Dear Members

Last week our final regional forum for this term was our event in Wales, chaired by Gareth Pearson from Christ College, Brecon. 

As well as colleagues from member schools, also in attendance were Carol Mooney from the Department of Education of the Welsh Government, and Emma Verrier, Chief Executive of Welsh Independent Schools’ Council.  BSA and WISC are currently exploring closer ways of working together for the benefit of all member schools in the Principality.

Boarding Fellow Winner

Congratulations to Dominic Atkinson from Gresham's School who is the 2020 winner of the BSA Fellowship Award. Dominic's research on 'How do Schools manage and make co-curricular provision effective and meaningful in the 21st Century Boarding School?' will be conducted during 2020 and the findings delivered at the 2021 Annual Conference for Deputy Heads.

ABP

The BSA Accredited Boarding Practitioner scheme provides individual recognition of those boarding staff who are making a personal, professional commitment to best boarding practice. Run in parallel with the ABSA (Australian Boarding Schools’ Association), there are now 253 boarding staff from 149 schools registered as ABP certified. To find out more please click here.​

BSA Boarding Bursary

After performing slightly ahead of budget in the last academic year, the BSA has been able to make its first BSA Boarding Bursary award to the Royal SpringBoard Foundation. The BSA Boarding Bursary scheme was announced in 2017 and allows for an award of up to £10,000 each year. The first BSA Boarding Bursary award, approved by the BSA Board, is for £2,500.

Member survey

Thank you to the 250 members who have already completed the annual member survey return. If you have yet to do so please may I ask that you take the below survey – it will take approximately five minutes to complete and can be accessed here.

TABS

BSA will be speaking at the TABS boarding conference in Boston next week as well as visiting boarding schools in the area. As part of its international membership, BSA currently has six members in the USA.

Robin Fletcher
Chief Executive

BSA Academy

Accredited Training

Advanced Certificate Course
This two-year modular course is aimed specifically at staff working in and around the boarding environment. 

Diploma in Boarding Practice (Leadership)
New Spring Diploma in London now open for booking. This course is aimed at senior boarding staff. Candidates may have previously completed the BSA Advanced Certificate Course and/or be suitably experienced to benefit from this leadership course. 

Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice (International Students)
This course is aimed at any member of staff in school or college that wish to improve their academic and pastoral support for international boarders.

Day Seminars

Taking on a new Boarding House
Jan 15, 2020, Melia White House Hotel, London
Promotion to Houseparent and the associated responsibility for running a House is an exciting prospect, however it can also be a stressful period. This seminar provides an opportunity to review and consider key issues relating to students, staff, policies and procedures, as well as the demands of managing the physical building itself. It will look at developing and instilling a House identity, creating a development plan and how this ties in to the promotion of boarding in your school.

Homesickness – proactive approaches and strategies
Jan 17, 2020, Melia White House Hotel, London
Homesickness is a growing concern with the number of international students now studying in UK boarding schools too, as well as homesickness affecting many young people generally. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what homesickness is, why it happens and how to help those who are struggling with it. For boarding staff and teachers, getting the help right during what can be an emotional challenge could help with pupil retention.

Eating disorders, associated emotional and health issues
Jan 30, 2020, Melia White House Hotel, London
Eating disorders remain high on the youth development risk list. This seminar will cover detecting possible sufferers based on presentation, appearance, attitude and behaviour and address the challenges and aspects to be mindful of when dealing with this serious mental health issue. Delegates will be given useful tools and therapeutic strategies for front line support as well as advice and guidance on seeking appropriate support from external parties.

Conferences 

Annual Conference for Deputy Heads and Heads of Boarding
Jan 29-30, 2020, Marriott Royal Hotel, Bristol

We are excited to announce the programme for our Annual Conference for Deputy Heads and Heads of Boarding which will be held in Bristol on the January 29 and 30, 2020. The theme for this year is ‘Embracing the Challenge’ and we hope we have booked speakers who will inspire over the two days, as well as being an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues.

Partner News

ISC Census 2020 – Questionnaire now available
The ISC Census 2020 questionnaire is now ready and was shared with all member schools on 27th November. This currently exists in pdf format only but will allow schools to prepare their responses in advance of the online questionnaire that will go live on 16th January. The deadline for completing the Census will be 31st January. We strongly encourage schools to engage with the questionnaire recently shared so that the completion process for your school is smooth in January. If you have any questions about the Census then please email research@isc.co.uk. If you missed the email recently sent then you can access the questionnaire via the ISC Data Portal. You will need your school’s login details. As ever, ISC are very grateful for the time and effort schools put in to completing their annual Census. This information is used throughout the year to support the full breadth of work at ISC such as lobbying to the government or refuting negative press stories.

BAISIS
Managing the change towards a whole school approach to CLIL
Feb 28, 2020, Abbey College Cambridge
If you teach EAL in a mainstream school or are responsible for EAL provision in your school, this day is intended to help you explore how to implement a school-wide approach to EAL classroom strategies and teaching techniques in mainstream subject classrooms. This will enable you to cascade ideas across departments in your school, to help you support subject teachers, and to enable you to take a role in influencing managers and policy makers.

Childnet
Safer Internet Day 2020 Supporters' registration now open!
BSA is supporting Childnet, a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre which coordinates Safer Internet Day in the UK each year. Schools and organisations are now able to register as Safer Internet Day Supporters to share what they are doing for the day. In 2019 over 2,100 organisations registered their support; this and the activities that took place across the UK made 2019 the biggest UK Safer Internet Day yet. Now we need your help to make Safer Internet Day 2020 even bigger and better!

Member Services

The BSA Team

Our team is here to help. Please keep in touch and we hope to see you soon.

• Chief Executive - Robin Fletcher
• Chief Operating Officer - Aileen Kane
• Director of Safeguarding, Standards and Training - Dale Wilkins
• International Director - Andrew Lewin
• Head of Member Services - Chris Ryan
• Senior Training Manager - Liz McDonald
• Head of Events and Commercial - Amy Wilson
• Member Services Manager - Beth Waddington
• Finance and Administration Executive - Janki Amlani
• Digital Communications and Commercial Co-ordinator - Holly Alexander

T. +44 (0)207 798 1580
E. bsa@boarding.org.uk
W. www.boarding.org.uk