From the ChAir

Gavin Horgan BSA Chair 2023 and Head, Millfield School

The boarding community –making a difference

froM THE CHAir

The boarding community is vast and diverse. With 641 boarding schools in membership of BSA, 485 are home to over 75,000 boarders in the uK, plus thousands more students and schools around the globe.

As practitioners working in this sector, we have the privilege of being a part of our young people’s journey to success, whatever success looks like for them.

the resulting global strength of our sector also means we are uniquely placed to support refugees, vulnerable children, looked after children and those with special talents.

But at the end of each day, we are home to children.

Children from near or far, whose parents place them in our care to support, educate and nurture them to realise their potential and make a difference in their own local communities.

As i begin my stewardship as BSA Chair for 2023, i have been reflecting on our communities and how we can better support our local and global communities for the better.

in the Autumn term BSA Boarding Forums feedback from members was consistent. Whether state, independent, boys, girls, co-ed, prep, senior, sixth form or a variation on this, boarding colleagues report that one of their top concerns for their boarding students and general population of today is, sadly unsurprisingly, mental health.

in our post-pandemic, digital world, are we doing enough to support our communities to be mentally healthy and strong? Are we at best responding to current crises or are we planning for a future that looks different with staff and student training and empowerment?

tracking the latest digital trend, providing appropriate interventions and support for those who are struggling and building a more resilient student body is arguably one of the most important areas in which boarding practitioners can support our young people. here at millfield School, we have invested heavily in supporting the mental health of not only our boarders but our boarding staff. if our practitioners are not emotionally resilient, we are ill-equipped to support our children. even so, we now look to work with universities and with families to define what the future will be rather than to only react to the present travails.

in this issue of the Boarding School magazine, we hear from colleagues from across the sector who are addressing sustainability in their schools. We have a visa and immigration update surrounding the subject of boarder crossing and sponsoring international students in the UK as well as interesting pieces on junior boarding, the political landscape and creative school marketing.

As ever, the BSA team are here to support us in our roles with an extensive events and training programme including the annual digital safeguarding conference, a new mental health lead course and the annual international conference to name but a few.

Wishing boarding teams across the globe a successful 2023.