Boarding School Magazine Autumn 2024 by Boarding Schools' Association

BOARDING SCHOOL

THE MAGAZINE OF THE BOARDING SCHOOLS’ ASSOCIATION

Celebrating 10 years of the BSA Boarding Orchard Diversity and inclusion in boarding Things I wish I knew before I worked in boarding And so much more…

BSA CHAIR 2024 AND PRINCIPAL, QUEENSWOOD SCHOOL

06. HEADS ON THE MOVE

12. #ILOVEBOARDING

18. NEWS IN BRIEF

24. GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

27. BOARDING ORCHARD

44. WHAT WE REALLY MEAN BY FLEXIBLE BOARDING BEN, ASSISTANT HEAD, ST JOHN’S SCHOOL

48. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN BOARDING

63. A FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF INCLUSION LEADS

GAELLE SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, INCLUSION AND IELA

67. RESEARCH FELLOW FINDINGS: PLAY AND CREATIVITY IN BOARDING MADELEINE KILLACKY, MATHEMATICS TEACHER, MORETON HALL

72. PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

78. JOBS FOR SCHOOLS

82. ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR HEADS

86. HEADS RUN TO THE CASTLE

90. WINNER OF THE BSA SUPPORTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024

92. FONDER OF HIMALAYAN BOARDING SCHOOL WINS EMMA PATTERSON AWARD FOR COMPASSIONATE LEADERSHIP

98. MEETING PARENT EXPECTATIONS WITH FLEXI-BOARDING ROB TAYLOR, HEADMASTER, CARGILFIELD SCHOOL

102. THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I WORKED IN BOARDING

121. WHAT MAKES A GREAT HOUSEPARENT?

KEVIN PERRY-EVANS, HEAD OF BOARDING AND HOUSEPARENT, ST HUGH’S, OXFORDSHIRE

124. ANNUAL BOARDING CONFERENCE

126. REFECTION ON LIFE IN BOARDING MRS ARETI BIZIOR, HEAD, LUCKLEY HOUSE SCHOOL

130. NURTURING MINDS AND FOSTERING FUTURES: THE VITAL ROLE OF WELLBEING PROGRAMMES IN SCHOOLS

DAMIAN TODRES, DIRECTOR OF DRAMA, HEAD OF CREATIVE ARTS FACULTY, MENTAL HEALTH LEAD AND DEPUTY DSL, WELLS CATHEDRAL SCHOOL, SOMERSET

136. NATIONAL BOARDING WEEK

142. WELLINGTON SCHOOL JOINS BSA ON BOARD

CLAIRE SMITH, HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, WELLINGTON SCHOOL

144. BSA LEGAL AND OUR VERISIO PARTNERSHIP

146. BSA CERTIFIED AGENTS AND GUARDIAN SCHEME

150. BSA CERTIFIED GUARDIANS SCHEME

152. BSA CERTIFIED AGENTS SCHEME

156. BSA CERTIFIED SUPPLIERS

170. BSA MEMBER LIST

David Walker Director BSA

From the Director From the Editor

It is always fantastic to reﬂect each term on the many achievements and successes within the sector, and to read about how our members are continually working hard to develop their boarding communities and the provision on oﬀer.

I am always struck by the creative approaches to problem-solving and the way in which our members respond to everevolving challenges.

In previous issues we’ve explored ‘work-life balance’ in the immersive nature of boarding. There is no denying the hours are long and it can be challenging to switch off when your home is also your workplace. However, what is clear in the ‘Things I wish I knew before I worked in boarding’ feature, is that those who work in boarding do it for the enormous sense of fulfilment and purpose which comes from working with young people, making a meaningful difference each day.

As ever, the pages of this magazine are a wonderful celebration of boarding and the people who make the boarding experience so special. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this edition.

Happy reading!

We’re delighted to present another publication full-tobursting with news, achievements and experiences from the BSA boarding community.

In this issue, we’re celebrating 10 years of the BSA Boarding Orchard following our very ﬁrst tree planting in September 2014. Our hope is that we can encourage even more boarding schools to plant a tree in their grounds to grow the orchard even further across the globe. As part of the Boarding Orchard anniversary, BSA have produced an interactive map which demonstrates the scale of the world’s largest orchard by distance. View the map via our website and read more about the scheme on page 38.

The autumn term brings with it International Boarding Day celebrations on Saturday October 5, as well as our seasonal competitions including Pumpkin Carving and the annual Christmas Card design, so do keep your eyes peeled for more details in our weekly newsletters or social media posts.

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have also spotted that our Annual Boarding Conference 2025 will be taking place on January 28-29, a date which brings the event back to its pre-pandemic schedule. More details on page 111. If you would like to contribute towards a future edition of this publication, we will circulate a feature list for the Spring edition in due course via email and newsletter. If you’d like to write a guest article, please do contact the BSA team via bsa@boarding.org.uk

Lottie Andrews Communications and Engagement Manager BSA

Part of the BSA Group

ONE-DAY CONFERENCE

VENUE: BLACKROCK COLLEGE, DUBLIN, IRELAND

Irish boarding conference

Our annual conference brings together schools from across the island of Ireland and aims to share updates on current boarding issues from key members of the BSA team and external expert speakers, as well as giving networking opportunities with other colleagues working in boarding. The conference is suitable for anyone in a boarding role, and traditionally has a good mix of both school leaders and other boarding practitioners.

Audience Head, Deputy Head, Bursar, Registrar, Head of Boarding, Marketing, Admissions, Medical, Head of EAL, DoS, Pastoral staﬀ.

NOVEMBER

09:00-16:30

From the Chair

I am pleased to introduce the Autumn 2024 edition of Boarding School, BSA’s oﬃcial magazine for all those who live and work in the boarding community.

This will be my ﬁnal term as BSA Chair before the title is handed over to Chris Pyle, Head, Lancaster Royal Grammar School, in January 2025. This past year as Chair has been a particularly formative one for the sector and I am proud of how boarding schools both nationally and internationally continue to push for better and consistently put the needs of the young people in our care ﬁrst.

It was a great pleasure to Chair the BSA’s Annual Conference for Heads back in May which welcomed over 165 delegates from boarding schools nationally and internationally. This edition features reﬂections from this

event and the BSA and TIOB Annual Boarding Conference which also took place in the summer term. Also included is some well-deserved recognition for the winners of the 2024 BSA Supporting Excellence Awards.

A reminder that BSA continues to oﬀer a comprehensive training programme designed to support each of us as we develop within our boarding careers and adapt to new challenges. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge or stay ahead of the curve with best practice and compliance – BSA’s event calendar has it all covered. Visit the BSA website for the full list of upcoming webinars, seminars and conferences.

Additionally, do not hesitate to get in touch with the BSA team should you or your school require guidance or advice.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a successful autumn term. It has been a pleasure to represent the sector as BSA Chair in 2024 and I hope you will enjoy reading this latest edition of the magazine.

Jo Cameron BSA Chair 2024 and Principal Queenswood School

H e a ads

Mr Alasdair Mackenzie New Principal Hockerill

Anglo-European College

Taking over from Mr David Woods January 2025

Mrs Victoria Gamble New head

Fairview international Bridge of allan Taking over September 2024

Mrs Fe Beadnell New head

Queen Mary’s School

Taking over from Mrs Carole Cameron Summer 2025

Mr Barney Durrant New head

Brighton College Abu Dhabi

Taking over April 2025

Mr Phil Sturt New head Mowden Hall

Taking over from Mrs Kate Martin January 2025

Mr Scott Crawford New head

Lancing College

Taking over from Dominic Oliver September 2025

Taking over September 2025

Mr Simon Kibler New head

King’s Ely Prep Taking over September 2024

Taking over September 2024

September 2024

Mr Chris Seal New head Stamford School

Mrs Frances King New head Ruthin School

Mrs Zoe Ireland New head Priors Field School Taking over

Mr Robert Milne New master

Dulwich College

Taking over from Dr Joe Spence September 2025

Mrs Kate Martin New head

Sedbergh Prep School

Taking over January 2025

Mr Jonathan Shaw New head

Ellesmere College

Taking over September 2025

Mr Matthew Judd New head

Christ’s Hospital School

Taking over from Mr Simon Reid September 2025

Mr Tom Rainer New head

Dean Close St John’s School Taking over September 2024

Mr Ian Lloyd New head Myddelton College

Taking over from Mr Andy Allman September 2025

Mr James Kidd New head DLD College

Taking over September 2024

Mrs Carole Nyssen New head

Oxford Sixth Form College

Taking over August 2024

Mr Andy Allman New head Lucton September 2024

Mr Chris Wheeler New head Canford School September 2025

TRAINING TO PR

Three Key Areas To Achieve A Powerful & Proficient Mind: Awareness / Cause & Effect / Moving Forwards

Registered Behaviour Model: The Transformation Triangle®

Lives Matter

A Safe Way Forward

We remove stigma by positive day-to-day activ and not reactive, and no Keeping the mind powe turns a major concern training utilises a client’s them now and in the fut ensures coaching is suc recollectio

Our training blueprint, when put into action, results in a strong mind for the driven landscape of the education sector. No one wants a student, staff member, or parent considering taking their life. Students learn the perfect mind skills to equip themselves in todays’ fast paced, ever changing world of high expectations they are moving quickly towards. Being able to manage daily challenges from the students environment, feelings of desperation and preventing suicidal thoughts is paramount. Together we harness the incredible potential of your educational family.

REVENT SUICIDE

teaching that training the mind is a vity to achieve success, it is proactive ot treated as a therapy from failure. rful, and using the mind proficiently, into a positive, and a success. Our s interests and we use what is around ure: Sport, Animals and Nature. This ccessful, guaranteeing retention and on of the skills taught.

Saving Lives

Act & Transform

Putting an inspiring, upbeat Mental Strength Programme in place has made a huge ifference. This motivational proactive approach for students, staff and parents, has allowed numerous obstacles to be overcome. We should have done it long ago!

- Natalie – Prep School Teacher

Helping to protect against County Lines exploitation

What are County Lines?

County lines is when criminals befriend children, either online or offline, and manipulate them into drug dealing.

They control the young person using mobile phoneshence ‘lines’ as in phone line.

The victim is coerced into delivering drugs, often to towns outside their home county.

K9 Deployment are working with teachers across the country to reduce the amount of drugs in schools.

Using drugs dogs in schools and colleges for random searches is a powerful and preventative measure. This includes:

Scanning students as they come into the school and as they go about the day.

Searching classrooms, toilet blocks, lockers, boarding houses, and sports centres.

Searching shrubbery or woodland areas as these tend to be the most convenient places for students to hide substances and contraband.

Supporting schools with prevention initiatives

K9 Deployment is enthusiastic about reducing illegal drugs, especially in educational settings. Many schools have Drug Awareness strategies to ensure they create a safe environment for their students. We support schools with their programmes and help them spread the message through our presentations and demos. This can be delivered in an assembly or year group setting.

WHY CHOOSE WHY CHOOSE

K9 DEPLOYMENT K9 DEPLOYMENT

Highly trained detection dogs A bespoke service We’re there when you need us ? ?

DID

Having our drugs dogs visits can function as a high visual deterrent and reduce illegal substances from being brought into your school or college ? ? ? ? ? ?

i l o

Introducing Power BI for Independent schools

THE AMOUNT OF DATA COLLATED BY ANY ESTABLISHMENT CAN EASILY GET OUT OF HAND BUT IS ALSO AN EXTREMELY VALUABLE RESOURCE. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL GROUPS. YOUR DATA CAN HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND YOUR PERFORMANCE AND CREATE FORECASTS AND PLANS TO IMPROVE FUTURE OUTCOMES.

Microsoft Power BI has been changing the way that businesses understand their data since its release in 2015. It can connect to a variety of sources, making it an extremely ﬂexible solution for data visualisation and analysis. That’s why iSAMS chose the technology as the foundation for our reporting and analytics tool.

The powerful reporting solution was created to help schools make the most out of their data stores and create meaningful visualisations of performance.

The dashboards created within Central are driven by Power BI technology and intuitively help schools to create and understand their data story.

Use the Central dashboards to better analyse school performance and generate actionable insights for future planning. The goal of Central is to help schools to boost outcomes for students, staﬀ, and leadership teams.

