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Monday 9:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 9:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 9:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

The English-Speaking Union

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The English-Speaking Union

The ESU is a global charity and membership organisation empowering young people through education, competitions, cultural exchanges and events.

The ESU is a global charity and membership organisation empowering young people to find their voice. Through education, competitions, cultural exchanges and events, we inspire confident communicators and future leaders.

08/10/2026

There is still time to sign up for the ESU-Rutland Oracy Conference on Friday, 23 October! We can't wait to hear what insights, tips and tricks our speakers have to share.

Register today to join other likeminded teachers to discuss the importance of communication, and how we can give young people access to this vital skill (plus refreshments and lunch, of course!)

Still unsure? See clips from last year's for a taster of what's to come.

Register today: https://ow.ly/B4NQ50ZVTPA

06/10/2026

Every year, we are able to offer a small number of bursaries to enable schools to bring their students to watch our competition finals.

Read this article find out what students from Ellesmere Port School in Cheshire got out of the Schools’ Mace, and debating in general 📢

👉 https://ow.ly/kP1X50ZQV3E

01/10/2026

What happens when Shakespeare comes off the page and onto the stage? 🎭

For Year 9 students Alice and Rebecca, taking part in the ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition helped transform the way they saw Shakespeare’s plays.

From rehearsing together and performing on stage to discovering different interpretations from other schools, the experience boosted their confidence and even inspired both students to choose Drama GCSE – something neither had considered before.

‘It’s made me a lot more confident and helped me speak to people too,’ says Alice.

Read Alice and Rebecca’s story to discover how Performing Shakespeare helped them find a new confidence in performance and themselves. 👇

https://www.esu.org/news-and-views/doing-the-performing-shakespeare-competition-made-us-pick-drama-for-gcse/

28/09/2026

Join us for our ESU Oracy Teacher Conference!

We welcome teachers from across England and Wales to join us at Dartmouth House for our annual Oracy Teacher Conference.

This year, hear from teachers from our winning competition schools as they share their experiences of building successful oracy interventions, and discover practical ideas to take back to your own school.

📆 Friday, 23 October 2026
⌚ 10.00am - 15.30pm (refreshments from 9.30am, lunch included)
🗺️ Dartmouth House, Charles Street, London
🎟️ Free of charge, lunch and refreshments included

Sign up today: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/7nC81NRFnC

23/09/2026

🚨 FINAL CALL!

Competition registration closes TODAY!

We’ve extended the deadline, but this really is the final call. Make sure your students don’t miss their chance to take part in one of our national competitions.

Register before the end of the day!

esu.org/competitions/

22/09/2026

ONE DAY LEFT! ⏰

Competition registration closes tomorrow. Make sure your school is signed up for the 2026/27 ESU Competitions before the deadline.

21/09/2026

Parents have spoken! And they want more opportunities for their children to develop their communication skills 🗣️

Parentkind research found that 22% of parents want their child’s school to offer debate and public speaking, yet just 12% say their schools currently offer such activities.

Give your students the opportunity to get involved this year with one of our three flagship national competitions:

🎙️ Schools’ Mace Debating Competition
🗣️ Public Speaking Competition
🎭 Performing Shakespeare Competition

Registration has reopened, and the new closing date is Wednesday 23 September.

Enter one, two or all three today! 👉 esu.org/competitions

Source: Parentkind, National Parent Survey 2026.

17/09/2026

Good news! 🎉

Registration has now reopened for our flagship national competitions:

🎙️ Schools' Mace Debating Competition
🗣️ Public Speaking Competition
🎭 Performing Shakespeare Competition

We can't wait to see you at one, two or maybe all three! 👀

New closing date is Wednesday 23 September. Register today: esu.org/competitions

16/09/2026

🚨Registration closes today!🚨

Sign up now and get your students involved in one, two or all three of our national competitions.

There really is something for everyone, so click the link to find out more and register today!

👉esu.org/competitions

15/09/2026

🚨 ONE DAY LEFT TO REGISTER! 🚨

Registration closes tomorrow, so if you’ve been thinking about entering, now’s the time to make it happen!

Register today and unlock access to our brand new Competitions Hub, packed with everything you need to get your students involved, including resources, guidance and support for:

🗣️ ESU Schools’ Mace Debating Competition
🎤 ESU Public Speaking Competition
👯 ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition

Give your students the opportunity to find their voice, build their confidence and develop skills that will stay with them for life.

⏰ Don’t miss out, register today!

👉 esu.org/competitions

Address

37 Charles Street
London
W1J5ED

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 5:30pm

Website

http://esu.org/

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