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Member newsletter
Issue 210
Dear Members,
Next week will see a further easing of lockdown restrictions in England and Scotland, and while our thoughts remain firmly with our members in other parts of the world who are still being severely affected by COVID-19, I'm sure we all sincerely hope this marks another significant step successfully negotiated in our long journey back to normality.
With half term fast approaching, we will soon be entering June, where BSA Group will be holding no less than five virtual one-day conferences in a busy three-week period. The first is our SBF Summer Conference 2021 on June 08, followed by our summer Immigration update on June 10, and our Boarding Future Project Conference on June 15. The following day (June 16), Sacpa and BAISIS will be jointly hosting Safeguarding International Students, with Sacpa leading our first-ever Safeguarding in Sport conference on June 24.
All of the conferences are now open for bookings, so please click on the links to secure your places if you haven't done so already. For more information on our forthcoming CPD, training and events - including dates for our Accredited Training programme in 2021/22 - please scroll down to the BSA Academy section.
Updated Schools coronavirus (COVID-19) operational guidance for England published
The Department for Education (DfE) has published its updated Schools coronavirus (COVID-19) operational guidance for England. A full copy of the updated guidance can be viewed by clicking here.
Scotland’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.
Education Staff Wellbeing Charter
The DfE has published a new Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which sets out its commitment to protecting the mental health and wellbeing of everyone working in education in England. A full copy of the charter can be viewed by clicking here.
Limitless Challenge: #boardersgosgreen
During our Annual Conference for Heads this month, we launched the Boarders Go Green Challenge. In partnership with Limitless, a unique brand that offers high-quality sportswear to many of our member schools, we're challenging schools to join together to walk the equivalent of the distance across Africa. Schools can contribute to this by undertaking a series of tasks and completing them will equate to a distance walked.
The challenge starts now and will end at the conclusion of National Boarding Week (June 21 27, 2021) and we'd love to see as many of you getting involved as possible.
For more information, please visit our #boardersgogreen webpage.
Cyber UK 2021: Ransomware, the risk to schools and ways to prevent it
We're grateful to our colleagues at ISC for sharing the following update from the National Cyber Security Centre
I wanted to flag this video session that we put together for Cyber UK 2021. The session was aimed at technical and SLT audiences in schools and other education settings.
The session provides: an overview of ransomware and how it can be deployed. It advises how to do a proper back-up as a means to mitigate the threat of ransomware. The session also gives an incident overview of how ransomware can affect an educational setting with a Q&A panel at the end that explores other cyber security tips and measures schools should be adopting.
The session responds to the recent spate of ransomware attacks we saw across the education sector earlier this year. It would be great if you could forward on to your schools and those responsible for securing IT in those schools.
The advice contained in the presentation will also be help schools understand how to properly secure important information like examination and coursework data.
BSA Forums
The next round of forums are nearly upon us and the dates are as follows:
May
- Prep – May 18, 14:00-15:00 (Invites already emailed*)
- Scotland – May 20, 10:30-11:30 (invites already emailed*)
- South West – May 24, 14:00-15:00
- North – May 28, 10:00-11:00
- Midlands – May 28, 14:00-15:00
June
- London – June 7, 14:00-15:00
- International – June 9, time tbc
- South East – June 18, 14:00-15:00
- Wales – June 21, 14:00-15:00
- East England – June 28, 14:00-15:00
- South Central – June 29, 14:00-15:00
(*If you have yet to receive an invite and wish to attend please could you email bsa@boarding.org.uk)
Boarding Orchard
The Boarding Orchard was launched by the BSA in 2014. It aims to be largest orchard, by distance, in the UK and involves boarding schools joining the orchard by planting fruit trees in their grounds. The trees symbolise the ‘tree of knowledge’ and demonstrate each school’s commitment to growth and caring for the environment. Since launch, schools across the UK - including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - have joined The Boarding Orchard. Trees have also been planted at boarding schools in India, Malaysia, Switzerland and the USA. Earlier this year, the initiative also received support from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, who called it ‘an excellent way of promoting environmental awareness.’
We have members in six continents, so we're keen to increase the size of the orchard globally. Wherever you are in the world, we'd really appreciate it if you could plant a tree and join the orchard. We also like to publicise any schools joining the orchard with a news story on our website and social media.
For more information about the Boarding Orchard, and to view some of the schools who've already joined, please click here. If you're interested in joining the orchard, please email us at bsa@boarding.org.uk.
In House consultancy service
BSA 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 BOARD
Since 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:
- Carry out some sort of community-based action at least once a term, involving (but not exclusively) boarding pupils
- Let the BSA know about the activity and agree to be promoted as a BSA ON BOARD partner school.
