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English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is proud to announce its participation in an upcoming anniversary event commemorating 10 years of Linguistics Research at Manchester Metropolitan University.  

ESB’s involvement in this event and its future collaborations with Manchester Metropolitan University stem from ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, taking part in a panel discussion with Dr. Khawla Badwan, Senior Lecturer in TESOL and Applied Linguistics at MMU, during a previous Oracy event held at Grove Street Primary School on the Wirral. 

This event will see ESB actively contributing to a roundtable discussion on the present and future significance of linguistics research. 

Manchester Metropolitan University’s extensive research in diverse fields and sub-fields of linguistics, combined with its collaborations with national and international stakeholders, sets the stage for an insightful dialogue at the anniversary event. The question at the forefront of discussions will be, “what does Linguistics in Action look like?”. 

ESB’s Product Development Manager, Anthea Wilson, will represent ESB in the roundtable discussion and will address pivotal topics such as: 

1. Identifying the current pressing challenges and the vital role of linguistics research in addressing them. 
2. Developing a collaborative research agenda to ensure research impact, relevance, and significance. 
3. Exploring how ESB works with research. 

The roundtable session aims to gather diverse perspectives and responses from stakeholders, not only to reflect on the event’s presentations, but also to lay the groundwork for potential future research collaborations. 

ESB is delighted to be part of this milestone event and looks forward to contributing to the substantive discussions around the significance and future direction of linguistics research at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

About English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. 

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is a specialist Ofqual regulated Awarding Organisation, with over 70 years of expertise in exclusively awarding qualifications for English Language and Oracy. It creates, marks, and externally assesses accredited ESOL Skills for Life qualifications, available at five levels from Entry 1 to Level 2, as well as a non-accredited Pre-Entry offering. It also operates a successful portfolio of ESOL International qualifications from A1-C2 level, mapped to the common European framework, together with a unique suite of oracy qualifications mapped to the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4, which can add to, or enhance an ambitious curriculum. The organisation currently certificates more than 40,000 learners per year in a wide range of centres.  

ESB was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ for 2023 by the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB). ESB is renowned for promoting the power of human connection, self-advocacy, communication, and confidence-building amongst its learners.   

Our published research 

ESB’s National Impact Report 21/22 includes research from its most disadvantaged primary and secondary schools, demonstrating an impact score of 9/10 and 8/10 respectively, and highlighting the significant impact that ESB qualifications have on the Oracy skills of their learners in the wake of the pandemic. You can read the full National Impact Report here: ESB-INFO-C70-Oracy-Assessment-Impact-Report-2021-22-v1.pdf (esbuk.org) 

Additionally, a peer-reviewed article was published in the Chartered Teaching Magazine titled: ‘A unique opportunity in the curriculum for students to have genuine agency over their choices and outcome’: A study of the impact on learners of employability-focused, externally assessed Level 1 and Level 2 speaking and listening qualifications. 

If you would like to find out more information about English Speaking Board (International) and its externally assessed qualifications, please click here. 

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is delighted to support the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England by sharing its 70 years’ of evidence of the value of oracy for children, young people, and adults across all educational settings.

The Commission, an independent body chaired by Geoff Barton and hosted by Voice 21, recognises the growing importance of spoken language in children’s learning and life chances and concerns the impact of the inconsistency, quality and accessibility of oracy education in schools across England.

ESB’s evidence aims to inform the Commission’s efforts to define the purpose of oracy education in schools and propose a blueprint for delivering effective oracy education as a fundamental component of every child’s statutory education.

ESB has submitted evidence based on both research and practice around the following themes:

Oracy education directly affects specific subject outcomes

Our recent research shows that by focusing on developing the specific knowledge and skills of speaking and listening, learners not only become more confident and adept in these areas, but they also increase their capacity to articulate their learning. 

Oracy education and skills development must include all learners

Oracy education is for every young person at school, in post-16 education, at specialist providers for learners with special educational needs and disabilities, and in inclusion, exclusion or pupil referral units. 

ESB International assessments are communication-rich experiences for learners in a supportive group setting

ESB International assessments, which deliver a recognised qualification, usually take place in groups of six learners, and each learner is assessed individually whilst interacting with the group, teacher and the assessor. Face-to-face assessments are held in person, with a trained, standardised and moderated assessor coming to the centre. The ESB International 2021-22 Impact Report has shown that external oracy assessment taken in peer groups can play a valuable part in developing young people’s speaking and listening skills by creating communication-rich situations, which reflect best practice classroom group learning; signpost post-16 and higher education group projects and seminars, and model an interactive, discursive workplace.  

