English Speaking Board (International) www.esbuk.org has been named Awarding Organisation of the Year at the 2023 Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards!

The most prestigious and final award of the night was presented to ESB during a ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester as part of the Federation of Awarding Bodies’ annual conference. ESB was chosen over three other Awarding Organisations in the ‘Inspire’ category in recognition of being able to describe its year as exceptional: its ability to innovate, be different in its field and impact its learners.

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw says:

What an incredible achievement! It is without doubt the highlight of my career! We are absolutely thrilled to be named Awarding Organisation of the Year – during an exceptional year for us – ESB’s 70th anniversary.I’ve led ESB International for a tenth of our story, and I am part of a professional, purpose-led Awarding Organisation that never fails to make me know why I get out of bed!

In our 70th year we are of a view that what we’ve achieved has earned this award, including the launch of our Outreach Campaign which provides over £30,000 of financial support to organisations whose learners face disadvantage; our National Impact report outlining the impact of our qualifications on learners’ oracy, employability skills and personal development, and five multi-media 70th birthday events hosted to celebrate our many learners, teachers, assessors, trustees, and staff.

Winning this award is a testament to the dedication of the entire ESB team and all those who have been involved in preparing learners for success and who have tirelessly worked to provide learners from all backgrounds with opportunities to reach their full potential.

This recognition motivates us to continue our mission of providing outstanding quality qualifications to all learners, stretching the most able, supporting the least confident and realising the potential of all.

Commenting on the awards, John McNamara, the Federation’s Interim Chief Executive, said:

The FAB awards continue to thrive, with another record-breaking number of participants this year. We were pleased to introduce new award categories celebrating the success of apprentices, AO and employer relationships, AO and provider relationships, and commitment to social responsibility.
Congratulations to this year’s winners, who have demonstrated significant commitment to high quality qualifications and an unwavering commitment to learners and the wider sector.

The FAB Awards, now in its 8th year, recognise the contributions made by awarding organisations and their employees to education and skills in the UK over the past year.

For 70 years, ESB has been providing children, young people and adults with the opportunity to find their voice and advocate for their lives and communities. The organisation also offers those coming and choosing to live in our country a pathway to be heard in their new communities, as well as giving those learners living internationally and in the UK an opportunity to boost their employability and portability of their skills across the world.

ESB does this through its specialist Oracy and English language qualifications, certificating nearly 40,000 learners this year. From our specialist portfolio of Oracy qualifications for learners with significant learning needs to our Oracy qualifications from Early Years to Post 16 offering high levels of UCAS points for those considering a university pathway, to our ESOL Skills for Life and ESOL International qualifications.

If you are interested in discussing our Oracy and/or English language qualifications and wish to find out if your centre qualifies for financial support through our Outreach programme, we would love to hear from you. Please email business@esbuk.org or call 01695 573439 extension 201.

ESB is honoured to receive this award!

The Federation of Awarding Bodies is the collective voice of the awarding and assessment industry. Its membership includes over 120 recognised awarding organisations. A list of its regulated members can be found here.

ESB is delighted to announce that it has become an Associate Member of ALTE after meeting membership requirements and demonstrating experience in high-quality standards in language assessment.

ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) is an association of language test providers working together to promote the fair and accurate assessment of linguistic ability across Europe and beyond.

Says ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, “As an official associate member of ALTE, we are proud to be part of a community of language testing organisations that share our dedication to upholding the highest standards of quality and integrity in English language qualifications.

“This membership not only reaffirms our dedication to providing reliable and accurate assessments but also highlights our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

“We understand that English language qualifications are an essential tool for individuals who want to achieve their full potential in today’s globalised world, and we are dedicated to helping them achieve their language goals through our externally assessed language qualifications.”

ESB offers a wide range of high-quality Ofqual regulated qualifications, including its ESOL International portfolio from A1-C2, delivered online in eight countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa and are mapped to the Common European Framework. It also provides ESOL Skills for Life qualifications to learners who live, study or work in the UK, and Oracy qualifications internationally.

All of its qualifications are externally assessed and moderated by ESB, allowing centres more time to prepare their learners for success.

ESB is the 14th highest exporter of regulated qualifications internationally. Its qualifications aim to stretch the most able, support the least confident and realise the potential of all learners.

To learn about our ESOL International and ESOL Skills for Life qualifications, please click on the links below or speak to a member of our Business Development team at business@esbuk.org.

• ESOL International: https://esbuk.org/web/why-choose-our-assessments/esol-international-2/
• ESOL Skills for Life: https://esbuk.org/web/why-choose-our-assessments/esol-skills-for-life-2/

As an ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ finalist in the prestigious FAB 2023 Awards, ESB is eagerly awaiting the results at the Awards Ceremony taking place this week.

The FAB Awards, now in its 8th year, recognises the contributions made by awarding organisations and their employees to education and skills in the UK over the past year.

Says Sami Mirza, ESB Chair of Trustees:

As Chair of ESB, I’m incredibly proud of ESB’s nomination for the ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ category in the FAB Awards. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our staff members who have tirelessly worked towards driving change and delivering to our most disadvantaged adults, children and young people – we really do want ESB qualifications to help fulfil the potential of all.

