Dear members

The latest BSA advice regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from February 10, 2020 can be found on our website here.

We remind members that BSA is NOT a medical authority, nor is this guidance intended as legal advice, and any decisions by a school in this area should involve its own medical staff in conjunction with local GPs. This is important if schools choose to quote the advice verbatim, as the BSA is also not a statutory authority.  Updated advice will be issued on February 17, 2020. 

Public Health has issued materials to schools in England, Wales and Scotland to assist with health messaging to pupils in several languages including, English, Chinese and Malay. A copy of these can be found on the BSA members' section of the site and can also be download from the PHE Campaign Resource Centre (CRC) - https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources. The resources includes public health advice about how you can help stop the spread of viruses, like coronavirus, by practising good respiratory and hand hygiene.

IBSA has engaged Farrer & Co to produce a briefing note regarding the legal considerations of the coronavirus. please click here to access this (an ISBA login is required). There is also a dedicated section on the website of the medical journal of The Lancet which may be of value to school nurses and medical officers.

Volunteers required for online education programme

BSA has been approached by InterGreat Education Group, a UK-China education company, to help support the education of children who remain in quarantine in China and have been unable to attend school.

InterGreat has begun providing free online lessons to families that want their children taught in English, with an international style of curriculum. In order to expand their programme, they are calling on teachers to volunteer an hour of their time to deliver an online lesson. Curriculum suitable for 5-16 year old in the following subjects are welcome: 

• English: Figurative Language, Reading Comprehension and Writing
• Maths and Science
• Other subjects

InterGreat will provide the teaching platform, online teaching tips and regular support for teachers. There is no prescribed curriculum for this so teachers are free to teach a stand-alone lesson or a series of lessons on a particular topic, as long as it is age range appropriate and shows off the best teaching pedagogy from the UK. 

If you would like to take part, please email Ms. Emily Zhang via emily.z@intergreat.com for further information.

Best wishes 

Robin Fletcher
Chief Executive

BSA Academy

Conferences 

Marketing/Admissions Boarding Conference
The annual BSA marketing conference 'Marketing Admissions Guardianship and International Conference', run in conjunction with BAISIS and AEGIS, will take place in London from March 10-11. Sessions include a global view of international students and the boarding sector by Lord Bilimoria. Marketing expert Geoff Ramm will focus on the gap in your boarding service you never knew existed, Susan Osborne, founder of the Warhorse Memorial, will examine key boarding communication strategies and James Leggett, Research Director from MTM Consulting will discuss how the profile of boarding parents has changed over time. Click here to book now.

Annual Conference for Boarding House Staff
April 01-02, 2020, The Hilton Brighton Metropole, Brighton
We are very pleased to announce that the Annual Conference for Boarding House Staff will be held in Brighton in April 2020. We hope we have booked speakers who will inspire over the two days, as well as being an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues. Speakers include:

• Gemma Oaten: Former Emmerdale Actress and Patron of Seed - The Women on the Screen: The Reality of Eating Disorders and Early Intervention. 
• Johnny Hunt: Sex Education Consultant, Going Off the Rails - Sex and Relationship Education.  
• Mark Robinson: Senior Consultant, BSA - Developing Leadership Skills in the Boarding House.  
• Lis Cashin: Consultant, Trainer, Author - One Hell of a Path to Happiness.
• Gareth Doodes: Headmaster, Dover College - Embracing the Challenge. 
• Dale Wilkins: Director of Safeguarding and Standards, BSA - Playing it Safe? Creating a Positive Safeguarding in Schools.

To reserve a place at this conference, book online here. 

SBF Summer Conference
June 16, Gordon's School, Surrey
To book your place at the conference please click here. Speakers and topics include:

• Sector update: Robin Fletcher, CEO, BSA
• IICSA & NMS Update: Dale Wilkins, Director of Safeguarding, Standards & Training
• Post-Brexit Challenges: Mark Dixon, Headmaster, Royal Alexandra & Albert School
• DfE Briefing and Q&A: Ayath Ullah, DfE
• Boarding Staffing: Ensuring the Future Supply of Quality Boarding Staff
• MOD/FCO Update: Russell Collyer, MOD and Mark Taylor, FCO.

Webinars

Tier 4 Sponsors: Tips and guidance
March 11, 10:30am
Hosted by Nichola Carter from Carter Thomas LLP, this webinar will look at the latest Tier 4 issues and guidance, as well as providing helpful tips for sponsors. Priced at £50 for members and £100 for non-members, delegates can watch live or order a recording to watch at leisure. Please email bsa@boarding.org.uk to reserve your place. 

Day Seminars

ONE DAY CONFERENCE: Embracing diversity
March 05, Grand Connaught Rooms, London
This one-day conference has been put together to present a series of areas where schools need to be particularly aware and open to diversity, inclusion and consideration. BSA member schools are made up of a breadth of very different schools, all working to promote excellence in boarding for young people, and this includes caring for all, irrespective of differences. Speakers include a representative from GIRES, Assistant Head and TES blogger Nicki Cunningham-Smith, CEO of the Royal SpringBoard Foundation, Ian Davenport, SEN authority Fin O'Regan and BSA Chair Mark Lauder.

Gender and identity in Boarding
Feb 27, Melia London Kensington, London
This seminar is an interactive, informative day providing attendees with the opportunity to discuss the day to day processes relating to your legal requirements in ensuring inclusion of gender and gender identity around your school, and in boarding. The seminar will foster a deeper understanding of sexual orientation, gender and gender identity and encourage a culture of ‘usualising’ across your school in pastoral care and in the classroom. Delegates will be given strategies and resources to take back to their schools to foster long term and sustainable change.