BENEFITS OF iSAMS CENTRAL ANALYTICS

iSAMS is keen to enable you to harness that valuable data and identify the most important trends and data points for your decision-making. Here are just a few ways that Central can beneﬁt leadership teams, students, and school staﬀ

Improve student outcomes

Improved student performance drives school growth and boosts the school’s reputation.

The Current Students and Behaviour and Wellbeing reports within Central allow you to view all your key student and wellbeing statistics quickly and easily. Analyse key student numbers and attributes, concerns, detentions, and more. Drill down to see a wealth of information behind the headlines.

Cloud-based security

Data security is the priority at iSAMS. That’s why we built our MIS using cloud technology from the very beginning. Central maintains the same levels of security as you’ve come to expect from iSAMS.

AI-powered reports

Integration of the latest AI technology enables you to type directly into Central and the tool will build a report according to your prompt. This innovation ensures that all users understand the data available within Central and can harness it for informed decision-making.

Eﬃcient reporting

Trawling through multiple data sources and spreadsheets to extract performance reports is a time-consuming task for your team and can lead to out-of-date reports and insights.

Let Central automate the process for you so that your leaders can make the right decisions, faster.

Boost admissions

Central’s range of inbuilt Admissions reports puts live admissions statistics at your ﬁngertips. Use the dashboard to specify date ranges, and the software populates visualisations for all your key admissions data, including number of enquiries, their source, admissions statuses, and more.

Monitor attendance

Track attendance across your school with a wide range of inbuilt attendance reports within Central. Use the dashboard to spot key trends in attendance data and identify areas to monitor further, or prove improved performance.

INTERESTED IN iSAMS CENTRAL?

If you’d like to learn more or book a demo of the system, click here: https://hubs.li/Q02C-Hrd0

A powerful reporting solution for intelligent, data-backed insights into your school’s performance

Utilise a range of user-friendly dashboards with new AI-functionality

Connect admissions data, student data, behavioural data, and more

Analyse your entire school within one system

Save your staff time and improve student outcomes

Analyse data trends and make informed decisions using industry-leading Power BI technology to support improved school outcomes.

Integration with iSAMS

Bene昀t from intuitive data visualisation

Power BI cloud-based technology for all schools

Empower data-backed decision making

Bene昀t from a centralised platform and range of user friendly dashboards designed speci昀cally for generating reports and extracting vital information from within your MIS. Transform your school’s valuable data into actionable insights for improved school performance.

Driven by Microsoft Power BI

SCHOOLBLAZER AND LIMITLESS LAUNCH TRUSTED PARTNERS POGRAMME

This year Schoolblazer launched their Trusted Partners programme, a new alliance to support start-up brands improving sports participation. The three brands selected include the Rezon Halos headband, PEBE sports bras and NIXI Body underwear.

Said Louise Allard, Limitless Brand Manager, “We know that participation in sport is vital for young people’s happiness. With our Limitless brand we’ve worked hard to create products which encourage everyone to love sport. However, we can’t do everything. We know there are great brands out there innovating and developing brilliant products which aim to solve real world problems. Our goal with our Trusted Partner programme is to bring those solutions to our customers and support those brands on their journey.”

For many years, Schoolblazer and Limitless have been working to find ways to encourage and inspire young people to stay active. Having previously worked with the Youth Sport Trust on research into the barriers and motivators for young people to enjoy sport, specifically in the independent sector, Limitless began talking to small, independent companies who are looking to address the specific reasons that young people stop playing sport. This particularly affects girls, with a marked drop-off in activity during their teenage years.

Limitless’ Trusted Partners are small, female-led companies paving the way with their innovation and product development, and providing products which help young people remain in sport. These companies are:

1. PEBE: PEBE partners with schools to address the critical issue of bra support for young girls. They deliver expert education and convenient & inclusive ﬁttings, together with their top-performing, award-winning sports bras. Designed for optimal support & comfort, with an extensive size range, the sports bras are perfect for developing girls and busy school days. PEBE’s female-led team of experts aims to boost sports participation, reduce injuries & supercharge sporting achievements in school for all pupils. www.teampebe.com

2. NIXI Body: NIXI provide discreet, period knickers which are completely invisible under school uniforms and sports kits; Limitless oﬀers two styles to accommodate girls’ preference. Whilst comfortable and practical, helping to reduce period refuse, they were also chosen for their style and appearance, as one of the lighter and subtler options available for girls.

https://www.nixibody.com/collec tions/period-pants

3. Rezon provide a groundbreaking sports headband for concussion and sub-concussion protection. The ﬁrst protective of its type with a CE and UKCA mark, the internationally recognised legal requirement. The Rotection® technology in Halos® headbands is proven to reduce the risk of concussion by 74% through the reduced transmission of damaging rotational forces to the brain by up to 61%, based on independent testing. www.rezonwear.com

For more information on Limitless and their Trusted Partners, please visit www.limitlesskit.com

a round-up of some of the stories

ABBEY COLLEGE MANCHESTER ARTISTIC IMPRESSIONS: CELEBRATING CREATIVITY

Budding photographers at Abbey College Manchester have been highly commended for their creative abilities and talent, following a highly anticipated trip to London and a photography challenge.

Art and Photography students visited the vibrant capital city where they toured the galleries and sites, while also experiencing some of London’s culture and events. Taking inspiration from their surroundings, the Abbey College cohort was tasked with capturing an array of images to contribute to their portfolios and the college’s competition.

The young creatives visited the National Portrait Gallery where they had the opportunity to appreciate the various ways that artists respond to the idea of

portraiture. They explored the National Gallery, viewing the inspiring works of Van Gough, Holbein and Stubbs among many others. Students also visited the Photographer’s Gallery, experiencing the work of prolific photographer Daido Moriyama, with his monochrome images covering every wall over five floors. The final stop of the day was a show called Illusionaries, an exhibit billed as a ‘captivating multi-sensory art odyssey, where ground-breaking digital masterpieces take centre stage’.

Upon returning to college, Rhona DelaneyWillis, Head of Art at Loreto, judged the students’ work. Year 11 student Lok was awarded first place, and Tim and Nikolas, also in Year 11, secured the runners-up spots.

BEDALES

BEDALES EMBRACES MUSICAL

An innovative new musical, written by the award-winning composer behind the EastEnders theme tune, was performed at Bedales School in Hampshire in June as part of a creative collaboration. Rehearsals are in full swing as students from Years 6-12 at Bedales Prep and Senior schools prepare to stage “Rick.”

Written by Simon May and famed for the iconic EastEnders music, “Rick” explores themes of neurodiversity, self-confidence, and resilience. The story follows a young boy, Rick, who, after being teased by his peers, abandons his lead role in a school play. He locks himself in his room, falls asleep, and wakes up 100 years later, à la Rip Van Winkle. In the 22nd century, Rick learns

from across the boarding community

SCHOOL L ADAPTATION FOR THE STAGE

to embrace his unique abilities, eventually finding the confidence to return to his school production.

This is Simon May’s second venture into musical theatre, following “Smike,” an adaptation of Dickens’ “Nicholas Nickleby.” Notably, May has allowed Bedales to adapt “Rick” for their stage, a unique opportunity for a school production. The project is spearheaded by Bedales Senior’s Head of Drama, Hayley Cole, and features a creative team including Bedales Prep’s Director of Music, Matt Blunt, Head of Drama, Simon Kingsley-Pallant, Head of Dance, Liz Wood, and Theatre Manager, Joanne Greenwood. Together, they have tailored “Rick” to reflect the artistic vision of the Bedales community.

WOODHOUSE GROVE SCHOOL CULTURE WEEK AT WOODHOUSE GROVE

Woodhouse Grove School enjoyed an amazing start to their first ever Grove Culture Week organised by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. It was a huge success with a lot of engagement from both pupils and staff celebrating their place of origin.

Boarders baked cakes for the bake sale, and provided an excellent service helping other pupils and staff write their names in Mandarin. There was a lot of excitement around Bollywood dancing and the highlight of the week was the cultural

fashion show, which celebrated the many nations represented at The Grove and their cultural dress.

Pupils and staff also took this opportunity to mark their place of origin on a world and UK map, it was incredible to see how extensively we covered the globe!

This was an extremely well supported event, particularly enjoyed by international boarders, and created a real buzz around school, starting interesting conversations about heritage and culture.

FOR OUTSTA

Congratulations to Royal Hospital School’s, Henrietta Tyler, who won the Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Voluntary Service in the Young Person category.

Henrietta, in Year 13, won the award as a result of her volunteering with the City of Chelmsford Mencap’s lifelong learning service, supporting people with learning disabilities of every age and ability.

Henrietta has Mencap for two Outreach Academy a valued part of volunteers at leas during every schoo directly benefitted users and is a hu staff team. Henri many ways, includ to one support an class activities.

ROYAL HOSPI PUPIL AWARDED

#1

volunteered for years with The y and has become f the team. She st a day per week ol holiday and has d over 60 service ge support to the ietta supports in ding providing one nd running whole

The Awards and Commendations for Outstanding Voluntary Contribution was recently presented to local people by The Mayor of Chelmsford at a celebratory afternoon tea held in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Chelmsford Awards for Voluntary Service were formed ten years ago by Chelmsford Community Voluntary Services (CVS) to recognise the outstanding contributions in volunteering by local people.

Managing School Fees with Confidence: The Role of ParentCheck+

WITH INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EXPERIENCING A RISE IN THEIR INTAKE OF OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN RECENT YEARS, AS REPORTED BY THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS’ COUNCIL CENSUS, THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS ENCOUNTERING POTENTIAL NEW RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGING SCHOOL FEES.

The census, which surveyed 1,411 UK schools, indicated that as of January 2024, there were 26,195 international students enrolled whose parents reside overseas, reﬂecting a 2.9% increase compared to the previous year.

In response to these developments, innovations like ParentCheck+, developed by Redwood Collections, are becoming increasingly vital for independent schools managing the ﬁnancial aspects of this growth.

INTRODUCING PARENTCHECK+

ParentCheck+ is a comprehensive screening tool designed to help independent schools manage ﬁnancial risks and ensure the secure handling of term payments.

KEY FEATURES OF PARENTCHECK+

• Adverse media screening: Scans over 35,000 news sources in more than 50 languages to detect adverse information linked to potential customers, identifying individuals associated with illicit activities.

• Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs): References a list of over 1.4 million PEPs, including family members and associates, to identify high-proﬁle individuals and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

• Sanctions screening: Checks major international sanction lists, including EU, UN, and FBI, ensuring schools avoid engagement with sanctioned individuals or entities.

• Money laundering detection: Identiﬁes individuals with links to money laundering activities, crucial for schools to avoid legal complications and protect their reputation.

HOW IT WORKS

Schools can submit a list of current or prospective customers, and ParentCheck+ processes these to highlight any subjects with potential adverse information. No account creation is required; schools need only provide the ﬁrst and last names of individuals, with additional information like date of birth and nationality reducing false positives.

ParentCheck+ employs a low match threshold, including records tenuously related to subjects, providing comprehensive screening results.

COMPLIANCE AND DATA PROTECTION

ParentCheck+ ensures GDPR compliance by being registered with the ICO as data controllers, leaving no footprint on subjects’ credit ﬁles and operating under lawful bases for data processing.

PRICING OPTIONS

ParentCheck+ oﬀers three pricing options:

• Individual search: £150.00 per search, suitable for one or two checks over the contract term.

• Ten search credits: £500.00 for ten searches, usable at any time during the contract term (£50.00 per search).

• Full parent list: Prices vary based on pupil numbers:

° Up to 500 pupils - £1,500.00

° Up to 1,000 pupils - £2,250.00

° Up to 1,500 pupils - £3,000.00

° More than 1,500 pupils/groups - Price on application

WHY PARENTCHECK+?

ParentCheck+ offers independent schools a powerful tool to manage financial risks, secure large payments and protect their reputation. It allows schools to focus on their core mission of educating students while navigating financial complexities confidently.

LEARN MORE

For more information on how ParentCheck+ can beneﬁt your school, contact us today. 020 4519 2597 pr@redwoodcollections.com redwoodcollections.com/parentcheck

ing schools ned the SA last issue:

OLLEGE

ZHOU PANYU SCHOOL

COLLEGE

CHOOL IN TANZANIA

ATIONAL COLLEGE

ATIONAL SCHOOL

MY OXFORD

ERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Robin Fletcher CEO, BSA Group

My family thought I was ‘barking’ (not unusual) when I pitched the idea of creating the world’s biggest orchard at my interview to become National Director of BSA in Spring 2014.