Teachers’ comments (from ESB’s 2021-22 Impact Report):

• ‘By giving the students a chance to practise their speaking and listening in an assessment that was not ran by school staff, students learned to step up, overcome their fears about presenting, and talk about something they chose.’
• ‘Overall, this built students resilience, speaking ability, listening ability, teamwork, and independent working skills.’
• ‘Children’s speaking skills really came on by having to go through the process of learning texts and being able to speak them aloud as a group. It was lovely to see.’

The links between oracy and employability are well-documented and evidenced

• The ‘Skills Builder Universal Framework’ includes ‘Speaking’, ‘Listening’ and ‘Teamwork’. All levels of this framework are addressed in ESB international oracy qualifications, from ‘Getting Started’ at Level 1 and below, to ‘Mastery’ at Level 3.

• A teacher of post-16 learners with special educational needs and disabilities states, many of our adults achieve supported, paid employment and for others volunteering in the community becomes more achievable, so these qualifications have been invaluable in preparing them for employability and volunteering. 

• Data collected for the ESB International Impact Report 2021-2022 shows that preparing for and completing our Level 1 and Level 2 Speech for Employability qualifications, improves learners’ transferrable, employability-related skills and abilities.  For example, at secondary level, 62% of learners made progress against their starting point in their ability to ‘work well in a group, staying focused and collaborating with others’.

• In more recent, unpublished ESB data, learners and teachers have reflected upon specific aspects of their qualifications and the value they hold for their futures and careers:
  

Oracy education develops learner agency and self-advocacy and can level the playing field for learners from a range of backgrounds, starting points, and different lived experiences.

Our assessments are based on a child-centred approach, where there are no set texts or detailed prescribed topics. Our founding philosophy was to use spoken language to foster human connection and to achieve this by the learners choosing their topics, texts and role models, which ESB International has been proud to hold as our core ethos for over 70 years. Indeed, to succeed in our qualifications the individual needs to hold up and encourage those around them through listening and interaction. 

The ESB International Impact Report 2021-2022 investigates the impact of the emphasis on personal choice, which provides an authentic opportunity for the exercise of learner agency. Agency and advocacy both empower individuals to assert their rights, needs, and interests. When people have agency, they are better equipped to advocate for themselves and others. Conversely, advocacy often aims to enhance people’s agency by challenging systemic barriers and injustices that limit their ability to act autonomously. 

About English Speaking Board (International) Ltd.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. (ESB International) is an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation, which has been assessing speaking and listening of learners in primary, secondary and tertiary education, and employees in workplace settings for over 70 years. This history of assessment practice allows us an exceptional insight into the value and impact, provision, access and barriers in oracy education during successive periods of educational policy and societal change.  

You can read our full National Impact Report here: ESB-INFO-C70-Oracy-Assessment-Impact-Report-2021-22-v1.pdf (esbuk.org).

With the Commission’s final report due in September 2024, ESB looks forward to providing the Commission with its full input, as we look to collectively positively impact the future of oracy education in England.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is thrilled to announce that its patron, Dr. Kush Kanodia, has been awarded the Campaigner of the Year Award 2024 by the prestigious Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s Campaigner of the Year Award recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution to social change through campaigning and advocacy.

Dr Kanodia has won the award for his exceptional work in advocating for reasonable adjustments for disabled people within London’s ULEZ scheme. His advocacy led him to meet with Mayor Sadiq Khan, resulting in significant changes to the scheme, including the introduction of a £10,000 grant for wheelchair accessible vehicles and an exemption for 250,000 disabled people.

Dr Kanodia was also the seminal figure in removing NHS England car parking charges at hospitals, which many claim was the most impactful positive change for disabled people since the formation of the NHS.

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw said:

A massive congratulations to our incredible patron, Dr Kanodia – what an amazing achievement! His tireless work and dedication to creating a more inclusive and accessible society are an inspiration to us all. 

Dr Kanodia was drawn to ESB after hearing of its Outreach Campaign, which financially supports organisations and groups whose learners face disadvantage due to poverty, migrant or asylum seeker status, or special educational needs and disabilities. In November 2023, we were named ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ at the 2023 Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards for our wonderful outreach work.

We all want to be seen, be heard and understood, for our strengths to be appreciated, and for barriers to learning to be removed. At ESB, we offer Oracy qualifications, which are accessible, and which can be adapted to many of our learners who may describe themselves as neurodivergent. We are proud that this portfolio includes specialist Oracy qualifications for learners with significant learning needs to furnish these learners with experiences that can help to remove barriers to learning, by enabling access to a wide range of curricula, building relationships and a sense of belonging, and developing self-esteem and a positive self-identity.