For more information, please visit the ON BOARD section of our website.
Best wishes,
Robin Fletcher
CEO, BSA and BSA Group
BSA Certified Supplier Scheme
The organisations below are members of the BSA Certified Supplier Scheme, which aims to connect members and organisations.
BSA Gold Certified Suppliers
- Password: Providers of world-leading online English language and Maths assessment
- Schoolblazer / Limitless: School uniform and sports kit supplier
- Witley Jones: Designers, manufacturers and installers of quality school furniture for BSA boarding schools
- Engage: A powerful and flexible platform delivering effective communication, control, reporting and insight across your school.
BSA Certified Suppliers
- Boarding software: Boardingware
- Boarding software: Reach
- Careers software: Unifrog
- COVID disinfectant: Safe Tech
- COVID fogging machine: Hurricane
- COVID HK pre-flight certification: Belgravia
- COVID pre-flight certification: Fortress Direct
- COVID Testing and pre-flight certification: Elite Anglo-Chinese Services
- COVID safeguarding software: Assetpool
- COVID sanitiser: Clearwater Hygiene
- COVID sanitiser and tunnels: PTC Xtrasan
- COVID testing: Biograd
- COVID testing: Wren Healthcare
- COVID testing and tracking: Sirkka Networks
- COVID testing and tracking: Taylor Education
- Energy Management: Cost Advice
- Face masks: Funky Face Masks
- Face masks: Goldpro Face Masks
- Face masks: Kaia Trading Ltd
- Maths software: Sparx Maths / Hegarty Maths
- Safeguarding: Corporate Safeguarding
- Safeguarding software: MyConcern
- Thermal temperature camera system: Eclipse Strategic Security Ltd.
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 schemes
The 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
- Abby Plumb Education Guardian Service (China and Hong Kong) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Academic Asia (China)
- Academic Families (worldwide) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Aston Education (Hong Kong)
- @School-in-UK (Russia)
- Barbara Glasmacher Internationale (Germany)
- BeGo Education (China)
- Better School! Internatsberatung (Germany)
- BOSSS UK (China)
- Britannia StudyLink (Hong Kong)
- British United Education Services (Hong Kong)
- Chamberlain Educational Services (Hong Kong and China)
- Cherry Education Consultancy (China)
- Connexcel (China) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Crest Education (China)
- Dickinson School Consulting (Germany and worldwide)
- Edukatus (China, Hong Kong, Singapore)
- Genesis Education Planning (China) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Global Education Tumulka (GET) (Germany)
- i-Learner (Hong Kong)
- IQ Consultancy (Russia)
- ITEC (Russia)
- J3 Group (HK)
- JD Consultancy (China) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Mark Brooks Education (Ghana, Nigeria, worldwide)
- Overseas Personal Development Services (China)
- Panoba (Nigeria and Saudi Arabia)
- QED Education Group (China)
- Rise Smart Overseas Education Centre (Hong Kong)
- Sarah Jochums Internatsberatung (Germany)
- School Britannia (France)
- Sino-UK Arts & Cultural Bridge Ltd (China)
- The Independent Education Consultants (worldwide)
- The Watanabe Office (Japan)
- UK Academics & Guardianship (UKAG) (China)
- UK Education Guide (Middle East, worldwide)
- UK Tuition Services (China) (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian).
For more information on the BSA Certified Agent scheme, please visit our website.
BSA Certified Guardians
- Abby Plumb Education Guardian Service (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Academic Families (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Access UK Education (provisional)
- Alpha Guardians
- Amber Education
- Belgravia Guardians
- Berkeley Guardians
- Boarding Schools Ireland
- Cambridge Guardian Angels
- Clarendon International Education
- College Guardians
- Connexcel (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Cotswold Guardians
- Edinburgh Guardian Angels
- Education and Exchange in Europe (provisional)
- Elite Anglo-Chinese Services
- English Country Guardians
- Gabbitas
- Genesis Education Planning (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Great British Guardians
- Guardians International Support
- High Schools International
- Hostlink UK
- International Student Guardianship Ireland (ISGI) (provisional)
- JD Consultancy (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Overseas Personal Development Services (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Redoor Education (provisional)
- Regent Guardians
- St George’s Guardians
- Scottish Overseas Guardianship Association (SOGA) (provisional)
- Study Links
- The Guardian Family Network
- Trusted Guardianship
- UK Guardians
- UKGuardianship
- UK Tuition Services (Certified Agent and Certified Guardian)
- Ying Lang Guardian, Glamour Edu Ltd
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 Academy
Accredited training
The 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.
We are delighted to announce that booking is now open for the 2021-22 accredited training courses!