Luckily however, the tree god Silvanus was clearly on my side and the recruiting panel thought enough of my wacky idea to give me the job.

Six months later and the day arrived when Nick Wergan, then Headmaster of Steyning Grammar School in West Sussex, handed me the spade to plant the ﬁrst tree of The BSA Boarding Orchard.

A decade on and 188 schools in 10 countries have joined the Boarding Orchard. The most westerly tree (from the UK) was planted at Chinquapin Preparatory School in Texas and the

Growing the world’s biggest orchard – one tree at a time

most easterly at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar in Malaysia.

The distance from Texas to Malaysia, ﬂying west, is 9,500 miles which means the world’s biggest orchard has been achieved…by distance at least!

My colleague David Walker, Director of BSA, has now taken over the treeplanting duties that were once mine for many years, and I think he’s having fun. I certainly did and for a while when my daughters were younger, they delighted in showing their friends various pictures of me online with spade in hand. Looking at the dozen or so photos still

ﬂoating in the ether brings back some interesting memories. Ones from Oundle School and Royal Lancaster Grammar School remind me what it’s like to plant trees into near frozen ground, sometimes with snow around, during the early part of the Easter term.

Joining Caroline Pascoe to plant at Monmouth School for Girls was part of a rare ‘double’ as she then asked me to plant another at her next school at The International School Bangalore. Unsurprisingly I was jacketless for the second event.

At King’s School Canterbury (the world’s oldest boarding school), Warminster School and Rockport College, Northern Ireland, planting took place under brollies, while Hazelgrove Prep School and Royal Dungannon were much sunnier aﬀairs.

Apart from learning a fair amount from school grounds’ staﬀ about planting trees (which has been helpful in my garden) and planting with students often means ‘passing around’ the spade and giving impromptu speeches, there have also been a few comedy moments. At Sexey’s School on Speech Day the then headmaster Irfan Latif ran around the grounds, gown ﬂapping, desperately hunting for the tree that had temporarily been moved by someone, while the mayor, chief guest Mariella Frostrup and I anxiously awaited his return. And at one prep school, the head’s PA gently informed us over lunch that the tree we’d just proudly planted had now fallen over.

My favourite moment however was revisiting St Andrew’s Prep School near Eastbourne and asking why we were not planting a tree. At which point they took me down to the boarding house garden and pointed

to a blooming tree next to a weathered brass plaque recording the fact that I’d planted it three years earlier. To my eternal shame, I’d completely forgotten!

Two or three years ago, King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) kindly wrote to express his support for the BSA Boarding Orchard, which, given his well-known championing of nature and sustainability, was a nice compliment.

As the BSA Boarding Orchard reaches it is 10th birthday, and dozens of trees around the world grow taller and stronger, it’s worth ﬁnishing with an answer to the inevitable question ‘why?’.

For me that’s simple. The BSA Boarding Orchard brings the boarding community around the world together, supports the environment and represents the ‘tree of knowledge’.

Pride is a sin, so I’m not interested in any kudos for my wacky idea. I’m quietly delighted however that The BSA Boarding Orchard is playing its own small part in saving our precious planet and look forward to it doing that some more, one tree at a time, in the many years to come.

Worksop College

Durham School

Rendcomb College Shipla

King Edward’sWitley

Oakham School

The International School Bangalore

Caldicott School

Wellesley Prep School

Adcote School For Girls

King College Saint Michaels

Truro Sc Wymondham College

Sibford School

Beachborough School

ke College

Worksop College

Woodhouse Grove School

Taunton School

Royal Russell School

Christs Hospital chool

Glenalmond College

Marlborough College

Haberdashers Monmouth School

Steyning Grammar School

Medicines administration in boarding schools is a critical aspect of pupil care that demands the utmost attention and precision. Ensuring the safe administration of medications is not only a matter of health and safety, but also a legal responsibility.

Understanding the Importance of Safe Medicines Administration

Medicines administration in a boarding school environment is a complex process that involves more than just giving out pills. It requires a comprehensive understanding of each pupil's medical needs, the medication's purpose, possible side eﬀects, and the correct dosage and timing. The importance of this process cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts the health and well-being of the pupils.

Moreover, schools are legally obligated to ensure their pupils' safety and well-being, including the proper management of medicines. To ensure these obligations are met, and to reduce the risk of medicines errors, schools must have a robust system for safe medicines administration and handling.

The Risks of Improper Medication Management

Improper medication management can lead to a host of problems, ranging from minor health issues to serious medical emergencies. For instance, giving a pupil the wrong medication or the incorrect dosage can result in adverse reactions, exacerbate existing health conditions, or even lead to a medical emergency.

To maintain compliance with both the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, and the Department for Education ‘Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions’ guidance, medicines need to be managed safely and eﬀectively within the boarding school.

Best Practices

Establishing a comprehensive medicines management policy is one of the ﬁrst steps in ensuring the safe handling of medicines. This policy should outline the procedures for storing, administering, and documenting medicines, and include guidelines for handling medicines errors and incidents.

A robust recording system is essential for tracking medicines administration, and identifying issues or errors.

Conclusion

Safe administration of medicines to pupils at boarding schools is a critical aspect of pupil care that requires careful attention and management.

Training is a crucial component of safe medicines administration. All staff who might be required to support a pupil with their medicines should receive regular training on medicines administration and handling. This includes understanding the different types of medicines, their uses, potential side effects, and the correct administration procedures.

Training should also cover the legal aspects of medication administration, including the school's legal responsibilities and the rights of pupils and their parents or guardians. This will ensure that all staﬀ know the legal implications of their actions and can act according to the law.

OPUS is the UK’s leading provider of medicines training in schools, supporting over 850 boarding schools, day schools and colleges. Our training is delivered by experienced Pharmacists, who provide specialist school-centric medicines training that complies with the latest guidance, legislation and Ofsted requirements.

0333

Sherborne Girls welcomed Robin Fletcher, Chief Executive, to plant a Green Gage tree for the Boarding Orchard in 2015. Since 2025, Sherborne Girls have been focused on creating a sustainable environment for their pupils.

Alana Thorburn Ecology, Conservation and Sustainability Ambassador in Residence

Sherborne Girls

Sherborne Girls is committed to fostering bright young women with the self-belief, creativity and moral courage to make the world a better place. Given the environmental emergency, we take our responsibility in preparing the generation who will turn things round very seriously.

My role is devoted to translating pupils’ environmental concerns into actions and helping reduce the school’s impact on the environment. I am supported by our Gardens, Grounds, Estates and Facilities teams, our Eco Council, and Planet Mark, a sustainability certiﬁcation organisation.

The school’s environmental strategy is designed to achieve change through education, pupil action and action as an institution. In 2019, we became the ﬁrst school to be included in the national rewilding and education scheme, Operation Future Hope. In partnership with Operation Future Hope, we spearheaded a collaboration with Sherborne School and The Gryphon School, rewilding 200sqm of school grounds involving pupils from all three schools. Last year, we also introduced the Operation Future Hope Nature and Rewilding Course into the Y9 curriculum.

1

Our Eco Council, along with the Sherborne School Environmental Action Group and The Gryphon School Council, have been looking at fashion consumption, food waste, plastic use and increasing recycling. Our Eco Prefects have tackled fashion consumption through clothing swaps, jumble sales and sharing. Together with our caterers, they have also phased out single-use plastic packaging in our dining halls and are measuring plate waste.

We have engaged Planet Mark to drive forward our decarbonisation strategy, focusing on waste, operational energy use, estate development and transport. Our commitment to sustainability has gathered momentum with clear results. Last year, we reduced our electricity consumption by 11.5%, natural gas use by 9.1%, waste by 12.5%, paper consumption by 13% and our measured carbon by 8.7%.

We hope that by driving a culture of individual and collective responsibility to environmental sustainability, working in partnership with other schools in the area, we can develop a sustainability programme that is authentic, selfsustaining and empowering for the whole Sherborne community.

Financial Pressures WHAT BOARDING SCHOOLS SHOULD BE DOING

Joe Parfitt, Education Consultancy Director at the Litmus Partnership, which has worked with over 80 independent schools, shares his views on what boarding schools can do now with regards to their catering service to mitigate financial pressures and achieve cost efficiencies, without impacting quality.

“The previous academic year and its disruptive political landscape caused many boarding schools to re-think how they currently run operationally, and understand where eﬃciencies can be made.

“Just recently, we were approached by a large independent day and boarding school to identify what their Facilities Management service would look like if the cost was reduced by 20%. We found signiﬁcant opportunities for improved eﬃciency, value for money and strategies for deploying resources over the medium to long term to achieve greater consistency in service performance.

“Aside from Facilities Management, another key school budget area falls to catering. Whether this spend is on an inhouse or contracted catering provision, there are things that can be done to drive cost-savings in this area.

“If catering is outsourced, savings are likely to be made through renegotiation following a best value benchmarking review. We collect millions of food procurement prices every month from education settings. This data provides strategic and tactical insight to boarding schools, letting them see how their costs compare to an anonymised market

eaverage of others in their sector, at supplier and food category level. Armed with this knowledge, it’s far easier to challenge any cost increases.

t“Another option would be to put the contract out to tender, which gives boarding schools the opportunity to review options, understand how their current provider is performing against the competition, and whether a move will deliver them better operational eﬃciencies, cost savings and an enhanced service for their staﬀ and pupils.

“Boarding schools can also consider bringing their catering provision in-house. Nearly always, money will be saved by doing this as schools have transparency on their food costs, with no inflated charges, and the management fee charged by the outsourced caterers will be removed. There are other benefits that this approach brings such as having complete flexibility around suppliers and product purchasing, having ownership of the catering team and a ‘one team’ approach, as well as complete sovereignty over the service giving boarding schools the ability to make changes quickly without impacting the commercial agreement with a third party.

“However, bringing the services in-house should only be done following a robust options appraisal. Short-term savings can be quickly eroded without proper management systems, procurement expertise and staﬀ development. There is of course additional workload that the school will face if they do bring the service in-house, which needs to be considered. For example, schools need to ensure they have an internal catering team established, the manpower to manage the staﬀ as well as the expertise to establish the new supply chain arrangements and ensure the food safety due diligence is

?

carried out. Many schools will likely need to also bring in external expertise to support the transition period. “If the catering services are already in-house, then it’s advisable to get an independent review of how eﬃciently your boarding school is operating against best-in-class. It can be easy to become complacent when the catering is in-house and also to lose sight of innovations within the wider sector, fresh ideas and ensuring the service evolves in line with expectations.

“There are also tech-driven systems, speciﬁcally designed to support independent schools with their in-house foodservice and can reduce the overall food procurement costs by up to 20%.

Our kitchen management and food procurement system, Litmus Edge, does just this and is unlike anything else on the market. It not only offers the most innovative kitchen management, menu and food safety/allergen tools on the market, but it also gives schools the flexibility to either access our renowned network of specialist suppliers - offering highly competitive pricing, quality ingredients and exceptional service – or manage their own existing supplier arrangements, all within one platform.

“Edge takes a lot of the stress of running an in-house catering operation away and fast-tracks boarding schools to best practice methods.

“There is no magic wand to navigating ﬁnancial pressures, but it doesn’t have to be that boarding schools have to either simply absorb these or pass them onto the parents. There are lots of avenues to explore in terms of how services are managed, that will deliver real-time savings and mitigate risks.”

For further information visit https://litmuspartnership.co.uk/

The future of in-house kitchen management and food procurement

Edge is a one-of-a-kind system designed to support Independent Schools who make the choice to selfdeliver their catering and/or housekeeping services – helping them and their teams achieve increased quality, greater productivity, reduced costs, and improved value for money.

Delivering high quality, popular, healthy food, and superior housekeeping services in a cost effective, safe and compliant manner, day-in-day out, can be dif昀cult to manage.

Utilise your existing suppliers, or access Edge’s sector-speci昀c, competitive supply chain, designed to deliver high quality, nutritious food, and greater spend on the plate.

