Tina visiting Broadfields School, a primary school in Barnet that has been delivering ESB’s oracy qualifications for over 10 years.

ESB International’s Tina Renshaw and Chief Assessor, Anthea Wilson (left), attending the Europalso annual conference. ESB and Europalso have been working together for over 15 years.

Importantly the ESB International family have also ensured that the legacies of our founders Christabel Burniston MBE and Jocelyn Bell were honoured through our outreach work and showcased in our 70^th anniversary celebrations with you, our learners and centres. A wonderful external accolade for our work together was being recognised as Awarding Organisation of the Year in 2023.

So ESB International has begun a new phase with its search for its next CEO. If you or someone you know is looking for such an organisation and role: to develop its amazing reputation and grow its reach as an Awarding Organisation and charity, do delve deeper into the information – you have a magnificent team waiting to create and deliver the next chapter with you.

Thank you for your loyalty to ESB International.
Tina Renshaw, Chief Executive

Tina visiting learners at the Supported Learning Centre at Belfast Metropolitan College

The Honorary Treasurer of ESB International’s Board of Trustees, Dr Jim McAtear, has offered his appreciation for Tina’s many contributions and longstanding commitment to the organisation.

Tina with ESOL Skills for Life learners at New City College, a valued partner who hosted a day of celebration as part of ESB International’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

It is with great regret that we begin to say goodbye to Tina Renshaw, our Chief Executive Officer who will leave us in October of this year.. Tina announced her resignation just this week and, in doing so, brings an end to nine years at the helm. She has steered ESB International successfully through to its 70th year as an awarding body as well as its recognition as Awarding Body of the Year in 2023. Tina’s work has ensured the success of our mission to improve the oracy skill, and therefore, the confidence of children, and the social mobility of young people and has promoted the value and benefits of learning English across the globe. We are grateful to Tina for everything she has given and achieved.
Dr Jim McAtear, Honorary Treasurer
Board of Trustees

11 July 2025
Attention all centres, ESB wants to hear from you!
ESB International is always looking at ways to improve its service for its centres. The best way to do this is to find out exactly what individual centres want – deliver it where possible – and as a result build customer loyalty and high satisfaction levels. Your honest feedback enables ESB to provide an outstanding customer experience to all.

With that in mind, ESB is embarking on a new venture – which will make that process even simpler. You can now share real time feedback and experiences with ESB through the launch of its new Trustpilot Account!

What you will need to do:
1. Please follow this link to start your review (you will need to have booked an assessment with us in order to leave a review): https://uk.trustpilot.com/evaluate/esbuk.org
- You will need to register as a Trustpilot user to leave a review. If you do not already have an account, this will be done automatically.
- If you need any guidance on how to write a review, please read Trustpilot’s guidelines here: https://uk.legal.trustpilot.com/for-reviewers/guidelines-for-reviewers
ESB values transparency as one of its most defining characteristics and it hopes that this new feature will bring us closer together with our centres and deepen our working relationship. ESB hopes to see a continuation of the many, many positive views that centres already feed back to us on a regular basis and constructive feedback is always welcome.

Your input is invaluable to us and will be listened to. Please help to empower positive changes at ESB by leaving your feedback today. Together, we can continue to raise – and celebrate – the achievement of our learners!

ESB thanks you for your continued and invaluable support.
6 April 2021
Welcoming our new centres

Earlier in the year we welcomed two new exclusively licensed centres to our ESOL International family; Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Over the last few weeks, we have held webinars for over 60 teachers to introduce them to ESB International and our assessments.

Our fabulous ESB representative internationally Fabiana Pica has led the webinars, hosted by our in-country colleagues Charlie Zdravchev in Bulgaria and Vesna Milevska in North Macedonia. Teachers have been given techniques for excellent classroom activities to enhance candidates’ speaking skills in these webinars.

Tina Renshaw, Chief Executive, said:

“Despite these difficult times, ESB International continues to support all our centres, as well as welcoming new international ones. Focusing on the future, we are currently piloting online ESOL international assessments.

This work, with international e-assessment developers, will broaden the opportunities for learners accessing our assessments. Congratulations to all our colleagues leading ESB International’s implementation in Bulgaria and North Macedonia.”

22 June 2020