www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear Members,UK Student and Child Student immigration routes now openThe UK's new Student route, which falls under the UK's new points-based immigration system, has now opened for applications. It improves on the previous Tier 4 route making for a more streamlined experience for both sponsoring institutions and students. Please click here to read more. This information also includes details about Higher Education to assist Sixth Form EU/EEA students in your schools. Yesterday (October 8), BSA held its Tier 4, and the new immigration pathway virtual day seminar. If you weren’t able to join us, recordings from the conference will be available to purchase. If you are interested, please email bsa@boarding.org.uk. Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry Hearings: Commencement of Phase 6In late January 2021 the Inquiry will begin hearing evidence relating to Phase 6 of its investigations into the abuse of children in boarding schools. The first part of the case study will focus on the background and context for boarding schools while the remainder will focus on the investigation of specific institutions in Scotland. For more information, please click here. SurveyWe've now had responses from 157 member schools to our survey on the numbers of boarders returning this term. Of the 157 responses, 147 have provided usable data which suggests that 7 per cent of their boarders have delayed their return to school and are working remotely. There’s still time to complete it, so please could I encourage you to do so if you haven’t had chance to as yet. To access the survey, please click here – we will summarise, anonymise, and share the data with our members as soon as it is available. BSA Certified Guardian and Agent SchemesThe BSA Certified Guardian and Agent Schemes continue to grow, providing reassurance for schools and families. The schemes' training and certification programmes assure BSA boarding schools that they are dealing with educational guardians and agents who have the highest standards in the safeguarding of children, safer recruitment and training of staff and host families, and careful liaison with parents and schools. The schemes are a clear demonstration to BSA boarding schools of the quality and intention of the educational guardians and agents who reach certified status. More information about the schemes is available on our website. We have also had a number of requests from schools for our BSA Certified Guardian logo to use on admissions information or school websites - you can access a copy of the logo by clicking here. Boarders staying with guardiansThe DfE has now officially confirmed that boarding students in England can stay with guardians during half term or school holidays as there is no current restriction on moving to and from educational establishments, even in lockdown areas. However schools will have to follow any specific localised lockdown restrictions that might apply, and of course students showing symptoms will still have to follow self-isolation regulations. ConferencesDiversity and Inclusion in Boarding conference BSA Group annual Safeguarding conference School PlacesWe’ve teamed up with Bulldog Publishing to launch Schoolplaces.org, a dedicated live information resource for schools, parents, and education agents. Schoolplaces.org is designed to help agents and families easily find available school places, all in one location. And it’s also the ideal platform for schools to showcase themselves and let parents and agents know what they are offering. If you’re interested in getting your school listed on Schoolplaces.org, please email hello@schoolplaces.org. You can also download a copy of the Schoolplaces.org media pack by clicking here. Best wishes,
COVID-19 updateService Children Visits (SCVs) - Directed Letter to Service familiesThe Ministry of Defence (MoD) has asked us to share a letter it has recently sent to Service families. It explains the changes in regulations to Service Children Visits in the lead up to school holidays. It allows both parents to return to the UK to visit their children over the holiday period, rather than the child returning to an overseas location. To view a copy of the MoD letter in full, please click here. BSA COVID-19 supplier listBSA has a list of suppliers of vital equipment on our website, and the list continues to grow. BSA does not officially endorse any of the products listed. Schools are urged to perform their own due diligence checks on any company they plan to approach:
For more detail on each of the suppliers, please visit the BSA COVID supplier page here. Partner newsBAISISThe British Association of Independent Schools with International Students (BAISIS) is now a member of the BSA Group. BAISIS’s mission is to define and share best practice in academic and pastoral provision for international students in British independent schools and colleges. To learn more about how BAISIS supports schools with international students, please take a look at our website. As a member of BSA, we are delighted to offer your school membership of BAISIS at £295 per annum which is a 50% reduction in the annual subscription of £590. To take advantage of this offer, please email chris@boarding.org.uk. Throughout the year, BAISIS also hosts a number of events designed to share best practice in academic and pastoral provision for international students in British independent schools. The next event will take place on 6 October - please see below for further details. Practical Strategies for Teaching Humanities to International Pupils in the Mainstream Classroom If you teach a Humanities subject to international pupils in a mainstream school, this seminar will help you learn, refresh or build on your classroom strategies and teaching techniques to meet the needs of those pupils. This is a practical course which will help you to source suitable materials and consider how to support your pupils with both language acquisition and concept development. . To reserve your place, click here. Practical Strategies for Teaching Science Subjects to International Pupils in the Mainstream Classroom If you teach a Science subject to international pupils in a mainstream school, this seminar will help you learn, refresh or build on your classroom strategies and teaching techniques to meet the needs of international pupils. This is a practical course which will help you to source suitable materials and consider how to support your pupils with both language acquisition and concept development. To reserve your place, click here. For more information on BAISIS events, please visit the BAISIS website. SacpaAlso a member of the BSA Group is The Safeguarding and Child Protection Association (Sacpa), which champions excellence in safeguarding and child protection. Sacpa is the voice of safeguarding, providing a channel to government and other key agencies. The association represents organisations, associations, agencies and individuals