Full EHO compliance processes, policies, and reporting, delivering improved food safety and hygiene procedures, and mitigating risk.

Automated menu management, ensuring nutritionally balanced menus and reducing timeconsuming manual menu planning.

Systemised stock management and reporting, reducing administrative burden and cumbersome paper trails.

2000+ bespoke recipes, including full nutritional and allergen data, linked directly from the supplier, ensuring consistency, peace of mind, and saving yet more valuable time.

Comprehensive budget control, forecasting and 昀nancial management, driving ef昀ciency, productivity, and pro昀tability.

Parent and classroom pre-order and payment, personalised to pupils’ unique allergen pro昀les, improving communication and planning, reducing waste, and ensuring safety.

Somesystemfeaturesrequiretheuseofthe Edgesupplychain,recipesand/ormenus.

Celeb

brate PLANT A TREE & JOIN THE WORLD’S

THE BOARDING ORCHARD’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY

In 2014, we launched The Boarding Orchard, which has grown to become the world’s largest orchard by distance, proudly supported by the British Royal Family. King Charles III himself has endorsed this initiative, calling it “an excellent way to promote environmental awareness.”

Planting a tree in The Boarding Orchard symbolises the ‘tree of knowledge,’ representing growth, learning, and a commitment to nurturing our environment. By participating, you contribute to a greener planet, support biodiversity, and join a global community of schools dedicated to sustainability.

Get involved by planting a fruit tree at your school and sharing your tree-planting journey. Each tree adds to the rich tapestry of stories in The Boarding Orchard, connecting you with other schools through our interactive map.

To get started, visit www.boarding.org.uk/mediacentre/boarding-orchard/.

GUEST ST JOHN’S SCHOO

What we re by flexible

“Flexi-boarding” can be a polarising term these days. Some, more traditional schools, look down on the idea. Others are moving towards it with caution, understandably nervous that it could undermine their core boarding ethos. A number of schools have embraced it out of necessity in an attempt to future-proof. The reality, however, is that it is a poorly understood concept, largely because it can mean something altogether very diﬀerent in each context. From connotations of hotel-style boarding (simply book on demand) right through to allowing a full boarder a night at home midweek - there is an increasing spectrum of approaches among schools that fall under the umbrella of “ﬂexi-boarding”.

You won’t find us using the term much at St John’s School in Leatherhead, even though we offer one of the most flexible options among our local senior schools. Our approach is all about choice. We have developed a model of boarding that offers families something unique. Family life has evolved along with attitudes to boarding. In days gone by, parents of a Year 6 child would make one lasting decision, committing to five or seven years of full boarding. While many schools continue to expect this, a more flexible scenario is emerging that is attractive to modern families.

We have worked hard in developing our approach to provide real and appealing choice for our families. Each family, for every term of their school career, can choose

Ben P

Assistan

St John’s

Head School

eally mean e boarding

from our wide range of boarding options, giving them real flexibility. With the option to choose each term, weekly boarding is chosen by families for which it most suits at that point. And it is a real house-based boarding community that they are joining. Whether it is independence, time with friends, routine and structure, reduced travel times or a delicious cooked breakfast they are seeking, we hear all these reasons from our weekly boarders. And they are the cornerstone of our strong boarding community, creating the atmosphere and setting the tone. Our other midweek boarding options of one, two or three fixed nights are enormously popular. There is no hint of hotel mentality but a clear commitment to the benefits that boarding, in any form, can bring. While most pupils will increase their

boarding with time, for others dipping in for a term or two can give a pupil or their family pastoral support at a key moment or a brilliant experience they would not have thought they wanted two years previously. Ad hoc boarding (an occasional night when it is needed) is an additional option. It can be an excellent route into more regular boarding for younger pupils or some help to families juggling ever-changing commitments.

The really good news is that genuine options are emerging in the boarding sector which retain the core strengths that families look for from full-time boarding but give modern families the choice and ﬂexibility that works for them.

Peart

Whatever the issue, if you have a question –we probably have the answer!

Members of The Wellbeing Hub have full access to our extensive library of Q&As which are constantly being updated by our experts. So, you can find exactly what you need if you encounter a problem, precisely when you need it. All Q&A’s are age appropriate for each of our hub levels (parents, staff, 10+, 13+ and 16+).

Q.I have a pupil in my class who regularly has panic attacks – any suggestions?

A.In a quiet moment ask what tools they use to manage their anxiety whilst explaining that although panic attacks feel horrendous they generally peak between 10 and 15 minutes and then the symptoms reduce. Learning to ride the panic waves is one way to reduce the fear associated with the panic attack. There is a great app called Clear Fear which can help with this.

Explore with them how they know they are starting to panic – what can they feel in their body? It might be tingly hands. heart racing, feeling spaced out or breathing faster. Once they know the signs they can start to take action to prevent themselves going into panic mode – here are a few suggestions:-

In 30 seconds see how many rectangles you can count around you. At the end of the time choose one rectangle and start to breathe around it always breathing in on the short side and out on the longer side. When we make our out breath longer than our in breath we start to reverse the physiology of the stress response. Wear an elastic band and when they feel the panic coming, twang it hard. The shock diverts their thinking away from the panic and when we feel pain our bodies send endorphins around our system to protect us. It isn’t the nicest remedy but it is effective. Distract themselves with mind bending tasks such as going through the alphabet thinking of a girls name for every letter on the way up and a boys name for every letter on the way back down

Get in touch to book a virtual tour of The Wellbeing Hub and to find out more - hub@teentips.co.uk

A proactive approach to mental health and wellbeing. Now supporting over 230 schools worldwide.

“What I really like about The Wellbeing Hub is that it’s a proactive and positive approach to intervention. It effectively addresses challenging topics and flags current issues directly. Pupils become more informed, energised and open to discussions after engaging with the resources. The staff training modules are excellent, bridging the gap between pastoral and academic roles and reminding us that our primary mission is to support children.”

Gavin English Deputy Head Pastoral Alleyn’s School, UK

Unlock the door to expert support, advice, and answers with The Wellbeing Hub.

Designed by experts to meet the needs of the whole school community, providing the tools you need to help children thrive.

Book a tour today to find out more and get 2-week free trial access.

Deputy Head (Pastoral)

Diversity is a vibrant real boarding schools

“Working at Queen’s to develop a culture that is equitable, fair and respects the diversity of our pupil and parent body has been hugely rewarding.”

In boarding schools, diversity is a vibrant reality, with student populations reﬂecting a mix of ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) initiatives have been pivotal in creating an inclusive, equitable, and supportive educational environment. For ethnic minority pupils, school can be both a learning opportunity and a source of stress due to racial biases and systemic inequalities, manifesting as microaggressions, stereotypes, and disparities in disciplinary actions and academic expectations.

Carla Shearman

Queen’s College Taunton

lity in

Understanding the “learning brain” and “survival brain” concepts is essential. The learning brain thrives when students feel safe and valued, ready to absorb new information. In contrast, the survival brain is triggered by threats such as racial discrimination and unaddressed trauma, shifting focus to selfprotection rather than learning. To foster the learning brain, schools must create safe spaces where students feel heard, provide mental health support to address stress and trauma.

Promoting a sense of belonging involves empowering pupils to share their unique perspectives, thereby enriching the learning environment. Schools can support this by establishing pupil forums, celebrating cultural events, and developing a curriculum that includes diverse voices, allowing students to see themselves reﬂected in their studies.

Boarding schools have a unique opportunity to impact a wide range of pupils from diverse backgrounds. By ensuring active engagement in education and promoting respect and understanding of protected characteristics, boarding schools can help students develop positive relationships with learning. This inclusive approach beneﬁts individual students and enriches the entire school community, fostering a culture of empathy, understanding, and mutual respect.

ACHIEVING MORE WITH LESS

In the shadow of the recent general election, the UK, once again, finds itself treading the waters of economic uncertainty and those at the helm of education are not only faced with the complexities of the debate over VAT on school fees, but also whispers of spending cuts.

When fiscal storms hit, the knee-jerk reaction is often a retreat: slash budgets, pare down, and batten down the hatches. We contend that the opposite is necessary; as the landscape shifts, so must our strategies. Now is the opportunity to invest, not divest, in the growth of our teams.

Now is the time to nurture our most valuable asset: our people.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

Despite the tumultuous financial landscape, or perhaps because of it, investing in staff training translates to a more efficient and effective organisation. The benefits of nurturing a culture of continuous learning and development during challenging times are multifaceted.

It leads to a more adept workforce capable of pivoting swiftly to address new teaching methodologies, regulatory changes, or shifts in educational policy.

By fostering an environment of growth, organisations encourage innovation and creative problemsolving, which can lead to more cost-effective and efficient approaches to education delivery.

During hard times, when morale can be low, providing training and development opportunities can act

as a morale booster, invigorating the workforce with a sense of purpose and direction.

The commitment to staff development is a testament to the school’s belief in its people. It sends a clear signal that the organisation values its employees and is willing to invest in their future.

In periods of constraint the focus should be on maximising impact while minimising costs, so to help you Achieve More With Less we have created a guide detailing 4 strategies to ensure that your investment in training and development achieves the greatest return on investment.

Simply scan the QR code to download your copy.

CHANGIN ATTITUDES T

Haberdashers’ Adams promotes tolerance, friendship and understanding of religio curriculum. This includes corridor/classroom displays, assemblies, guest spe (compulsory in Year 8) citizenship and personal

Dan B

Deputy Head

Haberdashers’

NG PUPIL TO DIVERSITY

ons, cultures, disabilities and sexual orientations through diﬀerent aspects of the eakers, teaching in Religious Studies (compulsory in Years 7-9), World Aﬀairs l, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

Biggins

(Pastoral)

Adams School

FEATURE 2 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN BOARDING

We have several student groups that meet regularly and give our pupils agency.

‘Redefine’ champions inclusion and diversity by offering a platform for all pupils of all ethnicities. The aim of the society is to change pupil attitudes to diversity, create an environment for members to socialise and promote pride in each other’s ethnic background. An inter-faith club offers space and time for pupils from different religious backgrounds to exchange ideas, while the Marsha P. Johnson Society offers our LGBTQ+ student community to come together in a safe space.

Diversity and inclusion is woven through the fabric of Adams on a daily basis but also celebrated through a number of special events throughout the year.

Culture Day, during Charities Week, sees pupils wearing a rainbow of colourful national dress from around the world celebrating the diverse student community we enjoy at Haberdashers’ Adams. During lunch that day, Redefine holds a sale of delicious local delicacies from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Inter-faith Week is celebrated with a fair where students can learn about the different cultural and religious belief systems that our pupils hold in an open and supportive environment. During Pride Month we also fly the flag for LGBTQ+ through a few initiatives.

“We are proud of our diverse boarding and go to great lengths to understand the cu boys in our care so that they feel at hom

community at Adams ultural backgrounds of the me away from home.”

HOW THE IDAT IS CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE

Now on 6 continents, but only launching in 2019, the IDAT is changing the world of admissions assessments. There are many ‘tests’ out that provide benchmarking and academics levels, but the IDAT is doing things differently and admissions teams around the world are loving it.

The IDAT looks at how ‘ready’ students are for a mainstream classroom, regardless of where they come from, where they are going, how old they are or where they studied previously. It looks at English (language & literature), mathematics, science, technology, critical thinking, logic and includes a self-assessed character analysis where students can share their attitudes, aptitudes and motivations for the classroom.

At Tintern, we use the IDAT over other testing tools because the richness of the results give us both a broader and deeper assessment of the capabilities of the young people who sit it. From our perspective, the Critical Thinking assessment is particularly useful, but the other measures are also assessed with greater granular detail than other tests we have used. We ﬁnd the IDAT to be a very useful tool for us.

Brad Fry

Principal, Tintern Grammar, Australia

This all seems too good to be true. This all seems too expensive.

However, the IDAT Concise version launched in 2023, made it more affordable, shorter and more accessible.

The IDAT Secure 360 invigilation system, means that students can take the test

anywhere in the world with 2 cameras, two microphones and a 360˚ view of the test taker. Not needing to rely on test centres, has made the IDAT accessible everywhere and schools needn’t worry about the ‘hard to reach’ applicants.

