Burlington News! October 2025 The school year is well underway but we’re still busy planning lots of things to help schools and teachers provide a truly successful and fulfilling learning experience.
Halloween is drawing near!
Students love this time of year and the chance to dress up and have a bit of spooky fun! Join us on Thursday October 23rd at 10 a.m. for a webinar with Eleni Dougekou. She will be sharing a wealth of ideas for Halloween-themed drama games and activities that you can use with your classes. Put the date in your diary and look out for the invitation! 
Our virtual interactive storytelling events have been a great success. They are a fantastic way to engage and entertain your students. Gather your students together and join our experienced storytellers on Zoom for Halloween stories, songs and games on Friday 31st October at 17:15. Ideal for Junior and Senior A, B students, but Halloween fans of all ages are welcome! Our virtual storytelling will also be streamed live on the Burlington Books YouTube Channel. It’s easy to arrange a virtual event: • Let your students know the date and time of the event. • Contact us for free posters that you can display in your school or send to parents or forward the email invitation to students and parents who would rather join from home. • On the day of the event join via Zoom from the whiteboard in your classroom.
Reader’s Theatre
Join In helps you bring classic literature to life and drama into your classroom. The well-loved stories of Tom Sawyer (Join In 1) and Gulliver’s Travels (Join In 2) are retold in seven episodes for extensive listening together with simplified scripts so that your students can act them out. Look out for next month’s webinar on using Reader’s Theatre in the ELT classroom. You can also visit our website to download our FREE guide How to Make the Most of Reader's Theatre from the Teacher’s Zone for Join In 1.
Active Skills
If you’re looking to develop your A-C students’ listening, speaking and writing skills further, take a look at Revised Active Skills! Check out the series and download sample material here.
Have your students used their code for their FREE VTest Diagnostic test yet?
VTest Diagnostic is a fast, stage-adaptive online Listening and Reading exam, fully aligned with the CEFR. It quickly identifies students’ English level at the start of the year, helping teachers group students and plan effectively. Offered exclusively to Burlington Books users with Upper Level coursebook codes (C Class and above), VTest Diagnostic is designed to set the right starting point for targeted, meaningful learning. Contact us to learn more.
VTest for Schools
We’re pleased to inform you that VTest for Schools 7–10 and 11–15 are now available for schools and teachers to purchase through our eShop, with a range of convenient and competitively priced packages. Start the year with VTest Diagnostic, which is free of charge for students using Burlington Books, and end the year with VTest for Schools 7–10 or 11–15 — our innovative assessment solutions for measuring progress and exit levels. Choose from 2, 3 or 4-skill combinations and get reliable assessment that will reward, inform, and empower your students.
Exam season is drawing near and it’s time to start practice tests.
When time is short, you need to be sure to choose top-quality practice tests that support learning. Our practice tests for ECCE and ECPE are tried and tested and contain extra vocabulary practice, tips and strategies and a mini-companion. They are accompanied with whiteboard software so you can really make the most of them in class.
And last but not least, we’ve got an amazing series of educational webinars for teachers and parents lined up. Keep an eye on your email inbox for invitations. Burlington Books The Publisher that Cares