ESB’s nomination highlighted its many accomplishments in a particular special year – its 70th anniversary. 

Included amongst these achievements were the following:

• overcoming barriers and challenges;
• improving social mobility;
• impacting the lives of centres and learners;
• demonstrating innovation and leadership;
• excellence in its field.

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, adds:

I’ve led ESB International for a tenth of our story and I am part of a professional, purpose led Awarding Organisation that never fails to make me know why I get out of bed each morning! In our 70th year we are of a view that what we’ve achieved has earned this shortlisting. We are very proud to be among the few who have been selected and we look forward to the upcoming Awards Ceremony with our colleagues in the industry!

For 70 years, ESB has been providing children, young people and adults with the opportunity to find their voice, advocate for their lives and communities. The organisation also offers those coming and choosing to live in our country a pathway to be heard in their new communities, as well as those learners living internationally and in the UK an opportunity to boost their employability and portability of their skills across the world.

ESB does this through its specialist Oracy and English language qualifications, certificating nearly 40,000 learners this year. From our specialist portfolio of Oracy qualifications for learners with significant learning needs; to our Oracy qualifications from Early Years to Post 16 offering high levels of UCAS points for those considering a university pathway; to our ESOL Skills for Life and ESOL International qualifications.

In addition to its qualifications which boost skills, confidence, self-respect and knowledge, resource-stretched schools and colleges value the accredited outcome of the ESB external assessment experience.

Good luck to all nominees!

ESB is thrilled to announce that it has been shortlisted for Awarding Organisation of the Year at the FAB 2023 Awards.

The FAB (Federation of Awarding Bodies) Awards recognise the contributions made by awarding organisations and their employees to education and skills in the UK over the past year.

ESB’s nomination highlighted its many accomplishments in a particular special year – as in 2023 it celebrated its 70^th anniversary. These included overcoming barriers and challenges, improving social mobility, impacting the lives of centres and learners, demonstrating innovation and leadership, and excellence in its field.

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, says:

I’ve led ESB International for a tenth of our story and I am part of a professional, purpose led Awarding Organisation that never fails to make me know why I get out of bed! In our 70th year we are of a view that what we’ve achieved has earned this shortlisting. I lead a team that lives its learner centred culture, that drives change and delivers to our most disadvantaged adults, children and young people  – we really do want our qualifications to help fulfil the potential of all.

For 70 years, ESB has been providing children, young people and adults with the opportunity to find their voice, advocate for their lives and communities. The organisation also offers those coming and choosing to live in our country a pathway to be heard in their new communities as well as those learners living internationally and in the UK an opportunity to boost their employability and portability of their skills across the world.

ESB does this through its specialist Oracy and English language qualifications, certificating nearly 40,000 learners this year. From our specialist portfolio of Oracy qualifications for learners with significant learning needs; to our Oracy qualifications from Early Years to Post 16 offering high levels of UCAS points for those considering a university pathway; to our ESOL Skills for Life and ESOL International qualifications. In addition to our qualifications which boost skills, confidence, self-respect and knowledge, resource-stretched schools and colleges value the accredited outcome of the ESB external assessment experience.

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2023 has seen ESB launch several initiatives demonstrating its commitment to outreach and its purpose – to stretch the most able, support the least confident and realise the potential of all learners.

Outreach Campaign

ESB’s 70/70 outreach campaign was launched to provide financial aid to organisations, both in the education and third sector, to enable learners who face disadvantage due to socio-economic factors, significant learning needs or migrant status to access ESB’s life-changing Oracy or English language qualifications.

Since 2020, ESB’s outreach work has committed £45,000 to support its organisations, and in 2023, it will have committed £30,000 throughout the year. By 2027, ESB wants to double the scale of its outreach programme and reach even more learners facing disadvantage.

Tina says, “To strengthen our outreach work, we’re now searching for new patrons who can raise awareness, attract donors and philanthropists, and help us to expand our reach even further.”

Please watch the video below to learn more about ESB’s incredible work and this exciting initiative.

National Impact Report

ESB published its first National Impact Report, outlining the impact of its externally assessed qualifications on the development of learners’ oracy and personal development. This research, from some of our most disadvantaged primary and secondary schools, demonstrates an impact score of 9/10 and 8/10 respectively, that ESB qualifications have a significant impact on the Oracy skills of their learners in the wake of the pandemic. Please watch the video to learn more about ESB’s National Impact Report. You can also download the Executive Summary of the report here.

ESB also had a peer-reviewed article published in the Chartered Teaching Magazine: ‘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.

Multimedia 70th Birthday events

ESB has held five multimedia events this year to celebrate its many learners, teachers, assessors, trustees, and staff. You can watch the highlight video of these events here.

Tina adds:

It is a huge honour to have our hard work and dedication acknowledged in such a significant way. We are very proud to be among the few who have been selected and we look forward to the upcoming Awards Ceremony.

The FAB 2023 Awards ceremony is being held on 30th November at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester.

If you are interested in discussing our Oracy and/or English language qualifications and wish to find out if your centre qualifies for financial support through our Outreach programme, we would love to hear from you. Please email business@esbuk.org or call 01695 573439 extension 201.