Academically, the IDAT is truly international, and evaluates students on the IDAT curriculum. This curriculum was created by cross mapping the US, Canada, Australia and UK curricula. It is a fair way to test students wherever they have studied before and wherever they are going to. There is a test for all students in the K-12 space and families love the ease of set up and knowing that the results can be used to support and guide future learning.

Admissions teams around the world are the silent heroes in a school. However, students can arrive to a new school who are not what they appear to be ‘on paper.’ The IDAT eliminates this risk in a secure, comprehensive and supportive way. Schools are ready for students and

know through diagnostics what support they will need. The full test also includes a proﬁle of a student’s comfort and independence levels for self-care. This is so important in a boarding community.

The International Diagnostic Assessment Test has proven to be a highly efficient tool for admissions, providing rapid results and detailed case monitoring. The ability for parents to conduct admission exams from home has signiﬁcantly streamlined the process. Based on our experience, Colegio Gran Bretaña highly recommends this platform for its reliability and convenience.

Fiorella Rocha Director of Marketing & Community Relations CGB, Columbia

For schools that want to ‘know’ their students before they arrive to study, the IDAT is changing the game.

PROFILE OF STUDENTS TO SUPPORT LEARNING

Avatar conducted interviews for schools to view

Results show how 'ready' a student is for the mainstream classroom

Conducted securely online with video proctoring

Character self-assessment to show motivations, aptitudes and attitudes

Diagnsotics to guide future teaching and learning

FOUR TESTS

TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS & FAMILIES

IDAT

Comprehensive admissions assessments for competitive or inclusive schools to support learning and development.

IDAT FOR IB

Assessment to ascertain if students are prepared for IB rigour at a secondary level.

IDAT CONCISE: ENGLISH & TOTAL TEST

A bespoke product for schools looking for students to ﬁt their scholarship criteria and school values.

IDAT FOR SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS

A concise alternative providing economical and secure ways to assess all incoming students.

Jo and Bill Prior Joint Principals

International College, The King’s School, Canterbury

The annual Culture Fair

The annual Culture Fair at King’s International College is a hugely popular and enjoyable occasion in which we celebrate the diversity of our community. It is a chance for students and staﬀ to show oﬀ what they are proud of in their home culture, learn some words in each other’s language, wear traditional dress or take part in a new game.

Students love trying foods and soft drinks from each other’s home cultures, from Thai soups and Ukrainian dumplings to Uzbek rice dishes and even Scottish IrnBru. Throughout the event there are performances from traditional folk music to modern pop from round the world.

It is a time of immense generosity, as students go to great lengths to prepare their respective stalls. Buying and cooking food in advance, creating displays, and practise their instruments, all with the goal of showing who they are and what makes them feel at home.

Students consistently cite the Culture Fair as one of their most memorable experiences at the International College. At the heart of the event is a message of diversity and the celebration of diﬀerence. It is a time to look beyond political divides and enjoy the variety of the multi-cultural community in which we live.

“

i s a t i m e t o

o k b e y o n d

o l i t i c a l d i v i d e s

n d e n j o y t h e

r i e t y o f t h e

u l t i - c u l t u r a l

m m u n i t y i n

h i c h w e l i v e .

Laura Brookes Head of Boarding Harrogate Ladies’ College

Celebrating diversity and inclusion at Harrogate Ladies’ College

Inclusion is at the heart of boarding at Harrogate Ladies’ College. Inclusion is about ensuring that every pupil feels listened to, valued and respected. We start oﬀ the year with a ‘Where in the world are you sitting’ dinner, where every boarder’s nationality is represented on each table. We mix pupils up and give them the opportunity to learn about all the wonderful nationalities we have at the school.

We have a cultural celebration calendar, which marks important dates such as Orthodox Christmas, Lunar New Year, Nigerian Independent Day, Cinco de Mayo and many more. In the Houses, we have Wellness and Inclusion Prefects, who run activities and act as a supportive network for pupils. We have ‘Book Club’ to help pupils whose first language is not English develop their language proficiency skills, as well as offering them an opportunity to come together for some social time.

One pupil stated why they loved boarding at HLC, which encapsulates our inclusivity and showcases the beneﬁts of inclusion;

“I get an opportunity to make friends from all over the world. I have learned about Austrian dance, I can write my name in Chinese calligraphy and have learned to cook Nigerian food. I feel lucky to be immersed in this cultural diversity, yet we are united in our diversity to create a community that we call home.”

“I feel lucky to be immersed in this cultural diversity, yet we are united in our diversity to create a community that we call home.”

A focus on the role of Inclusion Leads

Much like safeguarding, EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) should be part of every aspect of school life. EDI should be at the heart of strategic planning and decisionmaking at senior leadership level.

In safeguarding, we now see an increasing number of stand-alone DSLs. This is in response to the whole-school nature of the post as well as its everincreasing scope. Despite the similarities between the roles, our work at IELA/BSA Group tells us that very few inclusion leads do this role as their sole area of responsibility. Many are also Houseparents, Heads of Year, subject leads or it is part of their senior management brief as Assistant or Deputy Head. We are also aware of schools where no one holds that speciﬁc responsibility.

People often take on responsibility for EDI because they are advocates for inclusion and belonging. However, they report that the role can feel overwhelming and, at times, lonely depending on the level of support and commitment in the school community.

An inclusion lead’s remit must go beyond organizing and co-ordinating inclusion and diversity events. While these should absolutely be acknowledged and celebrated, there is an inherent risk in only focusing on this. This can feel like a rather tokenistic and surface-level approach. Yet the work of the EDI lead should be so much more than this. It is really about fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging at school and therefore positively impacting the experience of all stakeholders in the school community. This whole-school role should be an attractive proposition for staff thinking about the next step in their career as it is a chance to influence school culture and the wellbeing of students and staff The role of EDI lead should be given prominence in terms of exposure, status and time. A culture shift, systemic changes and sustainable

Gaelle Sullivan Director of Research Inclusion and IELA

improvements cannot rest solely on one person’s effort but needs to be a school wide approach. This means considering policies through an inclusion lens and thinking about how practice reflects school values. One of the key concerns we hear from inclusion leads is about buy-in from staff

They are not necessarily encountering obstinate resistance but sometimes an apathy and a reluctance to get involved and support inclusion initiatives. This could be because of time constraints or the feeling that it is someone else’s responsibility and does not aﬀect them. Yet, much like safeguarding, EDI must be a whole school approach and every member of staﬀ should feel responsible for upholding the school’s inclusive values and culture.

In summary, what does best practice look like? It may not be currently feasible to have a full-time inclusion lead in your school. Nevertheless, the member of staﬀ in post needs to have:

• Passion for the role is ﬁrst and foremost to avoid any risk of tokenism

Suﬃcient time to be both proactive and reactive and to attend regular professional development

• Opportunities to create and join inclusion networks both locally and on a larger scale

• Pupil and staﬀ-facing opportunities

• The freedom to shape inclusion strategy for the school

• Whole-school involvement, including curriculum reviews, pastoral care, cocurricular and boarding

• Active support from Senior Leadership and school Governors.

The work we do at IELA and BSA Group allows schools to have access to a network of like-minded professionals and training courses focusing on inclusive cultures and practices. If you want to discuss how your school would benefit from membership to IELA, please email info@iela.org.uk. There is certainly a strong business case for inclusive organisations. This benefits the whole community. To attract and retain staff and pupils, at a time where uncertainty is rife, schools need to be places of inclusion and belonging. The role of the inclusion lead cannot be underestimated in achieving this.

Sleep to be top of the class

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR STUDENT’S SLEEP

Improving sleep for children and young people, particularly those with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), is crucial given the high prevalence of sleep issues among these groups.

According to research, 40% of children and young people suffer from sleep issues, and this figure increases to over 80% for those with SEND. Addressing these sleep problems can significantly impact their academic attainment and overall wellbeing.

How can improving student’s sleep impact on attainment?

Sleep issues negatively impact on youngsters in a number of ways, including:

• Reducing concentration – students are less alert and focused during lessons

• Increasing hyperactivity Limiting the transfer of learning to long term memory –

• Disruption of hormone production impacting on weight

• Increasing feelings of anxiety

• Poor emotional regulation Lowering the immune system –leading to more illness and absenteeism from school

Left unaddressed sleep issues often become more complex and rarely improve without specialist intervention.

Vicki Beevers is founder and CEO of The Sleep Charity and a former teacher. She explains, “As teachers we are often under pressure to increase attainment and attendance yet give little regard to our student’s sleep.

“What we know from research is that many students have disrupted sleep

patterns that impact negatively on their education. Using a behavioural approach to sleep is incredibly effective at addressing these and can help youngsters to meet their full academic potential. This is why I’m so passionate about empowering young people with sleep education so that they can use simple tools to make a significant difference to their sleep and to their lives.”

It is not just in the classroom that sleep issues impact, they can also impact on the sports ﬁeld.

Research shows that well-rested athletes experience:

• Improved reaction times

• Increased strength and endurance

• Better coordination

• Eﬃcient muscle recovery Reduced risk of injury

The Sleep Charity worked in partnership with number of leading organisations to address sleep issues at scale. The ﬁndings outlined that:

A whole school approach to sleep issues is vitally important

• Staﬀ need access to evidence-based sleep training and to share consistent messages

Sleep Champions are needed in schools to support youngsters with sleep issues

Young people respond well to sleep education and peer support, it reduces feelings of isolation

• Transition plans need to include sleep

• Cultural diﬀerences around sleep need careful consideration

• Students may need support to get their body clocks on track when travelling across time zones

The bedroom environments beneﬁt from a sleep audit – one size doesn’t ﬁt all!

Sam’s Story

Sam was 15 years old and had a long history of sleep issues. Staﬀ sensitively approached the issue and Sam cried at relief of being heard and listened to. His high anxiety levels were linked to his desire to meet his full academic potential.

The resources developed through the charity enabled staﬀ to empower Sam with sleep education. He made some changes to his workspace and sleep space and to his evening routine to align it with his circadian rhythm. Sam’s sleep duration increased by 3.1 hours per night and his overall wellbeing improved signiﬁcantly. Sam exceeded the attainment levels predicted.

“Thank you for supporting me to get the sleep that I needed to be the best version of myself.”

Improving sleep for children and young people, especially those with SEND, is essential for enhancing academic attainment and overall well-being. By implementing educational programs, school-based interventions, personalized support for students with SEND, and collaborating with healthcare professionals, schools can address sleep issues eﬀectively. Prioritizing sleep health can lead to better cognitive function, emotional stability, and physical health, ultimately supporting students’ academic success and quality of life.

The Sleep Charity oﬀer a range of training packages to meet your school’s needs including:

• Boarding School Training

• Sleep Champions Course

Workplace Sleep Ambassadors programme

Visit www.sleepwellacademy.org.uk for further information.

•

BSA MEMBER

IMMIGRATION SUPPORT

The BSA Group Legal team, led by immigration expert and solicitor Kate Hollyer, provides comprehensive UK immigration support for independent schools. As the Legal and Public Aﬀairs Director of the BSA Group and Director of BSA Group Legal Services Ltd, Kate is a key member of the Home Oﬃce Education Advisory Group and represents the boarding sector.

BSA Group Legal oﬀers a full-spectrum immigration support service, including:

• CAS support and full management

• Policy, record-keeping, and reporting guidance

• BCA and CAS allocation advice

• Mock UKVI audits

• Agent and guardian checks

• Financial and pupil eligibility due diligence

• Bespoke immigration training and advice

• Individual student and family visa application assistance

• Home Oﬃce escalation support for issues like replacement BRPs, delayed decisions, ISI compliance, CAS reinstatement, and visa refusals.

With dedicated support from sector specialists, BSA Group Legal helps maintain UKVI compliance, ensuring a smooth start for your international students.

Choose BSA Group Legal for all your school’s immigration needs.

Contact BSA Group Legal legal@bsagroup.org.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)207 798 1583

BSA FellowshipPlay and Creativity in Boarding

It is well-known that over the last two decades leaders in the corporate world have turned to the world of play to improve employee wellbeing, increase team bonding, and enhance their employees’ communication skills. All of this, they have found, has the very positive side-effect of increasing work productivity and creativity within the workplace. It is similarly well-known that play is beneficial for young children’s learning and development. For example, academic studies indicate that introducing play into the primary classroom is associated with children’s concurrent and later mathematics performance in school as well as increases their ability to socialise positively with peers. Although play is still encouraged to varying extents as children grow older, many children move away from unstructured play environments as they begin their senior school years. Unfortunately, there is very little research that focuses on the benefits of unstructured play for older children in educational settings, and this BSA fellowship project allowed me to start addressing this gap in knowledge.

