www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear Members,COVID-19 tests for pupils returning home to Hong KongMany members are being asked by parents and guardians for help with COVID-19 testing for pupils returning to Hong Kong for the Christmas holidays. Please note that the NHS test report does not meet the Hong Kong entry requirements and will not be accepted. The laboratory or healthcare institution providing the COVID-19 test needs to be accredited by UKAS or ISO 15189. We’ve published further information about the requirements on our website – please click here to read it in full. Welsh safeguarding guidance publishedThe Welsh Government has published guidance on keeping learners safe and peer sexual abuse, exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour. Thank you to our colleagues at WISC for bringing this to our attention - both pieces of guidance can be viewed by clicking on the links below: ISI updateThe Independent Schools Inspectorate has published its Autumn term update to schools. You can view a copy of the update by clicking here. SurveyThank you to the 165 members schools which have replied to our survey. Of the 165 responses, 154 provided usable data. The total number of boarders registered at the 154 schools for 2020/21, is 22,726 and 20,003 (88%) have returned to school. The schools also report that 1,604 (7%) of boarders have delayed their return and are working remotely. ConferencesThank you to all the panellists and delegates who took part in our first ever Inclusion and Diversity in Boarding Conference earlier this week. If you weren't able to join us on the day, recordings from all of the sessions are available to purchase - please email us at bsa@boarding.org.uk for more information. BSA Group Annual Safeguarding Conference NEW BSA COVID Conference: lessons learned and planning ahead 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. Happy half termAs this is the final BSA Weekly Newsletter before half term, I'd like to end this week by wishing everyone a safe and relaxing break. The newsletter will also be taking a two-week break and will return on Friday, November 6. Best wishes,
COVID-19 updateAt a recent regional forum meeting, some schools reported being contacted by public health officials suggesting they were COVID hotspots. This appears to relate to symptomatic former students still registered with the school’s GP, hence the alert. Members are recommended therefore to check which students are registered with their local GP and remove former students from the list. EnglandFor pupils in England, DfE has clarified that there is no reason in most cases why students cannot go home, to guardians or to host families this half-term, unless either party is self-isolating. In the latter case BSA advises contacting local health professionals for guidance. At the moment travel for education is allowed, even in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas. Guidance for staff who have been close to symptomatic children has changed, and also relates to driving them to and from testing facilities: Any members of staff who have provided close contact care to someone with symptoms (even though wearing a face covering or PPE), and any pupils who have been in close contact with them, do not need to go home to self-isolate unless:
GOV.UK has updated its guidance on applying for a visa if your visa application centre (VAC) is closed. You can apply for a visit visa from any UK VAC. You should apply for all other UK visas from the country you’re living in. If your VAC is closed due to coronavirus restrictions, you can apply online and select a VAC in another country worldwide to submit your application and biometrics. You’ll need to make sure you’re permitted to travel to that country beforehand. It has also made a number of revisions to its Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance. Among the updates are revised guidance for staff who have been in close contact with a positive case and may need to self-isolate even if they have been wearing PPE, and fresh guidance on the use of face coverings in education settings and how to safely wear, remove and dispose of them. In addition, it has also provided additional guidance on tiers of national restriction for education and childcare. Channel IslandsITV News has reported that children returning from boarding schools to Jersey this half term will not have to quarantine if they have come from COVID-free schools. This rule will apply to all children in care and educational facilities in the UK. For the full story, 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. 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. Other newsService 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 working with Children from Military Service Families Entries open for China-Scotland Business Awards 2021: Applications are now open for the China-Scotland Business Awards 2021 and include a category which may be of interest to our member schools, 'Educational Partnership of the Year.' For more information about the awards, eligibility criteria and how to enter, please click here. 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 Hostlink UK has 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 TrainingOur highly respected Advanced Certificate courses are now open for booking. These courses are run at various locations around the country and give practitioners all the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in a boarding environment. Listed below are all our upcoming courses - to find out more, or to book your place, please click on the course title. If you need any further information about our Accredited Training programme, please contact Liz McDonald, Senior Training Manager, at liz@boarding.org.uk.
Virtual conferences
Virtual day seminars
Webinars
To see the entire 2020-21 training programme, click here.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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