www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear Members,Welcome to this week's edition of the BSA member newsletter. It was good to catch up face-to-face with a number of colleagues earlier this week at the HMC Autumn Conference and speak to BSA members at the HMC Boarding Committee meeting alongside BSA Chair Bex Tear. Thanks to Richard Backhouse, Simon Hyde and the HMC team for their hospitality. COVID quarantine arrangementsWe are aware that in some areas of the UK, COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise both in schools and in the community. Things are very challenging for schools, pupils, parents and guardians. Earlier this week, we issued a special bulletin regarding a number of COVID-related updates issued in England, Scotland and Ireland. In case you haven't seen it, the bulletin can be viewed by clicking here. A reminder also that travel guidance for those entering the UK changes on Monday. We are seeking updated guidance on a number of COVID-related issues and will issue further essential updates as soon as we are able. NHS scam email re 'Student Consent Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccination’You may have seen some media coverage earlier this week regarding potentially malicious emails titled 'Student Consent Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccination’ or similar, targeted at particular individuals. The emails are (incorrectly) branded to appear to originate from the NHS, and it is believed the emails are being sent to spread misinformation regarding vaccination against COVID-19. ICIBIOn Wednesday, BSA COO Aileen Kane met with David Neal, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) to discuss the boarding sector's experiences of the Home Office. The ICIBI monitors and reports on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Home Office’s immigration, asylum, nationality and customs functions. BSA Group Gold Membership SchemeDozens of BSA member schools have already joined one or more of our other associations, Sacpa (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association), BAISIS (British Association of Independent Schools with International Students) and Hieda (Health in Education Association), taking advantage of their 50 per cent discount on subscription rates. Increasingly however, schools are asking for a simple way of joining Sacpa, BAISIS and Hieda at the same time. To facilitate this, BSA Group is pleased to announce the BSA Group Gold Membership scheme for BSA schools which want joint membership of BSA, Sacpa, BAISIS and Hieda. Through this schools pay an additional £450 (+ VAT if applicable) for Gold Membership and will automatically be enrolled in Sacpa, BAISIS and Hieda, as well as BSA. Schools joining as Gold Members will also be sent a logo they can use on their websites. Any schools interested in becoming a Gold Member should email Chris Ryan, Head of Membership. Chris will also be able to discuss how individual schools which would like to upgrade their existing Sacpa, BAISIS or Hieda membership into full Gold Membership. Survey of Chinese parentsMembers will remember the survey of current and prospective Chinese parents that we undertook in partnership with BAISIS, British Council China and BSA certified agent Connexcel last June. Questions covered Chinese parents’ motivation for sending their children to the UK, along with their reactions to our handling of the pandemic and the likelihood of change in this market. We received answers from 900 families which represents 15 per cent of the total Chinese pupils in UK boarding schools, an excellent response for which we thank you. We have collated the answers into a report which will be launched on Monday 11 October and emailed to you. The results will be analysed by Caroline Nixon, BSA International Director; Fraser Deas, Head of Education Services, British Council China, and John Zhang, Managing Director, Connexcel, at our Visa and Immigration conference on Tuesday, October 12. International Boarding Day - October 9, 2021Saturday, October 9, sees us celebrating this year's International Boarding Day, sponsored by our sister organisation, the Health in Education Association (Hieda). This year's theme is health and wellbeing, and we're asking you to lend your support on the day by sharing any images you have of any health or wellbeing-related activities you're taking part in. Please upload them to your social media channels using the hashtags #bsaintboardingday2021 and #iloveboarding, and email them through to us at bsa@boarding.org.uk. As an extra incentive, we'll be choosing our favourite photo from the day, and the winner will receive a FREE Hieda membership, which will be valid for the next 12 months. You can download a copy of the poster for this year's event by clicking here. CPD, training and eventsOur calendar of CPD, training and events remains busy throughout October and beyond, with a wide range of webinars, virtual seminars, conferences and training all taking place in September and beyond. Looking slightly further ahead first though, as you may be aware, our Annual Conference for Heads takes place on May 3-4, 2022, at Oxford Town Hall. The conference, which will focus on the theme of “Leading the way” and will also feature the presentation of our BSA Awards 2022. Most importantly, it will be the first time since 2019 that the whole boarding community has been able to come together in person, so we do hope you can join us. Formal invites will be sent out soon, but you can