www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear membersBSA and ISC had further conversations yesterday with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Baroness Berridge to clarify matters relating to DfE guidance for boarding schools.Final answers are still awaited on the status of boarders in Years 10 and 12 returning to school in England, particularly with regard to overall percentages and for schools with small cohorts. Following the publication of the Government guidance on the forthcoming quarantine procedures, further clarification has also been sought from the Home Office on how this will work for unaccompanied boarders on their return to school. Whereas the quarantine requirement will be UK wide, each devolved administration will have its own procedures. BSA urges member schools to consider that, as yet, there is no confirmation of a return to school dates in England for any further year groups, nor whether international pupils will be able to quarantine before term starts. In Wales, the earliest return to school is on June 29, with further details due shortly, and in Scotland, there can be no return to school before August 11. BSA advises that the way forward is not yet sufficiently clear for schools to make firm arrangements, or to advise parents to begin booking flights. COVID-Safe Charter and logoBSA is grateful to those who have responded positively to last week’s launch of our COVID-SAFE CHARTER, and it is particularly pleasing to have had expressions of support from across the world. If you would like to let BSA know you are adopting the Charter, please click here. The Charter is a voluntary code which schools can adopt, with the aim of giving reassurance to international boarders and their parents that schools have done everything they can to ensure their safety when they return. BSA has also produced a template letter to which schools may add their own logo and details as appropriate and a logo should this be helpful in your communications to your boarding community. Going forward we anticipate content changes to reflect future best practice in the virus response, a reflection of more localised needs as different countries move at varying speeds and we are working on translations into key languages, beginning with Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese. Individual schools may also provide translations for their own key constituencies, as long as the content of the Charter is represented faithfully. BSA member supportAs the pandemic response develops, BSA remains committed to supporting members. To date we have provided:
BAISIS and BSA join forces to support international boardersEarlier this week, BAISIS (The British Association of Independent Schools with International Students) become part of BSA Group, joining BSA and Sacpa. BAISIS was established more than 20 years ago and offers a range of training courses for schools specialising in supporting international students. This year, BAISIS and BSA also co-delivered the annual MAGIC conference in London. The decision of the Boards of BAISIS and BSA Group for the two organisations to come together as one is significant for all our members and represents another key strand in strengthening and broadening the support we offer boarding schools. Alongside this exciting development for the sector, I am delighted to announce that alongside her role as BAISIS Director, Caroline Nixon also joined BSA as International Director. For BSA, Caroline will manage all areas of our international work and the BSA Certified Agents scheme. As Director BAISIS, Caroline will continue to support all areas connected with BAISIS and its services to members. As well as Caroline, BAISIS has an Executive Officer, Sue Harris, who will also join the BSA team. I am sure you will join me in warmly welcoming both Caroline and Sue to the BSA family. Corporate Insolvency and Governance BillThe Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has introduced a Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill to relieve the burden on businesses and support economic recovery. The law aims to make it easier for companies to stay afloat while they are putting a rescue package together, by giving them a formal breathing space, and temporarily removing the threat of winding up proceedings. It applies to all registered companies and registered charities so the hope is it would cover most, if not all, schools. Please click here to read more. BSA Certified GuardiansDemand for the BSA Certified Guardian Scheme has been very high and I am pleased to announce 10 companies have now achieved certified status. We encourage you to suggest that the guardians your school works with, whether big organisations or individual relatives of students, apply. After only a few short weeks since BSA launched the scheme, it's fantastic to have such a quality group of guardians wish to work with member schools, especially at such a critical time. The full list:
BSA Certified AgentsWe are delighted to announce a seventh educational agent who has achieved certified status and welcome them to the BSA family. The full list of BSA Certified Agents are:
Best wishes
BSA AcademyVirtual day seminarsCreating a culture of wellbeing Improving induction Chaplains' CPD WebinarsBSA/Farrer & Co joint webinar: Risk assessments during COVID-19 Mobile phones in schools BSA and AGBIS joint webinar: COVID-19: Updated implications and issues for boarding school Governors and Senior Leaders To see more webinars, please visit our Events calendar. ConferencesVirtual Conference: BSA Boarding Future Project