The word ‘play’ in its broadest sense means to engage in an activity for enjoyment rather than for a serious or practical purpose. Play is intensely pleasurable. It energises and enlivens us, eases our burdens, and renews our natural sense of optimism. Play, however, is also a profoundly biological process and lies at the heart of creativity and innovation. Through play, participants literally shape the world in front of them, develop original ideas that have value, build relationships with their environment, and learn methods for solving tricky problems. We need people in society who think creatively, communicate, work well in teams, and are quick to adapt, and studies have shown that both children and adults who engage in playful activities develop all of these qualities.

A full boarding education provides two precious commodities: time and space. My research, therefore, surveyed diﬀerent senior school boarding settings to evaluate how they use their time and space to nurture creativity through play. Speciﬁcally, this research focused on better understanding to what extent unstructured play in senior boarding environments increases pupil wellbeing, enhances pupil voice, and promotes good behaviour and relationships.

I spent the year gathering qualitative and quantitative data from boarding schools across the country. I surveyed boarding pupils in years 7-13 and conducted interviews with pastoral leaders, which resulted in a very good spread of responses. Overall, the results from the survey and in-person conversations indicated that the majority of pupils feel happier and more relaxed when they are able to spend time playing or on activities they enjoy like their hobbies. Almost all pupils engage in activities or hobbies at some point in the week, however, they often felt that there was not enough time in the school day to play, be creative, or spend time on hobbies.

Just over half of the pupils surveyed found that there were barriers to accessing spaces where creativity and unstructured play are encouraged. For example, places were either ‘out of bounds’ during boarding time, or pupils needed a staﬀ member to accompany them. Some also found it hard to know when places were open.

These results were statistically interesting and painted a good picture of how unstructured play and creative pursuits are being encouraged across some quite diﬀerent boarding schools. The survey results were, however, no substitute for visiting the schools to see what excellence and outstanding practice looks like in person. I was blown away by the forward-thinking approaches that diﬀerent schools were taking to promote play and creativity in their boarding spaces.

So, how can we as busy pastoral staﬀ encourage more play and creativity in our boarding spaces?

• Engage with pupils

- All of the schools I visited encouraged play and creativity in different ways. What stood out to me the most, though, was that staff engagement seemed to correlate strongly with pupil engagement. Where creativity seemed to be deeply embedded in the DNA of the school, and where staff modelled play, pupils were also highly creative. For example, where there was an outdoor chess set in the pupils’ common area, there was also a chess set in the staff room. Where there were LEGO models on a Housemaster’s desk, there was also LEGO being built in the common room. Having layered approaches to promoting creativity and getting stuck in was really important for cultivating a culture of play and creativity in and around the boarding House.

- Talk to pupils about the beneﬁts of play and creativity. When I spoke to pupils, they felt that the beneﬁts of play weren’t talked about enough in school. If they realised play would help with work productivity and decreasing stress levels (as we know it does in the corporate world), they said they would be keener to take part in activities.

• Encourage older pupils to run activities and clubs for younger pupils

- Younger pupils said that they were more inclined to get involved if the older years organised the activities/clubs, rather than the teachers.

• Ensure pupils know where and when creative spaces can be accessed. Leave out equipment to encourage play such as swingball and table tennis.

• Have ongoing creative challenges around the boarding House.

• Engage with parents so that they too understand the beneﬁts unstructured play and creativity has on their child’s development.

Researching play and creativity through the support of this BSA Research fellowship opportunity demonstrated that there is enough evidence out there to suggest that we should be encouraging and supporting the role of play in our education system; this is especially so in boarding schools where we have the luxuries of time and space. Pupil and staﬀ responses also appeared to indicate that encouraging unstructured play and creativity in boarding time increases pupil wellbeing, enhances pupil voice, and promotes good behaviour and relationships.

“My research surveyed different senior school boarding settings to evaluate how they use their time and space to nurture creativity through play”

Madeleine Killacky Mathematics Teacher, Downe House

Our specialist team work within independent schools, providing guidance on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, workplace pensions, taxation and other employee benefits.

HOW WE HELP

Whether it’s helping your staff gain a better understanding of their pension arrangements or assisting Governors and Bursars with complex consultation issues, our skill lies in translating the technical jargon into plain English.

Our specialist consultancy services include:

• Teachers’ Pension Scheme consultation (Scotland, England & Wales)

• Presentations to Governors, academic and operational staff

• One-to-one meetings to provide information and guidance

• Retirement and exit strategies

• All annual allowance related calculations

GET IN TOUCH

If we can help you with any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact our dedicated independent schools team on:

Succession Independent Schools

Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) – When to Consider Taking Benefits

Succession Independent Schools aims to help all those with an interest in the TPS to understand the Scheme better and make the best use of the benefits within it. Whether this is helping Governors, SLTs, current, or deferred members of the Scheme, understanding what the Scheme provides is essential to making any decisions relating to the Scheme.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution when considering what pension scheme might be most beneficial for a teacher, or how (and when) those benefits are taken. Individual circumstances can make a significant difference to what might be ‘right’ – what is good for one teacher, may not be the best option or decision for another teacher.

Many teachers look at the ‘Normal Retirement Age’ (NRA) for the Schemes they are in and may only think about taking benefits at (or after) that age. Is that necessarily the best plan? What are the consequences of taking benefits earlier?

A TPS pension is payable for the lifetime of the member (subject to a minimum of five years). If a teacher lives forty years into retirement, they are likely to have reasonable value for the contributions made into the Scheme. However, the contribution may be of less value for a teacher who lives less than ten years.

When TPS benefits are taken earlier than NRA, they are reduced. This is not a penalty; it is an adjustment in consideration of the fact it is likely the benefits will be in payment for longer than the TPS was due to pay benefits for.

Over the last five years, the ‘Actuarial Adjustment’ factors have been significantly improved. Before July 2019, on average, a teacher would receive the same value of benefits from the TPS whether they took benefits early, or at their NRA by the age of around 80. This improved to between 81 and 82 in July 2019 and between 84 and 85 in June 2023. This means that any teacher delaying accessing their TPS benefits until their NRA must live to at least age 84 to receive the same income value from the TPS. If they delay taking benefits until after their NRA, it will take them even longer before they receive the same value.

What needs to be carefully considered is whether you would enjoy more money from retirement

until your mid-80s, rather than more money from your mid-80s onwards? There is no ‘right’, or ‘wrong’ answer to this question, but it is a key starting point to deciding whether to access your benefits early.

You should also note that accessing pension benefits early may impact on levels of retirement income and your entitlement to certain means-tested benefits and is not suitable for everyone. You should seek advice to understand your options at retirement.

There are ways you can access your benefits whether you are still a member of the TPS, or if you have left the Scheme – do not ignore the ‘value’ of those benefits to you, should you decide to take them early.

If you would like any further information or assistance with any aspect of the TPS, please contact us via email at info@successionschools.co.uk or you can call us on 0800 371 643 and we would be delighted to help.

Succession Independent Schools is a trading style of Succession Wealth Management Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Services Register number 588378. Succession Wealth Management Ltd is registered in England at The Apex, Brest Road, Derriford Business Park, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 5FL: Registered Number: 07882611.

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHERS CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF BOARDING IN BSA PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

On Friday June 21, during annual BSA National Boarding Week celebrations, BSA announced the winners and runners-up of its second #iloveboarding themed photography competition.

Member schools were invited to capture boarding life and what it means to them in one photograph, with brilliant results. Entries depicted moments of true friendship as well as unique insights into boarding life.

The competition welcomed submissions in two categories – junior (Year 8 and below) and senior (Year 9 and above).

Congratulations to the following winners and runners-up:

• Junior WINNER: Gabriela DV, Bilton Grange

• Junior runner up: Nari S, Godstowe Prep

• Junior highly commended: Enzo W, Bilton Grange, Thomas C, Felsted School and Charlotte W, Wycombe Abbey

• Senior WINNER: Guanyu C, Felsted School

• Senior runner up: Isabelle OYL, St Edmunds College

• Senior highly commended: Sky P, Wycombe Abbey

The images are a testament to the wonderful enriching experiences, and memories to be made, at boarding schools and we thank the boarding community for participating.

The photography competition is part of the BSA’s BSA Active initiative, designed to celebrate all things boarding and engage boarders in a series of fun activities and competitions. To ﬁnd out more about BSA Active, and any future competitions and events, please visit https://www.boarding.org.uk/bsa-active/

Junior winner - Gabriela DV

Junior runner-up

Nari S -

Senior winner - Guanyn C

Senior runner-up - Isabelle OYL

Godstowe Prep

International Student University Day

BSA and BAISIS are delighted to announce our fifth online university event aimed specifically at international and ex-pat pupils. This FREE event is for international students and the staff who advise them on university entrance. Our international student university day provides the opportunity for international and ex-pat pupils to engage directly with universities in the UK who offer courses and support with international students in mind.

From aspirational pathways like medicine, law and economics to alternative study pathways and career routes that the UK is popular for, the universities involved in this university day will provide advice, guidance and signposting to international students already studying in the UK around the decision-making and application process.

The event addresses feedback from international pupils at BSA schools on their concerns about entering university and is aimed at Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 international students as well as Heads of Careers, HE advisors and Heads of EAL. The day is completely free of charge and schools may send as many members of staﬀ and students as they wish.

Audience - Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 international students; Heads of Careers; HE Advisors; Heads of EAL.

Cost - Full Member – free of charge, Non-member – £470

To book - When booking your place, please give one staﬀ name to secure your spot. Later you will be able to add contact details for as many students and staﬀ as you would like to attend.

art of the BSA Group

To join BAISIS

WEDNESDAY 02

10:00-16:002024 V

Schools and Universities working together to support our international students

Every September, BSA and BAISIS run an International Student University Day bringing together UK universities with international students in British boarding schools and British curriculum schools abroad. This annual event is completely free of charge for our members and is aimed at international students in Years 10-13 and the staﬀ who support them with their university applications, such as Heads of Careers and Heads of EAL. The day oﬀers a wide range of presentations from universities and other providers on topics of interest to international students and was sponsored this year by Password English Language Testing and Avernus Education.

Why is there a need for such an event? It was set up to address feedback from BSA and BAISIS schools and students, who had attended our earlier events on supporting international and expat students as they transition from school to Higher Education. A survey we sent out showed a high level of concern among international students moving from school to university that they would not be able to cope academically.

Other BSA events put on through the year bring together our member schools and UK universities so that they can collaborate on the recruitment of international students and on academic and pastoral strategies to support them once here.

For further information, contact Caroline Nixon

International and Membership Director, BSA Group

In recent years, howeve also found it increasing recruit for non-teachin some cases staﬀ mem oﬀered cash incentives friends or family into d positions.

Boarding Schools are e particularly diﬃcult tim such a variety of roles community that suppo 24/7. This is further co the need for colleague unusual shift patterns.

In partnership with Hay has developed a platfo

will support its membe diﬃculties in recruiting

SCAN

Laura Brain

Senior Commercial Con BSA Group

nsultant

read

about

the diﬃculties

recruiting across

the education sector. s across particular subjects are in the news. Governments in recent ve launched various initiatives to the situation with limited success.

er, schools have gly difficult to ng positions. In bers have been s to help recruit ifficult-to-fill experiencing a me as they have to fill within a orts students mpounded by s to work

ys Plc, the BSA orm, .org.uk, which ers to address the staﬀ

We set three clear objectives when we embarked on the project. The first was cost effectiveness. We have heard from members over the years that the cost of recruiting teaching staff through current channels is very expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Our platform is significantly less expensive than other options and for an annual fixed fee you can advertise for an unlimited number of roles.

The second objective relates to the diﬃculties Boarding Schools have encountered in recruiting for nonteaching roles. Jobsforschools.org.uk therefore enables you to advertise for any role in your organisation.

Our third objectives relates to candidates. No jobs platform is worth its salt if it doesn’t reach a wide range of

high quality candidates. We have therefore partnered with Hays Plc as they have vast reach across 23 specialisms and 67,000 candidates on their education database.

