www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear Members,I hope you all had a good Easter break and managed to get some well-earned rest. Following the break, our busy programme of training and events resumes, and with May fast approaching, it's almost time for our Annual Conference for Heads, supported by our headline sponsor Schoolblazer, which takes place on May 04-05. Thank you to everyone who has booked a place already, but if you haven't already done so, there is still time to secure your spot. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘world class’. Across the two days, we’ll be exploring a variety of topics in detail including ‘World class inclusivity and the global community’; ‘Being world class post-COVID’; ‘Safeguarding: world class standards’; and more. It promises to be a busy, informative, challenging and thought-provoking two days. We’ve a packed programme and wide range of guest speakers. To book, please click here - we look forward to seeing you there. Before that, we have another conference, Learning from the IICSA investigation into residential school settings, happening on Wednesday, April 28. This event, being run jointly by BSA and our sister organisation, Sacpa, is a must for Governors, Heads, SLT, DSL and other key safeguarding staff, of residential schools, and other professionals interested in learning from the findings of the enquiry into residential school settings. Places are still available and can be booked by clicking here. For more on our upcoming training and events, please scroll down to the BSA Academy section of our newsletter. Everyone's InvitedISC has created a resources page for schools with links to relevant government guidance and advice from external bodies on peer on peer abuse and related issues. The resources page can be found by clicking here. Joint letter from DfE / DIT: International school students and parentsFollowing recent conversations between BSA, ISC and COBIS, with the DfE and DIT, we've been sent a joint response from Baroness Berridge and Graham Stuart MP, addressed to international School Students and Parents, which sets out the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to the safety, welfare and education of all our students studying at schools in the UK and at British style schools overseas. A full copy of the letter can be viewed by clicking here. BSA Awards 2021 - finalists announcedJudging of all entries for this year's BSA Awards, sponsored by Engage, has now been completed and we can now reveal the shortlist of finalists. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send in nominations for this year’s awards - we received almost 200 submissions, which is comfortably a record. To view the list of finalists in full, please click here. The winners will be announced at the conclusion of our Annual Conference for Heads, supported by our headline sponsor Schoolblazer, on May 04-05. National Boarding Week 2021A reminder 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. BSA Magazine - Summer 2021 edition: send us your contentFinally, a reminder that if you would like to submit any content for the next edition of the BSA Magazine, please email your contributions to bsa@boarding.org.uk by Friday, May 7. Best wishes,
COVID updatesISI announcement on inspection resumptionThanks to the Independent Schools Inspectorate for sharing the following update it has issued to schools regarding its resumption of inspections:
Ofsted update: Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF)On April 1 Ofsted issued the updated “Annex A” for use in the inspection of boarding schools and residential special schools under the Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF): Wales: Keeping Learners Safe guidance updatedMany thanks to our colleagues at WISC for advising us that the Welsh Government's Keeping Learners Safe module guidance and modules have both been updated. The revised documents can be found by clicking here. GOV.UK - update to Coronavirus (COVID-19): test kits for schools and FE providers guidanceGOV.UK has updated its Coronavirus (COVID-19): test kits for schools and FE providers guidance. The guidance has been amended to explain when schools and FE providers may provide PCR test kits to staff or students who are showing symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) and how they can order further PCR tests for symptomatic testing. BSA Certified Supplier SchemeWe are delighted to welcome Engage as a Gold Certified Supplier. Engage aims to help Independent Schools improve efficiency, communication and accountability through our multi-faceted, integrated platform. Also joining our Certified Supplier scheme are Corporate Safeguarding and Cost Advice. 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 AgentsWe are delighted to announce that Aston Education, @School-in-UK and Edukatus 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. 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 Training - Safeguarding for Professional Practitioners: This training is a vital safeguarding refresher for those working with children but who are not themselves the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Sacpa Director of Safeguarding, Dale Wilkins, formerly a Local Authority Safeguarding Trainer, will take delegates through the legal framework, update knowledge of definitions, signs and symptoms of abuse, consider specific safeguarding issues such as Child Sexual Exploitation, County Lines and preventing radicalisation and provide thorough guidance on identifying, recording and reporting abuse. The session will also invite delegates to consider where they are vulnerable within the workplace and how to handle allegations against staff. Date: May 10. 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. 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. 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 newsScotland’s Boarding Schools' Virtual Fair, 22/5/21: BSA is lending its support to Scotland’s Boarding Schools’ Virtual Fair, taking place on May 22. The event provides an opportunity for parents to meet key staff from Scotland’s leading senior boarding schools and discover the benefits of choosing Scotland for their child’s senior school education. For more information about the event, please click here. GSA webinars: The Girls' School Association is hosting two diversity and inclusion-related webinars in May which are now open for bookings:
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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