DATE CONFIRMED - Annual Conference for Heads Boarding House Staff Conference SAVE THE DATE: Deputy Heads and Heads of Boarding Conference BSA Master's in Residential Education - Buckingham UniversityBSA's MA in Residential Education is a one-year, part-time course for those working in or with an interest in boarding schools. It is offered as a partnership between the BSA and Buckingham University. This course allows those with experience in boarding, who are keen to research, to write about a topic of interest to them relating to boarding. The heart of the MA is a 12,000-15,000 word
dissertation. Participants undertake a literature review, which informs their dissertation, and will learn about different research methods. Participants will be expected to read widely. The course starts in September. Applicants may be from state or independent boarding schools in the UK or abroad. To apply, please visit the University of Buckingham website. BSA Accredited Boarding Practitioner schemeThere are four levels recognising staff who have completed at least one year in boarding, have demonstrated a commitment to safeguarding and undertaken key training, such as a BSA day seminar (Level 1) to staff who have completed 12 or more years in boarding and completed the BSA Diploma, or equivalent qualification, and have made a significant contribution to the wider boarding community outside their own setting (Level 4). Levels 2 and 3 can be worked towards by completion of the BSA Advanced Certificate Course and BSA Diploma respectively. All readers of this newsletter are almost certainly eligible for one of the ABP Levels and now is a great opportunity to apply. If you've attended BSA training in the past, all you need to do to apply is click the applicable link below:
If you have any questions about an application or wish to nominate a colleague, please email Liz McDonald, BSA Senior Training Manager. Partner NewsPassword English Language TestingThe BSA has partnered with Password English Language Testing to assist the many international pupils in UK boarding schools affected by the closure of IELTS and other test centres. Many Year 13 international boarders, who had not met the English language requirement for their university choices before their enforced return home, are now struggling to find a way to prove their level of English in order to secure the conditional offer places they hold. As IELTS test centres across the world are currently closed, many until further notice, your UCAS Advisor, Director of Studies, or Head of EAL may have been contacted for advice about this situation. To support these pupils and your staff and school, Password and the BSA have created a co-branded version of the Password Skills test which is known and used by many UK universities in place of IELTS. The test is CEFR aligned, and fulfils all UKVI requirements for tier 4 visas. This special version of the test can be delivered and invigilated remotely by BSA schools’ staff. Schools running the Password Skills for BSA Schools test will have access to results and certificates in their own private results area. The collective results of all the BSA member schools taking part in the scheme will be in a BSA Results Area with an online validation system for use by universities. Tests can be run whenever and wherever required and results and certificates are available within 5 working days of tests being taken. The cost of the test is less than a quarter of the price of other independent tests such as IELTS, offering value for money in addition to the quality assurance of being designed and academically overseen by the world-leading research body, CRELLA. For more details of the scheme and to sign up please contact Dr. Helen Wood, Head of School Partnerships at Password (helen.wood@englishlanguagetesting.co.uk). Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children AppealKent County Council is exploring temporary accommodation options for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) arriving in the county. We understand that due to the current school closures, some BSA members may be in a position to make facilities available that could be appropriate for the accommodation of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children on a temporary basis. Such an arrangement would be hugely valuable in expanding Kent’s capacity to accommodate and support UASC during these difficult times. If any school is in a position to make an offer of support, or if they would like to discuss further, please contact Sarah Hammond, Director Integrated Services (Children’s Social Work Lead), Kent County Council - sarah.hammond@kent.gov.uk. Member ServicesNational Boarding Week sponsored by Squadkit Monday 22 - Sunday 28 June, 2020 From home, we encourage everyone to get involved in fun and innovative activities that support mental health and wellbeing. Don’t forget to post all activities using the #iloveboarding #squadkit. Ideas include:
BSA ForumsWe are delighted to announce our next series of forums for June 2020 and the following have been confirmed:
If you wish to attend any of the above forums and have yet to receive an invitation please contact chris@boarding.org.uk. We will shortly confirm dates and times for London, South East, Wales, South West, and Ireland forums and will be in touch when dates confirmed. 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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