It is understandable that our members are reluctant to move away from their tried and tested recruitment methods, even if they are expensive. We have therefore developed an option which will provide our members with the opportunity to use the platform for a three month trial period which is free of charge. There is no commitment to buy at the end of this period.

If you would like to hear more about our jobs platform, and the three month free trial, please do get in touch with Laura Brain

laura.brain@bsagroup.org.uk

FREEMONTH3 TRIAL

j o b s f o r s c h o o l s . o r g . u k

Schools with growing rolls could consider stand-alone modular buildings to alleviate pressure

TG ESCAPES MODULAR ECO-BUILDINGS WORK WITH GROWING INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE STAND-ALONE BUILDINGS IN THE GROUNDS, FREEING UP AREAS IN THE MAIN SCHOOLS WHICH CAN THEN BE RE-PURPOSED. THEIR NET-ZERO BUILDINGS CAN BE DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE CANTEENS, SPORTS HALLS, PERFORMING ARTS STUDIOS, CHANGING FACILITIES, SEND AND SEMH SPACES, ACCOMMODATION AND OFFICES, AS WELL AS TEACHING SPACE.

The natural, biophilic buildings built on a timber frame also add a distinctive feature to a school setting enhancing the overall appeal to parents. The use of natural materials, provision of natural light and easy access to the outdoors provide students and staff with calming spaces that have been shown to enhance well-being.One recent project is a dining hall for Barfield Prep School which took four months to complete. The use of glass doors and windows running from floor to ceiling brings the outside in. The canteen offers panoramic views across nature and ample natural light, making lunchtimes much more pleasurable for the pupils and staff

The building includes a commercial kitchen with cold and dry stores, a pot wash area, an office, toilet, plant room and an external veranda. The space will also host Barfield’s Upper School pupils for their after-school Prep sessions and Prep snacks, and their match teas after sports fixtures.

Andy Boyle, Barﬁeld School’s Headmaster, said: “Since I joined Barﬁeld School, the need for a dedicated dining hall has been something I have wanted to address. For over 50 years the sports hall doubled up as the place to eat, it was a noisy, chaotic, impractical space with high windows and no views. As our school has almost doubled in size in the past 5 years, we have simply outgrown the current space we have and we were in real need of a purpose-built dining room.

Thanks to TG Escapes we now have a beautifully designed, ecofriendly, functional building for everyone at the school to enjoy and beneﬁt from. I cannot speak highly enough about how professional their team has been. The attention to detail and personal contact has been excellent throughout. We have always dealt with the same people and this has allowed us to build relationships. In addition to having extremely high standards, they have delivered on timings and pretty much within budget – which is unheard of these days!

Having had other developments done recently, we were expecting there to be signiﬁcant disruption to our school day but they have managed to go quietly about their business without impacting on us at all which has been amazing. The new space looks brilliant and will revolutionise our dining experience – not to mention the incredible new kitchens which our catering team cannot wait to get into.”

Kevin Sandhu, COO of the Prep Schools Trust says; “The ﬁnal building is a fantastic addition to the estate and we are all really pleased with the outcome. I’ll be happy to give recommendations to any other clients.”

TG Escapes, a certiﬁed supplier to the Boarding Schools Association, have more case studies showing a variety of buildings for Independent Schools including their award winning English Block at Ratcliﬀe College here tgescapes.co.uk/education/schools/independent-schools.

For more information call 0800 917 7726 or email info@tgescapes.co.uk

ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR HEADS ~

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE ANNUAL BOARDING CONFERENCE FOR HEADS IN HEATHROW ON MAY 7-8.

The event welcomed 165 delegates and guests, 29 chairs and brilliant guest speakers, generous exhibitor support and our glittering array of award winners. A special thank you to our headline sponsor Schoolblazer, IGTM for sponsoring the pre-dinner drinks reception, Moore Barlow for sponsoring the dinner, and to Queenswood School for the fabulous live musical entertainment.

Our congratulations once again to this year’s BSA Boarding Excellent Award Winners.

Save the Date

Next year’s conference will take place at York Racecourse on May 06-07 2025, will be hosted by incoming BSA Chair 2025 and Headmaster, Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Chris Pyle. This two-day conference will bring together leading boarding heads to reﬂect on the beneﬁts of boarding and how to support heads in their leadership roles.

Booking is already open for next year. Click here to reserve your place.

‘Now, more than ever, you need expert & reliable debt recovery guidance’

I have recently written to schools, expressing my concerns with the current market conditions and the announcement of VAT.

Having helped over 700 schools with debt recovery over my 12 years within the ﬁeld, I understand that we now face an unprecedented challenge.

‘The confirmation of VAT is causing panic, confusion and certainly aiding towards a reduction in pupil numbers and enrolments across the board’

Schools of all sizes share these concerns, and some may not survive beyond 2024, which is incredibly distressing.

Managing current and exiting parents’ fee repayments is crucial. Your contractual rights must be upheld and I can oﬀer an array of services without any obligation to continue with my company. You need a transparent and reliable debt collection partner.

If your school struggles with credit control, debt recovery, writing oﬀ fees, you are unhappy with your current debt collection or legal representation, please contact me. It’s crucial to address these issues, and I am here to oﬀer support, with no ongoing obligation.

This summer, I will host online calls to discuss navigating these times. If interested, please contact me at simon@recoverablesolutions.co.uk to register.

Simon Handley Managing Director

RecoverAble Solutions Ltd

The world-famous W i n d s o r C a s t l e h a d some unusual early

m o r n i n g v i s i t o r s

when 15 heads

t u r n e d u p i n f u l l

running gear.

The energetic early risers took time out from BSA’s Annual Conference for Heads and laced up their trainers for a ﬁve-mile ‘Head to the Castle’ run from Heathrow to Windsor Castle.

Upon reaching the castle, runners were rewarded with free hot drinks and pastries from St George’s, Windsor next door.

BSA Director David Walker, who also completed th took part showed they are not just great sch athletes, who can set a quick pace too! We a for providing welcome refreshments and a m conference venue. Following its success, we running route for Heads at our next confere

he run, said: “The Heads who hool leaders but pretty keen re very grateful to St George’s minibus lift back to the look forward to hosting a new nce location!”

FREE EAL RESOURCES

Supporting new arrivals

Do you need free resources to teach English to new arrivals in your school?

ACROSS CULTURES HAS A HUGE NUMBER OF FREE RESOURCES FOR NEW ARRIVALS IN SCHOOLS. WHETHER YOU HAVE A BRANDNEW ARRIVAL WHO DOESN’T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH – OR SEVERAL EAL LEARNERS WHO NEED DIFFERENTIATION IN CLASS – WE’VE GOT A RESOURCE TO HELP.

TAKE A LOOK HERE: FREE RESOURCES

We’ve got:

● Survival language ‘helpers’ – for the most basic, essential language in the classroom

● Text-based resources on a vast range of subjects

● Maths and science resources for new-toEnglish learners

● Parents’ Evening and other checklists for EAL teachers

● Book and language lists for young EAL learners

● Collaborative planning documents for EAL and class teachers

● Holiday projects for older EAL learners

Plus games, activities, ﬂashcards, schemes of work, role-plays, writing frames, and much more!

Use these free resources to

● make your new EAL learners comfortable

● manage their basic needs

● teach them to communicate

● help them make friends

● move them through the curriculum

● ensure they achieve their potential!

Across Cultures also oﬀers the highly successful Learning Village blended EAL programme – see advert for details.

You can also sign up for the free monthly Across Cultures EAL Teaching Newsletter, where you get an EAL-speciﬁc article and a free resource, as well as other news and exciting resources: Sign up here

Learning Village

Do you have learners in your schools who are new to English?

Your learners will bene昀t from the Learning Village!

25,000 active users

The Learning Village is an award-winning EAL programme for schools, designed especially for children who are new to English through to intermediate. It provides learning through images, making it perfect for learners of any language background.

50 countries

1000+ schools

The comprehensive online programme teaches learners aged 6-11 years (in The Village) and 12-16 years (in The Islands). It’s backed up by oine, teacher-supported learning. Assessment and analysis make it easy for teachers to monitor progress.

The Learning Village is an exciting and stimulating world for new English speakers! With multi-player games, customised pathways through a vibrant online environment, and fantastic rewards and competitions, the programme has produced excellent results in schools in the UK and around the world.

The Learning Village teaches:It offers:

everyday survival language from beginner through to intermediate

phonics, including the 昀rst 2,000 high-frequency words

subject-speci昀c, academic and technical language for the curriculum

20,000+ words and phrases, for speaking, listening, reading and writing, in 2,000+ lessons

excellent support for SEND and low-level literacy learners

techniques to help learners support themselves

Interested in 昀nding out more?

Winners of the BSA Supporting Excellence Awards 2024

The winners of BSA’s 2024 Supporting Excellence Awards were unveiled at the Annual Conference for Heads by after-dinner speaker, Irfan Latif, Head, DLD College on the evening of May 7, 2024.

First held in 2018, and now in its seventh year, the BSA Awards celebrate the achievements, hard work, and dedication of schools and individuals within the boarding sector.

With over 160 submissions across 14 categories, judges were delighted to see a huge variety of entries across the boarding community, and we thank all those who took the time to enter this year.

Three new award categories were introduced this year with great success. The ﬁrst being the Sustainability in Boarding Award won by Sherborne Girls who presented a strong entry demonstrating the impact of appointing an Ecology, Sustainability and Conservation Ambassador and the impressive evidence of students taking an active lead in environmental action.

The second category newly introduced for 2024 is the Supporting International Boarders Award for Guardians and Agents. This award recognises an agent or guardian who has gone above and beyond to support international boarders. The Guardian Family Network were presented this award for a wonderful series of case studies demonstrating a hard-working team going above and beyond to care for students.

The Emma Pattison Award for Compassionate Leadership is the third new category in this year’s award line-up, introduced in memory of former Epsom College Head, Emma Pattison. This special award recognises an individual who consistently embodies compassion and kindness within their leadership role and someone who fosters trust, contributes to team morale and makes a meaningful and positive impact on those around them.

BSA were delighted to present Portia Putatunda, founder of the Planet Spiti Boarding School in a remote area of the Himalayas with this award. Judges said “Portia could be described as the ‘Mother Theresa’ of compassionate leadership in boarding. In running every aspect of a free boarding school for young children high in the Himalayas, Portia is embodying so many things, of which compassion is a shining characteristic. Her example is humbling and inspiring in equal measure.”

David Walker, Director, BSA said: “Our annual awards allow us such a fantastic opportunity to support excellence in our boarding community and celebrate unwavering boarding staﬀ commitment and everything they do to support boarders.

“I am delighted to see another excellent response to our awards this year and our judging panel have once again been hugely impressed by the standard of entries – selecting winners was certainly no easy task!

“Hearty congratulations once again to all those shortlisted this year. And special thanks to this year’s award sponsors for their support.”

GUEST FOUNDER OF BOARDING SCH NEW EMMA PATTI COMPASSIONAT

Portia Putatunda, founder of the Planet Spiti Boarding School in a remote part of the Himalayas, was announced the ﬁrst winner of BSA’s wonderful new Emma Pattison Award for Compassionate Leadership during the BSA Supporting Excellence Awards ceremony.

The Emma Pattison Award for Compassionate Leadership has been introduced for 2024 in memory of former Epsom College Head, Emma Pattison, and recognises an individual who consistently embodies compassion and kindness within their leadership role. The award exempliﬁes a person who fosters trust, contributes to team morale and makes a meaningful and positive impact on those around them.

Judges said: “Portia could be described as the ‘Mother Theresa’ of

F HIMALAYAN HOOL WINS THE ISON AWARD FOR TE LEADERSHIP

compassionate leadership in boarding. In running every aspect of a free boarding school for young children high in the Himalayas, Portia is embodying so many things, of which compassion is a shining characteristic. Her example is humbling and inspiring in equal measure.”

In a moving video recorded for the ceremony, Portia said “I am truly honoured to accept the Emma Pattison Award for Compassionate Leadership. Thank you for much for the entire Boarding School’s Association community for this huge recognition. Let’s keep Emma’s spirit alive in kindness and compassion leadership and make a positive impact on this world.”

