www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here From the ChairDear Members,With the term drawing to a close for many of us today, it seems like a good opportunity to reflect on the year to date. It’s definitely not an understatement to say that 2021 has been an extremely busy year so far and, no doubt, there will be more challenges ahead in the coming months as the coronavirus pandemic continues to loom large in all our lives for a little while longer. However, one thing that we can say about our collective response to the pandemic is that it continues to show everything that is great about the entire boarding family and that’s something we can most definitely all be proud of. Before you all, hopefully, put on your Out of Office and find time to relax and refresh, can I just remind you about two of BSA’s forthcoming virtual conferences: Learning from the IICSA investigation into residential school settings, run by BSA and Sacpa, on April 28, and our Annual Conference for Heads, on May 4-5. Both events are not to be missed, so please book your places if you haven’t already done so. Please note that the BSA member newsletter will now be taking a three-week break over Easter; not only will this reduce the temptation to check your inbox during the holiday, but also give the Team at BSA an equally well deserved rest. Save the date though; the next edition will be published on Friday, April 23. In the meantime, I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Easter break. All good wishes,
From the CEOEveryone's InvitedMembers will be aware of the Everyone’s Invited website and the ongoing media coverage of the issues raised. We would encourage you to visit the site and share their resources on ‘What is rape culture?’ and ‘What is consent?’ BSA and our sister association Sacpa have been in communication with the Everyone's Invited team. If schools need support around any of this material and/or the survivor testimonials, the BSA/Sacpa consultancy team can support members. Please contact BSA COO and Sacpa Director, Aileen Kane, if this is of interest. We're also grateful to our colleagues at ISC for sharing the sector statement on Everyone's Invited with us:
KLM - postponement of Unaccompanied Minor serviceEarlier this week, we wrote to the CEO of airline KLM, asking for its recent decision to postpone its Unaccompanied Minor service to be reconsidered, due to the negative impact this would undoubtedly have on the boarding sector. We have secured a meeting with officials from the airline to discuss our sector's needs, which will take place later today (Friday, March 26). For additional COVID updates, please scroll down to the next section. BSA Awards 2021 - deadline today (26/3/21)Today is your last chance to enter this year's BSA Awards. If you haven't already sent us your submissions, you will need to make sure they are with us by 23.59pm tonight (Friday, March 26). This year's event is the biggest to date with awards being chosen in 13 different categories:
This is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements, hard work, and dedication of schools and individuals in boarding, so for more information on how to enter, please visit the Awards page on our website. The winners of this year's BSA Awards will be announced at the conclusion of our Annual Conference for Heads, which takes place on 4-5 May. The theme for the conference is “world class” and the aim is to inspire and empower attendees after an academic year like no other. We do hope you can join us - please click on the event link above to book your place. For more on the forthcoming CPD and training opportunities we have coming up, please scroll down to the BSA Academy section below. Date for National Boarding Week 2021We're delighted to announce that this year's National Boarding Week will take place from Monday, June 21 - Sunday, June 27, 2021. During the week, we'll be celebrating the importance of health and wellbeing in boarding life in collaboration with Limitless, a unique brand that offers high-quality sportswear to many of our member schools. Further details will be announced soon, but we we hope to see as many of you as possible getting involved in fun and innovative activities that support mental health and wellbeing. In House consultancy serviceBSA Group’s In House consultancy service on all aspects of boarding and safeguarding is currently proving very popular with members in the UK and overseas. This includes a boarding house facilities review service which we are now conducting ‘virtually’ with several schools via video footage and/or reviewing submitted images. Anyone interested in this, or consultancy of any kind at a discounted rate for members, please contact robin@boarding.org.uk. ON BOARDSince January 2019, our ON BOARD Community Action Programme has been highlighting the work of boarding schools in their local communities. Its aim is to increase support for local communities from boarding schools and to highlight this to external stakeholders, including the Government and parents. To participate in the programme, BSA member schools must:
For more information, please visit the ON BOARD section of our website. COVID updatesUpdate: SCCIF inspections to resume in April - schools inspected by OfstedFor those boarding schools inspected by Ofsted, the Social Care Common Inspection Framework SCCIF was re-published on Friday ready for inspection from April 12th. Please click here for details. There have been some minor changes as follows:
All school inspections will be on site. The inspector will announce the inspection as normal, but also discuss with the school what additional precautions needs to be in place/considered to make the inspection as safe as possible for everyone. Boarding schools which should have had their routine inspection in the last inspection year are likely to be inspected in the forthcoming year. Ofsted will continue to prioritise schools which cause concern, either as commissioned inspections from the DFE or because Ofsted has received information of concern. UK pupils returning to Hong KongWe've received a number of enquiries from schools who are concerned about the restrictions which will be in place this summer for pupils returning to Hong Kong. We've contacted the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (London) regarding this issue and have received the following response:
ISI inspection resumption communicationThanks to the Independent Schools Inspectorate for sharing the following update it has issued to schools regarding its resumption of inspections:
Scotland: Reducing risks in schools - updated guidanceOur thanks to our colleagues at SCIS for passing on the following from the Scottish Government regarding updated non-statutory guidance on reducing risks "to ensure a safe and supportive environment for learning and teaching". The key changes to the guidance are:
A full copy of the updated guidance can be viewed by clicking here. Best wishes,
BSA Certified Supplier SchemeWe are delighted to welcome Schoolblazer / Limitless as a Gold Certified Supplier. Schoolblazer is the leading supplier of uniform and sportswear to BSA schools. Its unique online service includes free-nametaping, intelligent sizing, 48 hour delivery and guaranteed availability. Also joining our Certified Supplier scheme are Boardingware, Reach Boarding, and MyConcern. All our suppliers are committed to supporting the needs of our member schools. BSA Gold Certified Suppliers
BSA Certified Suppliers
For more detail on each of the suppliers, please visit the BSA Certified Supplier Scheme page on our website. Please note: The suppliers listed are not endorsed by BSA, nor does the association accept any liability for the quality of the goods/services listed on this page. All suppliers below have entered into a commercial arrangement with the BSA to promote their goods/services. 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. BSA Certified Agents
For more information on the BSA Certified Agent scheme, please visit our website. BSA Certified GuardiansWe are delighted to announce that International Student Guardianship Ireland (ISGI) and Alpha Guardians have joined the BSA Certified Guardian scheme. Welcome to the BSA family!
For more information on the BSA Certified Guardian scheme, please visit 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. BSA AcademyAccredited trainingThe BSA's programme of Professional Development and training is the most comprehensive CPD package offered to staff in boarding schools. It includes a series of professional practice Certificate courses specifically designed to meet the practical needs of boarding staff and provide an internationally-recognised qualification in Boarding Education. For more details on our Certificate courses, please click here. If you need any further information about our Accredited Training programme, please contact Liz McDonald, Senior Training Manager, at liz@boarding.org.uk. BSA Inclusion Lead training: This new, comprehensive, two-day course has been put together to support Inclusion Leads of staff with specific responsibility for equity, diversity and inclusion in boarding schools. The BSA Inclusion Lead course brings together subject leaders from a wide range of backgrounds who will share knowledge and experiences to both support you with this important work, and challenge your thinking to enable professional, and personal, growth. Over the two study days, delegates will cover:
Study dates: Friday, April 30 and Monday, May 17, 2021. To book this training, please click here. For other EDI training opportunities, please visit our main calendar. To order recordings of previous webinars, please click here. Virtual conferences
Virtual seminars and specialist training
Sacpa DSL Training: This training will enable you to meet statutory responsibilities referenced in Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. The course is suitable for staff in the role of designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy designated safeguarding lead (DDSL). It is delivered by an NSPCC-accredited trainer and qualified social work manager of 20 years. Date: July 08. Sacpa Safer Recruitment Training: This training will enable you to meet statutory responsibilities referenced in Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children, and required by OFSTED. The course is suitable for staff in the role of designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy designated safeguarding lead (DDSL) as well as members of management teams with recruitment responsibilities, including HR and Governors/Trustees. Date: May 13. Webinars
To see the entire 2020-21 training programme, click here.Index (Inclusion and Diversity Excellence)Following our inaugural inclusion conference in October, BSA Group launched Index, a programme of support to help members in this area. This includes the BSA Index Framework and Toolkit - guidance documents to promote the values of equity, diversity and inclusion (they can be accessed here via the EDI area on our website under the heading ‘Index Resources’ - BSA website username and password required) Our second Index (EDI) conference will take place on September 28, 2021 – more details will be available soon (for further EDI training opportunities, please see the Accredited training section above). Inclusion Leads/Staff with an EDI Leadership role - we are collating names and email contact details of anyone in a BSA school with an EDI leadership role. Please email bsa@boarding.org.uk with your full name, school and full job title/role. For more information about our Index programme, please email Ammy Davies-Potter, BSA Group Director of Guardianship and Inclusion. Other newsBSA Magazine - Spring 2021 edition: Finally, just a reminder to look out for the Spring 2021 issue of the BSA Magazine, which will be published later today. The next issue is due for publication in May. If you would like to submit any content for this edition, please email your contributions to bsa@boarding.org.uk by Friday, April 30. 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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