www.20years-avobell.com

History

AVO-Bell School of English started its remarkable history in 1990 by possessing a single classroom and having the ambition to offer language education to young learners and students, which applies high teaching standards and innovative techniques.

Avo-Bell About

Today the school is proud of the fact that it has three modern venues and staff numbering 80 people. It has a well-established reputation in providing high-quality language education to both children and adults for the following reasons:

  • …AVO-Bell is the only school in the country which is part of the prestigious international network for teaching English as a foreign language,The Bell Educational Trust;
  • …The school is the only accredited centre for offering the Cambridge Teaching Qualifications CELTA and DELTA;
  • AVO-Bell is the only institution in Bulgaria, which has been accredited by EAQUALS, the European association for Quality Language Services and has obtained the status of a full member.

Important dates and events:
1990: AVO-3 school of English is founded.
1991: Because of the clients’ interest, the school starts the first language courses for adults and ever since expands the range and format of these.
1992: In June, the University of Cambridge conducts the first examination session in Bulgaria. AVO-3 is the first school in the country to prepare students successfully for these exams and has been maintaining the tradition to this day.
1993: The first native speaking English teachers start work at AVO-3 - an invaluable asset to the school team and its students.
1994 - 1996: The number of students triples within this period and the school expands, which leads to opening a new venue in 1997.
1997: The new Dondukov venue opens its doors to students.
2001: AVO-3 becomes a founder member of OPTIMA, the Bulgarian Association for Quality Language Services, whose main aim is to raise standards in the sector of Foreign Language Teaching throughout the country.  AVO-3 is accredited by OPTIMA, and gains the right to use the association logo as a guarantee for quality and to issue a European Language Passport for students of the school.
2001: AVO-3 School of English is associated to the Bell Educational Trust, a chain of foreign language schools in Britain and worldwide, which allows it to profit from the advantages such partnership brings.
2002: AVO-3 School of English becomes the only educational centre in Bulgaria and the region, approved by the University of Cambridge to run CELTA and DELTA, training courses in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, which lead to internationally recognized teaching qualifications.
2003: AVO-3 acquires the status of a partner school of the Bell Educational Trust.
2005: AVO-3 becomes a founder member of PROSPERA, the Bulgarian Association of Consultants in Study Abroad.
2006: The school opens the new “Graf Ignatiev” branch.
2007: Being already an established partner of the Bell Educational Trust, the school adds 'Bell' to its name, becoming “AVO-Bell School of English”.
2007: AVO-Bell fulfils all the criteria for quality of EAQUALS, the European Association of Quality Language Services, and becomes the only fully accredited member school in Bulgaria.
2007: AVO-Bell is awarded a special prize in the annual Bell Quality Awards in the “Customer Care” category.
2008: AVO-Bell is a winner in the annual Bell Quality Awards in the "Academic Excellence" category. The Bell Educational Trust first prize goes to AVO-Bell for its project “Can-Do-Statements”. This award is an impartial assessment of the teachers and specialists in AVO-Bell, worked out the “Can-Do-Statements” system. It is developed for all the levels, courses and language skills.

2009: AVO-Bell is accredited by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations as an examination centre and is granted the right to conduct Cambridge computer-based exams.

2010: In the year of its 20th Anniversary, AVO-Bell meets the high standards required for EQUALS accreditation for a second time. The teaching, the course programmes, as well as the course organisation, the learning resources, testing and evaluation are all judged to be of high quality. The EAQUALS inspectors identify six areas of excellence in the institution.