We look forward to Dr Kanodia getting involved in ESB’s mission to remove barriers for learners. I am in no doubt of the positive impact that he will bring to our work.

You can watch the awards here (1:27):

If you would like to learn more about the remarkable campaign work of Dr. Kanodia, you can visit his website: https://kushkanodia.com/.

About English Speaking Board (International) Ltd.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is committed to empowering children, young people and adults with oracy and English language skills, enabling them to achieve their aspirations and attain a confidence-building qualification. ESB can demonstrate how the impact of these skills and the confidence they develop to realise potential of all and close the disadvantage gap. 

Are you keen to learn more about ESB’s Oracy qualifications for all learners, which can be seamlessly integrated into your curriculum and made accessible?

ESB offers a full suite of Oracy qualifications that can be adjusted for learners. Please click here to find out more. In addition, ESB offers four categories of qualifications for learners with significant special educational needs and disabilities aged 16 and over who do not hold a Level 1 qualification or higher.

You can hear more about the impact of our work from one of our valued centres providing a specialist environment, Aurora Foxes, a residential college and training hotel for 16-25-year-olds based in Somerset.

Learn more about how ESB assessments help prepare learners with significant learning needs for work and life.

For more information, please email us at business@esbuk.org to arrange a meeting with our CEO, Tina Renshaw. We would be delighted to hear from you.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is proud to announce that its patron, Dr Kush Kanodia, has been nominated as a finalist for the prestigious ‘Campaigner of the Year Award’ presented by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation. 

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s Campaigner of the Year Award recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to social change through campaigning and advocacy.

Dr Kanodia has been nominated for his exceptional work in advocating for reasonable adjustments for disabled people within London’s ULEZ scheme. His advocacy led him to meet with Mayor Sadiq Khan, resulting in significant changes to the scheme, including the introduction of a £10,000 grant for wheelchair accessible vehicles and an exemption for 250,000 disabled people.

Dr Kanodia was also the seminal figure in removing NHS England car parking charges at hospitals, which many claim was the most impactful positive change for disabled people since the formation of the NHS.

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw said:

We’re so delighted to have Dr Kanodia as one of our patrons, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved nomination. His tireless work and dedication to creating a more inclusive and accessible society are an inspiration to us all. 

Dr Kanodia was drawn to ESB after hearing of its Outreach Campaign, which financially supports organisations and groups whose learners face disadvantage due to poverty, migrant or asylum seeker status, or special educational needs and disabilities. In November 2023, we were named ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ at the 2023 Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards for our wonderful outreach work.

We all want to be seen, be heard and understood, for our strengths to be appreciated, and for barriers to learning to be removed. At ESB, we offer Oracy qualifications, which are accessible, and which can be adapted to many of our learners who may describe themselves as neurodivergent. We are proud that this portfolio includes specialist Oracy qualifications for learners with significant learning needs to furnish these learners with experiences that can help to remove barriers to learning, by enabling access to a wide range of curricula, building relationships and a sense of belonging, and developing self-esteem and a positive self-identity.

We look forward to Dr Kanodia getting involved in ESB’s mission to remove barriers for learners. I am in no doubt of the positive impact that he will bring to our work.

The winner of the Campaigner of the Year Award will be announced during a live-streamed awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 15th from 6:15 pm to 8 pm. You can watch the awards ceremony live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjmUeVnruM8.

If you would like to learn more about the remarkable campaign work of Dr. Kanodia, you can visit his website: https://kushkanodia.com/.

About English Speaking Board (International) Ltd.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. is committed to empowering children, young people and adults with oracy and English language skills, enabling them to achieve their aspirations and attain a confidence-building qualification. ESB can demonstrate how the impact of these skills and the confidence they develop to realise potential of all and close the disadvantage gap. 

Are you keen to learn more about ESB’s Oracy qualifications for all learners, which can be seamlessly integrated into your curriculum and made accessible?

ESB offers a full suite of Oracy qualifications that can be adjusted for learners. Please click here to find out more. In addition, ESB offers four categories of qualifications for learners with significant special educational needs and disabilities aged 16 and over who do not hold a Level 1 qualification or higher.

You can hear more about the impact of our work from one of our valued centres providing a specialist environment, Aurora Foxes, a residential college and training hotel for 16-25-year-olds based in Somerset.

Learn more about how ESB assessments help prepare learners with significant learning needs for work and life.

For more information, please email us at business@esbuk.org to arrange a meeting with our CEO, Tina Renshaw. We would be delighted to hear from you.