involved in safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults in the UK and overseas. Sacpa offers three different types of membership: Professional, Charity and Organisation. A 50% discount is available to BSA members (schools or individual staff) who wish to join meaning membership prices start from £55 – please email chris@boarding.org.uk if you would like to become a member. Safeguarding and child protection responsibilities, legislation and guidance vary around the world. Sacpa's Advice and Guidance hub brings together the leading policies from across the globe, as well a list of UK safeguarding partnerships, which are available for all members to view. Please also take a look at Sacpa’s upcoming webinars and CPD events. The next events on the calendar are strongly recommended for DSL/DDSLs. The first is Professional abuse in schools: trends and implications for practice, a webinar taking place on October 13. This can be accessed live, or as a recording after the event. BSA members can access this event at our member rate by quoting discount code ‘BSAWEB’. To book your place, click here. For more information on Sacpa events, please visit the Sacpa website. Other partner newsRoyal National Children's Springboard Foundation update: Our colleagues at Royal National Children's Springboard Foundation have asked us to share the following update, further to a bulletin sent to all SBF heads last month:
Case studies needed for Celebrating Partnerships booklet: ISC has advised that production of the next Celebrating Partnerships booklet is under way. The annual publication is due for release in November to coincide with the social media-focussed partnerships week, which uses the hashtags #schoolstogether and #powerofpartnerships. If you have partnership case studies you would like to be considered for inclusion, please email press@isc.co.uk. Entries open for i25 Awards: Entries are now open for this year’s i25 Awards. The i25 recognises the independent sector’s leading influencers and innovators who have made an impact in some way: the top 25. The innovation or influence should have captured the imagination of others and had a measurable positive impact on children and/or independent education in the UK and, ideally, be replicable in other schools. The deadline for entries is October 21. For more information, visit www.i25awards.co.uk. Get Set Global Challenge: This month, Netflix will release A Life on Our Planet, a witness statement from Sir David Attenborough produced with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) that looks back on his 60 year broadcasting career. The film traces the decline in the natural world over his lifetime and also identifies key actions that we can all take to make a difference. Linked to this film, and using some of the amazing footage of the other Netflix series, Our Planet, Itza is working with WWF to stage the 'Get Set Global Challenge', an online quiz where students from up to 100 schools around the world prepare for the competition by learning independently online about the science of sustainability, with 40 schools will be selected from the UK to participate. The quiz is aimed at children in years 5-8 and is being run in collaboration with teachers and academics from the Institute of Education in London who are researching the independent learning of children online. You can register by clicking here - registration will close on October 16. The final quiz is on Friday, December 4 and can be staged in the classroom as a live event or completed by students in their own time later that day. Children really enjoy doing this quiz online and it is a great way for them to learn about the natural world. If you have any questions, please contact charlotte@getset.school. Service Children’s Profession Alliance (SCiP) questionnaires: SCiP is conducting research as part of an ongoing, long-term project, funded by the MoD into the education progression of military families’ children. It is looking for schools with any service children among its pupils, and pupils from military families, to fill in the questionnaires below. All responses are anonymous. Questionnaire for Pupils from Military Service Families Questionnaire for Staff of Military Service Families Welsh Rugby Union Exiles programme: The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has asked us to make schools aware of its Exiles programme. The programme is designed for all enthusiastic young rugby players of all standards, aged 12 to 18, who are 'Welsh qualified' and based outside Wales. There are intentionally only two or three events per year per age group and a player's school rugby always takes priority. All schools outside of Wales are invited to promote the programme by displaying / circulating a poster and inviting players to register with the WRU Exiles programme via www.wru.wales/exiles. Various links will then take the players and parents to further information. The programme also has very strong connections with universities in Wales. If you would like a copy of the poster, or need further information, School Heads of Sport or Directors of Rugby are invited to contact the Welsh Rugby Union National Exiles Officer, Gareth Davies, at gdavies2@wru.wales. Certified Guardian and Agent schemesBSA Certified AgentsWe are delighted to announce that Chamberlain Educational Services and Crest Education have joined the BSA Certified Agent scheme. Welcome to the BSA family!
For more information on the BSA Certified Agent scheme, please visit our website. BSA Certified Guardians
For more information on the BSA Certified Guardian scheme, please visit our website. BSA AcademyAccredited TrainingAdvanced Certificate
NEW - Live online course: BSA Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice BSA Certificate in International Boarding NEW - Online Certificate in International Boarding WebinarsBuilding a triangle of trust - keeping in touch with boarding parents
Exploring modern Prep boarding Virtual Day SeminarsShaping strategy Essentials for new school Matrons Diversity and Inclusion in Boarding conference
BSA Group annual Safeguarding conference
Become a BSA Accredited Boarding PractitionerBSA Accredited Boarding Practitioner status is an individual recognition of those boarding staff who are making a personal, professional commitment to best boarding practice. To be considered, all applicants are expected to meet the following core commitments: • Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children Find out more here. Member ServicesRegional forum meetings (Virtual) We are delighted to announce dates for the next round of regional forums. The following have been confirmed and members in these regions will receive calendar invitations and joining instructions:
Keep in touchPlease note the BSA office is now closed and the team is working remotely. If you would like further advice from the BSA, please email bsa@boarding.org.uk or contact the team directly:
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