www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear Members,It was great to see so many of you, albeit virtually, yesterday at our Supporting international students in British independent schools conference, run jointly by BSA and BAISIS. We hope you found the day both useful and informative, and we'd also like to say thank you again to our headline sponsor Password | English Language Testing and supporting sponsor Connexcel Ltd, for helping to make the event a success. Next week's events calendar is once again a busy one, and I do hope you can join me next Friday (March 19), for our webinar, Looking back, looking forward - spring/summer, where I'll be looking at the latest headlines from across our sector and exploring what we may be able to expect in the coming months. We’re also fast approaching the BSA’s virtual ‘Annual Conference for Heads’, which takes place on 4-5 May. The theme for the conference is “world class” and the aim is to inspire and empower attendees after an academic year like no other. It promises to be an interesting and informative two days, so if you haven't done so already, do click on the event link above and book your place. For more on the forthcoming CPD and training opportunities we have coming up, please scroll down to the BSA Academy section below. Quarantine arrangements - Scottish and Welsh government responsesFollowing our collective lobbying efforts of the UK government and devolved administrations over quarantine arrangements, we've received letters of response this week from the Scottish and Welsh governments. Copies of the letters can be viewed below:
For additional COVID updates, please scroll down to the next section. Census 2021We've received a number of questions regarding the upcoming Census, which takes place on Sunday, March 21. Below is the latest guidance we've received from the Census team:
Ministerial letter on international education strategyLast month, BSA, ISC and COBIS jointly wrote to the Department for Trade (DIT) to express the sector's disappointment in the wording of the revised international education strategy, which did not fully reflect the good work of our sector (see page 41 ). After raising our concerns, we've now receive a response from Graham Stuart MP, Minister for Exports at the Department for International Trade. He has confirmed he will be writing an open letter to international students encouraging them to return to our schools and talking positively about our sector. He also hopes to join us at our BSA Annual Conference for Heads on May 4-5, and we will share more details on this when we have had confirmation. A copy of the original letter sent by BSA, ISC and COBIS can be viewed here, while the response from the minister can be viewed here. AgentsAs many members will know, BSA Group launched a BSA Certified Agents scheme last year. Agents are required to meet several criteria to be certified and also abide by a Code of Conduct. Some member schools have raised with us their concerns about certain agents ‘flipping’ students during their time at one school to try to gain a second commission from another school. This is not a practice we condone and we have now amended our Code of Conduct to reflect this. If any school has details of any agents which are moving students to gain extra commission, regardless of whether they are BSA Certified Agents, please contact Caroline Nixon, BSA Group International Director. 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. BSA BlogWe've launched a new BSA Blog, a regular feature where guests authors will share their thoughts on a variety of important topical subjects. If you would be interested in authoring a guest blog for us, please contact Andrew Gray, Communications and Partnerships Manager. You can read the BSA Blog by clicking here. BSA Research FellowshipThe BSA Research Fellowship launched by the Boarding Schools’ Association in 2016 gives an experienced senior member of the boarding community the opportunity to undertake a unique research opportunity. The successful applicant will visit three boarding schools of their choice and will collate their data in a research project analysing the different schools and their boarding provision. The fellow will present their finding a the Annual BSA Boarding Conference 2023. The deadline for applications is February, 2022. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the BSA Research Fellowship (2021/22) please email chris@boarding.org.uk. BSA Awards 2021 - entry deadline on March 26The annual BSA Awards are our chance to celebrate the achievements, hard work, and dedication of schools and individuals in boarding. There's just a short time remaining for you to send in your nominations for this year's awards, which will be announced at our BSA Annual Conference for Heads 2020-21 on May 4-5. For more information on the categories for 2021 and how to enter, please visit the Awards page on our website. The deadline for submitting any entries is Friday, March 26. 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. Best wishes,
COVID updatesEngland: LFT and confirmatory PCRThanks to our colleagues at ISC for sharing the following DfE update on confirmatory PCR testing following a test at home:
England - testing kits shortage updateWe're grateful to IAPS for sharing the following update with us on the shortage of testing kits:
England - DfE update: explanatory resources for schools on testingThank you to our colleagues at ISC for sharing the following DfE update regarding explanatory resources for schools on testing:
Travel test package booking problems for red list country pupilsWe have received reports from red list country pupils being unable to book the travel test package without selecting a quarantine hotel room, rather than a boarding school as per the guidance. The system providers have confirmed they are aware of the issue and are working on an update. Thank you to Julius Sidwell from New Hall School for alerting us to this issue. Phishing scam targeting international boardersWe're grateful to Matt Kiely, Head of Boarding at TASIS England, for advising us of a phishing scam which has been targeting returning international boarders:
BSA Certified Supplier SchemeThe 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 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 Education and Exchange in Europe 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 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. It's your last chance this academic year to book a place on our BSA Spring Diploma in Boarding Practice - Leadership, which begins on March 18, with day 2 taking place on June 10, and day 3 on October 14. Click on the course link for more details or to book your place. 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 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. 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. 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. Everyone’s InvitedOur thanks to our colleagues at Farrer & Co for making us aware of the website everyonesinvited.uk. Everyone’s Invited describes itself as a movement committed to exposing rape culture, and the website invites and shares testimonies of survivors of rape, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and sexual harassment in educational settings – primarily but not exclusively in schools. It also provides a range of resources and contact details for support organisations for those affected by sexual violence. 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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