Senior boarders' issues
March 11, Blundell's School, Tiverton
For staff supporting senior boarders (16+), this seminar will highlight common issues faced by older teens and consider how to support them as they approach the transition from school and into life. Teenagers face an increasingly diverse set of pressures and many need additional support in coping with them, and to feel that they are in a safe environment to discuss concerns. This seminar is designed to give boarding staff greater confidence in supporting their senior boarders.

Partnership with boarding parents
March 17, Wycombe Abbey School, High Wycombe
All boarding staff are likely to have to communicate with parents, carers or guardians. This day seminar is designed to enhance the confidence and understanding of boarding staff in how to be confident and professional in working with parents in supporting the children and young people in their care, including induction, managing expectations and dealing with conflict.

Accredited Training

Advanced Certificate Course
London and South West: April 6, 2020
This two-year modular course is aimed specifically at staff working in and around the boarding environment.  

Diploma in Boarding Practice (Leadership)
The Spring Diploma in London is now open for booking. This course is aimed at senior boarding staff. Candidates may have previously completed the BSA Advanced Certificate Course and/or be experienced to benefit from this leadership course. 

Advanced Certificate in Boarding Practice (International Students)
This course is aimed at any member of staff in school or college that wish to improve their academic and pastoral support for international boarders.

Residential Easter Workshop, An Introduction to Pastoral Care, April 2020
This course, covering key issues relevant to those working in boarding, is available both for those wishing to register for one of the two certificates in boarding education and for those wishing to attend a free-standing course. 

Partner News

Safeguarding and Child Protection Association
This month, BSA became the BSA Group, comprising BSA and our newly-launched sister association, Sacpa (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association). Sacpa represents any individual or organisation working in the field of safeguarding or protection of children or vulnerable adults and offers a range of services including guidance, advice, resources and training. BSA schools and staff are entitled to a 50% discount on Sacpa membership with the code 'BSA2020'. www.sacpa.org.uk.

Sacpa runs a series of webinars and CPD events that will be of interest to BSA members. To see the Sacpa events calendar, click here.

The inaugural CPD event 'Safeguarding and supporting children' takes place on March 31st at One Park Crescent in London. The programme features speakers from Fearless.org, Safer Recruitment Consortium, Bill Woodside from INEQE and David Smellie, Farrer & Co. Book here.

Schools Together
Half-Day Conference: "Partnerships & Boarding Schools"
March 19, 2020, Shrewsbury School
This event aims to explore the ways in which boarding schools – both state and independent – collaborate with other schools and the community, including bursaries, community action, residential trips and inspections.  We are delighted to announce that Colin Morrison, Chair of Boarding School Partnerships, will give the keynote speech. Other panellists and workshop leaders include: Ben McCarey (Holyport College), Alex Hanratty (Springboard), Lee Summers (Wymondham College) and colleagues from The BSA, Buttle, Into University and more. 

BAISIS
A whole-school approach to supporting international students in the mainstream classroom
Feb 28, 2020, Abbey College Cambridge
If you teach EAL in a mainstream school or are responsible for EAL provision in your school, this day is intended to help you explore how to implement a school-wide approach to EAL classroom strategies and teaching techniques in mainstream subject classrooms. This will enable you to cascade ideas across departments in your school, to help you support subject teachers, and to enable you to take a role in influencing managers and policymakers.

The Wicked Young Writer Awards is open for its 10th year!
The cast of Wicked the Musical is looking for stories, poems, articles, and scripts. Open for 5 to 25 year-olds, with separate age categories, pupils are invited to write about absolutely anything in 750 words or less!. An array of brilliant writing prizes are available for winners and their schools. The awards are judged by a panel of writers and authors, including Head Judge, author, illustrator, and Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell. To find out more and enter online at www.WickedYoungWriterAwards.com. Deadline: March 2, 2020.

Member Services

Certified agent scheme

The BSA has launched a certified agent scheme to provide a kitemark of professional quality for education consultants and agents. The scheme is designed to provide member schools with access to the best, top-quality education agents and consultants from around the world. Certified agents will be required to complete an application that includes referencing before undertaking training with the BSA and sector specialists. The scheme is designed to be deliberately rigorous and is intended to be a clear demonstration to BSA boarding schools of the quality and intention of the agents and consultants who reach certified status. Please visit our website to find out more about this scheme. If you would like to nominate an agent or education consultant to apply, please contact BSA Chief Operating Officer, Aileen Kane (aileen@boarding.org.uk).

BSA boarding awards

In 2018, the BSA held its first Awards Dinner which celebrated the achievements, hard work, and dedication of schools and individuals to boarding. We are pleased to announce the awards will take place again in 2020 and winners will be announced at Awards Dinner, during our Annual Conference for Heads on May 5, in Edinburgh. This year, the categories for awards are as follows: 

• Boarding House Extension or Refurbishment Award
• Boarding Research Award
• Boarding Innovation Award
• Wellbeing Mental Health Initiative 
• Working with Vulnerable Children
• Stephen Winkley Award
• (NEW) Supporting Junior Boarders
• (NEW) Supporting International 
• (NEW) Most Original Activity During National Boarding Week
• (NEW) Best Community Work via our 'OnBoard' Initiative 

Please visit our website to find out more about these awards, including how to nominate a colleague. 

The BSA Team

Our team is here to help. Please keep in touch and we hope to see you soon.

• Chief Executive - Robin Fletcher
• Chief Operating Officer - Aileen Kane
• Director of Safeguarding, Standards and Training - Dale Wilkins
• Head of Member Services - Chris Ryan
• Senior Training Manager - Liz McDonald
• Head of Events and Commercial - Amy Wilson
• Member Services Manager - Beth Waddington
• Finance and Business Development Manager - Janki Amlani.

T. +44 (0)207 798 1580
E. bsa@boarding.org.uk
W. www.boarding.org.uk