Certificate Course
You can now reserve your place on the 2021-2022 Advanced Certificate Course. These courses are run online, and give practitioners all the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in a boarding environment. This is a two-year modular course is aimed specifically at staff working in and around boarding. Over the last 20 years approximately 3,000 House Tutors, Matrons, Support Staff, School Nurses, Assistants and Houseparents have completed this Award.
Find out more or reserve your place here
BSA Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice (School Nurses)
Study dates for this course are: November 03, 2021 / January 11, 2022 / March 08 2022 / May 16, 2022
The course is tutor-led and will consist of four separate live online study days spread over a full academic year. The sessions on each study day will be a mixture of presentations often with an external expert, and group discussions. Find out more or reserve your place here.
BSA Certificate in International Boarding
Study dates for this course are: December 08, 2021 / January 26, 2022 / March 17, 2022
This three-day course will cover key elements in International Boarding, including the strategic nature and importance of the international boarding market, why international students seek a British education, induction, culture shock and integration as well considering cultural identity, values and differences. All of this contributes to identifying and meeting the pastoral and academic needs of international students. Find out more or reserve your place here.
BSA Certificate in Professional Practice - Inclusion Lead Training
Study dates for this course are: Tuesday, November 09, 2021 and Thursday, November 25, 2021. Timings: 10:00-16:15
This bespoke, comprehensive two-day certificate course has been put together to support Inclusion Leads or staff with specific responsibility for equity, diversity and inclusion in boarding schools.
Participants will receive high-quality training and support from a range of experts to further develop the skills and confidence needed to establish, embed and sustain equity, diversity and inclusion work in their school. Throughout the two days there will be opportunities to meet, collaborate and discuss with other participants and to learn from case studies and good practice from other schools. Click here to reserve your place.
Autumn Diploma in Boarding Practice (Leadership) - 2021 - 2022
This diploma level course is recommended for senior boarding staff and is now open for booking.
Dates:
- Day 1: November 10, 2021
- Day 2: March 09, 2022
- Day 3: May 17, 2022
This is comprised of three, tutor-led study days, with interactive morning and afternoon sessions which allow for discussion. Find out more or reserve your place here.
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
- SBF Summer Conference 2021: June 08, 2021
- Immigration update: June 10, 2021
- Boarding Future Project Conference: June 15, 2021
- Sacpa / BAISIS Conference: Safeguarding International Students: June 16, 2021
- Sacpa Conference: Safeguarding in Sport: June 24, 2021
- Annual Health & Wellbeing Conference 2020-21: July 06, 2021
Virtual seminars and specialist training
- BSA virtual day seminar: Supporting international boarders: May 19, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: Managing medicines in House: May 20, 2021
- BAISIS virtual seminar: Practical strategies for teaching Science to international pupils in the mainstream classroom: May 21, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: Understanding teenage relationships: May 21, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: CPD for boarding school Chaplains: May 25, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: Gender and identity in boarding: policy planning: May 26, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: Creating a culture of wellbeing: May 27, 2021
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.
Webinar
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).
May EDI Training
- BSA webinar: Transitions and belonging: May 24, 2021
- BSA virtual day seminar: Gender and identity in boarding: policy planning: May 26, 2021
Our second Index (EDI) conference will take place on September 28, 2021 – more details will be available soon.
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 news
GSA webinars: The Girls' School Association is hosting a diversity and inclusion-related webinar next month which is open for bookings:
- Learn, unlearn and relearn: the new language of difference: June 09, 4-5pm
Independent Schools of the Year 2021 Awards: We've been asked by Independent School Parent magazine to share the following update with you about the upcoming Independent Schools of the Year 2021 Awards:
The closing date for Independent School Parent magazine's Independent Schools of the Year 2021 Awards is Friday, May 28. Why not submit an entry for one or more of the 20+ categories and share your school's stories of success and student excellence? For more details, see: https://www.independentschoolsoftheyear.co.uk/entry-form/
Keep in touch
Please 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:
- Chief Executive - Robin Fletcher
- Chief Operating Officer and Director, Sacpa - Aileen Kane
- Director of Safeguarding, Professional Development and Accreditation - Dale Wilkins
- Member Services Director - Chris Ryan
- International Director and Director, BAISIS - Caroline Nixon
Director of Guardianship and Inclusion - Ammy Davies-Potter
- Head of Member Services - Beth Waddington
- Senior Training Manager - Liz McDonald
- Communications and Partnerships Manager - Andrew Gray
- Finance and Administration Manager - Danielle Cuthbert
- Business Support Manager - Ellie Reed
- Business Support Co-ordinator - Chantelle Howell-Walker.
T. +44 (0)207 798 1580
E. bsa@boarding.org.uk
W. www.boarding.org.uk