book your place in the meantime by clicking on this link. Please note that the cost does not include hotel accommodation for anyone wishing to stay over, although a list of nearby hotels will be included with the invites, or can be supplied on request. Back to October, and next week's highlights include a half-day seminar, Infection control, run by Hieda on Monday (4/10); the BAISIS webinar, Developing Academic Language for EAL Learners (CALP), which takes place on Wednesday (6/10); Boarding on a budget, a day seminar taking place on Thursday (7/10); and the joint BSA / Hieda day seminar, Essentials for new school Matrons, which closes the week on Friday (8/10). Our next conference will be our Visa and Immigration conference, taking place on Tuesday, October 12. In addition to the analysis of our Chinese parents' survey mentioned above, the day will also focus on key issues such as CAS allocations and the application process; updates to the new Student and Child routes, and recommendations to ensure compliance against sponsor license responsibilities. The following day (Wednesday, October 13) sees the Hieda-led Sports injury management, virtual one-day conference. This event will cover types of sports injuries from around the body, including their cause and treatments. Throughout the conference, delegates will gain a thorough understanding, from medical professionals, of how to prevent and minimise injuries that occur during sports pursuits. And don't forget, our full Accredited Training Programme is open for bookings, with our next course, BSA / Hieda Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice (School Nurses), beginning on November 3. Just two places remain on this course, so please get in touch with us as soon as possible to secure your spot. For more information on our forthcoming CPD, training and events, please scroll down to the BSA Academy section. Best wishes,
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. We are delighted to announce that bookings are now open for the 2021-22 accredited training courses! Certificate Course TWO PLACES LEFT: BSA / Hieda Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice (School Nurses) 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 BSA Certificate in Professional Practice - Inclusion Lead Training 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 is comprised of three, tutor-led study days, with interactive morning and afternoon sessions that allow for discussion. Find out more or reserve your place here. BSA Certificate in Professional Practice for Pupil Welfare & Support 2021-2022 Sessions for this course include:
Click here to reserve your place If you need any further information about our Accredited Training programme, please contact Liz McDonald, Head of Accredited Training, at liz@boarding.org.uk. Conferences - 2021-22We look forward to welcoming you at our range of virtual conferences, running throughout the year. To help with CPD planning, here are the events we are running in the autumn term:
In addition to the one-day conferences running in the autumn term, we are delighted to publish the dates for a number of our other conferences for 2021-22. Please do 'save the dates' in your diaries and if you'd like to register interest, please email us.
Safeguarding training - 2021-22Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and the start of a new academic year provides a clear marker to ensure that all staff have received appropriate training relating to safeguarding and their responsibilities. The virtual sessions below will be appropriate for most practitioners working in education settings:
Other training and eventsPlease see below a selection of other training and events taking place this month:
To see our latest 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). 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. BSA Certified Supplier SchemeThe organisations below are members of the BSA Certified Supplier Scheme, which aims to connect members and organisations. 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 Agent and Guardian schemesThe BSA Certified Agent and Guardian 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 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. Other newsUK boarding schools "meet the agent" event, Madrid, 2/12/21: The Department for International Trade, with the support and participation of the Spanish Association of Promoters of Language Courses Abroad (ASEPROCE) is organising a “Meet the Study Agent” session, where a group of UK boarding schools will be able to meet in person with study abroad agents from all over Spain and learn more about the Spanish market during 1:1 meetings. It will take place in person (at the British Embassy in Madrid) on December 2, DIT will not charge schools any fee for participating in this event. However, schools will need to pay for their own accommodation and travel expenses. Anyone interested in taking part will need to complete this application form - a flyer for the event can also be downloaded by clicking here. Independent Schools SEND Conference in association with ISC 2021: This year’s Independent Schools SEND Conference in association with ISC (formerly the ISC SEND Conference) takes place on Friday, November 5. For more information, or to book a place, please click here. Keep in touchWe love hearing from members, so please keep in touch via +44(0) 207 798 1580 or bsa@boarding.org.uk. You can also contact the team directly:
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