In addition to Portia’s award, BSA was delighted to present Planet Spiti Boarding School with an Honorary Membership this year.

THE WINNERS AND HIGHLY COMMENDED FINALISTS FROM THIS YEAR’S BSA SUPPORTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS ARE:

Best Community Work via BSA ‘On Board’ Initiative Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: St Leonards

Boarding House Extension or Refurbishment Award (sponsored by Witley Jones)

WINNER: Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate

Boarding Innovation Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Port Regis

*NEW* Sustainability in Boarding Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Sherborne Girls

Wellbeing & Mental Health (sponsored by Schoolblaze

WINNER: Trent College

Supporting Junior Boarders (sponsored by Schoolblaze

WINNER: Godstowe Prep Sc

Supporting International B (sponsored by Password)

WINNER: Wycombe Abbey S

*NEW* Supporting Interna – Guardians and Agents (sp WINNER: The Guardian Fam

Initiative Award

r) s Award

chool

Boarders Award

School, Changzhou

tional Boarders Award

ponsored by Password)

mily Network LTD

International School of the Year Award (sponsored by i-DAT)

WINNER: The International School, Bangalore (TISB)

Belonging and Inclusion Initiative Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Perrott Hill

Best New Artwork Project (sponsored by Shelleys the Printers)

WINNER: Gordonstoun (Ruby Mitcham, Year 11)

Khadija Saye Photography Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Malvern College

*NEW* Emma Pattison Award for Compassionate Leadership (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Portia Putatunda, Planet Spiti Boarding School, Himalayas

Stephen Winkley Award (sponsored by Schoolblazer)

WINNER: Sarah Gomm, Oakham School

GUEST Meeting parent e with ﬂexi-boa

While boarding was the default option at many independent schools 40 or 50 years ago, it is now more likely to be a conscious choice for parents and children. Just as educational experiences in and out of the classroom have changed so much since I became a teacher in the early 1990s, the attitudes and expectations of parents are diﬀerent.

While informed parents can often see the advantages of boarding for their children, they expect to play a larger part in their child’s school experience. Boarding is much less likely to be a binary option and parents are looking for a school experience that ﬁts in with their family life.

Modern boarding is necessarily more ﬂexible, especially with younger children and many more young boarders live within an hour of their home. Flexi-boarding allows children to live both at school and home: to make the

Rob Taylor Headmaster, Cargilﬁeld School

“

evolved –

and generally to suit the families who attend them.

“ Like so many aspects of wider society over the last 40 or 50 years, boarding schools have

expectations rding

of what school can oﬀer while still in touch with their families. Flexing can support busy families where arents might be working long hours the week – enjoying what is going on at rather than waiting for parents to home; busy with their friends rather pending more time travelling to and chool; even allowing for a little more bed in a morning rather than battling a ommute.

oarding can also help children to p greater independence and ence. Establishing routines away from and interacting with a wider range of n and adults can be a fantastic tunity to ready a child for the move to school or university.

that ﬂexibility, routine remains an ant part of boarding school life. My recommendation is that ﬂexible ng should happen on the same night or

nights each week. Children should get used to sharing a dormitory or room with the same friends and managed by the same adults. Flexi-boarding is about becoming part of another family and is never as successful if it is seen as convenient babysitting that suits parents rather than the child.

Having managed a senior boarding house and a full boarding prep school earlier in my career, I am delighted that I no longer have to sell the commitment of full boarding. Indeed, here at Cargilﬁeld, we’ll often encourage

children to start with just one night or two per week. Flexible boarding is an easier decision and, like so many decisions at school nowadays, can be driven by the children.

As Headmaster at Cargilfield, I love the home away from home feel within our boarding hub – either from Monday through to Friday or for occasional boarding experiences at the weekends. In supporting family logistics and the emotional growth of our children, this flexible offering is unique in Edinburgh’s day and boarding landscape.

In a world where nearly everyone owns a smartphone, with 91% of UK children owning one by age 11, it’s clear technology is a huge part of our lives. However, while smartphones offer benefits, they can also hinder our ability to fully experience the world around us, especially during a school expedition.

STAY PRESENT IN THE MOMENT

On a school expedition, phones can be more of a distraction than a tool, drawing students away from the experiences right in front of them. That’s why many schools discourage their use. These trips are a rare opportunity to disconnect from social media and constant communication, allowing students to immerse themselves in the local culture. Stuart Morris, World Challenge Global Operations & Product Director, highlights that “a phone can be a comforter that acts as a barrier” to new experiences. Staying unplugged helps students embrace the sounds, smells, and sights of their environment, oﬀering a deeper connection to the places they visit.

A TOUGH BUT REWARDING CHALLENGE

For some students, leaving their phones behind feels challenging. Frederick Morgan, who travelled to Malaysia, described it as “one diﬀicult element” of the trip, but also a rewarding one. Without his phone, he was able to dive deeper into the Malaysian culture and returned with a new appreciation for life without constant digital distractions.

Similarly, Alison Crighton, who journeyed to Madagascar, noticed the beneﬁts of a phone-free expedition. “More than anything, I was able to observe and appreciate my surroundings,” she said. Being fully present allowed her to connect more with the local community and the people she met along the way.

PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF UNPLUGGING

Beyond the mental and emotional beneﬁts, leaving your phone at home can prevent hefty roaming charges and avoid the risk of damaging your device during physically demanding parts of the trip. If you prefer to use your phone for photos, consider removing the SIM card to stay disconnected but still capture the memories. And if you usually listen to music during downtime, try bringing a book instead.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAN WAIT

It’s tempting to share every moment of your adventure on social media, but there’s value in waiting. Stuart suggests taking photos and journaling instead of posting in real-time. “Post about your trip afterward, in a more considered way,” he recommends, as social media can heighten homesickness and detract from the experience.

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY

Ready to fully immerse yourself in a transformative experience? Disconnect from your phone, dive into new cultures, and create lasting memories free from the distractions of the digital world. Join us for an unforgettable journey where you’ll bond with peers, challenge yourself, and explore the world without the need for constant online connection.

The importance of recalibration

and reflective

Sam Coope Head of Boa Gordon’s Sc

practice 3

er arding and Year 7 Houseparent

When I became a houseparent, I would like to have known that, essentially, you are often building a castle on shifting sands.

In my previous role, alongside running a mixed sixth form boarding house, I taught A-level Film studies. Analysing an interview with director Matt Ross on his ﬁlm Captain

Fantastic, he stated that, much like his character Ben, he was not prepared for the challenges that parenting presented him with and that it demanded a “weekly, if not daily recalibration of your views on the world”.

During the past ﬁve to six years in the world of boarding, we have been presented with political, social and technological changes that have altered what we may have previously taken for granted in children in our care, as well as trends in parenting. What young people value, alongside a burgeoning dependency on technology as a means of entertainment (and sometimes parenting) have forced a weekly, if not daily, recalibration and reconsideration of how we houseparent.

What I wish I knew when I started in boarding is that listening to the students is an important part of our job, but not as important as considering what they tell us, as professional adults. To ‘recalibrate’ and successfully parent young people away from home, there is a need for reflective practice, listening to students and exploring where and how they have developed their opinions and ideas. A one-size fits all model is seemingly less effective and yet completely individualised care can lead to compromising core values.

Elevate Your School's Digital Presence with HEM Education Marketing Solutions

At HEM, we understand the unique challenges boarding schools face in reaching and engaging parents. As your all-in-one digital marketing partner, we specialize in crafting customized strategies that resonate with your target audience.

Our Services Include:

•Inbound Marketing

•Social Media Marketing

•SEO & PPC

•Web Analytics

•Branding & Web Development

•Email Marketing

•Increase International Reach

•Custom ChatGPT Solutions

•Mautic by HEM: a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform tailored for the education sector.

•Student Portal: an all-in-one platform designed to streamline admissions and student information management for educational institutions. Our software solutions:

Why Choose Us?

With over a decade of experience, HEM is the trusted digital marketing partner for educational institutions looking to expand their reach and impact.

Ready to transform your school's digital marketing strategy?

5 Proven Education Marketing Strategies to Increase Student Enrollment

As an educational institution looking to thrive and grow, increasing student enrollment is likely a top priority. The signi昀cance of robust enrollment numbers extends beyond 昀lling seats as it impacts the institution’s 昀nancial health, reputation, and ability to o昀er diverse and dynamic programs. Here are 昀ve key strategies that can help your school increase student enrollment:

Strategy 1: Enhance Online Presence

Strategy 3: Leverage Alumni Networks

Alumni networks are a powerful yet often underutilized resource for increasing student enrollment. Alumni can serve as ambassadors, mentors, and testimonials, providing prospective students with genuine insights and success stories that resonate. By strategically leveraging alumni networks through digital marketing e昀orts, schools can create a compelling narrative highlighting the long-term value of their educational o昀erings.

Strategy 2: O昀er Competitive Financial Aid and Scholarships

Financial aid and scholarships can be powerful incentives for prospective students. Clearly outline available 昀nancial support on your website and promote these opportunities through social media and email campaigns. Highlight success stories of students who have bene昀ted from these programs to demonstrate your commitment to making education accessible.

Strategy 4: Utilize Data-Driven Marketing

Collect and analyze data from your website, social media, and email campaigns to understand prospective students’ preferences and behaviors. Use this information to create targeted marketing campaigns. Segment your audience and personalize your communications to increase engagement and conversion rates.

Strategy 5: Enhance Student Experience

Current students are your best marketing tool. Ensure they have a positive experience by providing robust academic support, extracurricular activities, and modern facilities. Showcase these aspects through virtual tours, testimonials, and real-time updates on social media. Highlight your commitment to student well-being with comprehensive support services and wellness programs.

By implementing these strategies, schools can create a compelling narrative that attracts prospective students and fosters a loyal and engaged community. Prioritize innovation, engagement, and student-centered approaches to stand out in the competitive educational landscape!

For expert guidance and personalized strategies to boost your student enrollment, explore our digital marketing services at HEM Education Marketing Solutions.

Navigating the ever-changing boarding environment

Mark Johnson

Assistant Head of School House, Teacher of Product Design & Engineering, Teacher in Charge - Charities, Shooting & DofE Canoeing Abingdon School

“The unexpected will happen, and often. You can plan for things all day long but having the flexibility to change your plan at the drop of a hat is crucial.”

THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIFE ARE EASILY BLURRED IN BOARDING; YOU LIVE IN THE HOUSE, YOU WORK IN THE HOUSE, AND YOU EAT IN THE HOUSE; REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT.

KING IN BOARDING

Making sure that you set clear boundaries in your life will help things to run more smoothly. You should have clear expectations of what you want to achieve and by understanding, aligning with and promoting the school’s policies, procedures and expectations and knowing what is expected of you will help you to navigate your role more eﬀectively.

Try to build strong relationships early on. You may well be the only person in school that a student feels they can talk to. Building an early rapport will help to make it easier to support and guide them eﬀectively and sympathetically. The dynamic and ever-changing environment of a boarding school not only requires careful planning and prioritisation but also knowing when to say to no. Boarding is a close-knit community so knowing when to be a team player and stepping up will enhance the experience for everyone, but this may not always be appropriate. The unexpected will happen, and often. You can plan for things all day long but having the ﬂexibility to change your plan at the drop of a hat is crucial.

Don’t forget cultural sensitivities. Your students will have diverse backgrounds, understanding this and being sympathetic to their needs can foster a more inclusive and supportive environment.

There are going to be times when you will feel burnt out. Making self-care a priority will help with the demands of boarding life and support your physical and mental wellbeing.

Finally, remember that there is a vast array of professional development opportunities available to you, particularly those on oﬀer by the BSA!

A UNIQUE JOURNEY: RAISING CHILDREN IN A BOARDING SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

“Raising my girls in boarding has been a journey like no other.”

Emilie Le Barth

Houseparent Seaford College

I’M EMILIE, AND FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS I’VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING A HOUSE PARENT IN THE GIRLS’ BOARDING HOUSE AT SEAFORD COLLEGE IN WEST SUSSEX. IF YOU’D TOLD ME A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT I WAS GOING TO BRING UP MY TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS ALONGSIDE 37 TEENAGE GIRLS, I’D HAVE SAID IT WOULD NEVER WORK.

However, I have loved every minute of it. I’ve watched many young students grow and ﬂourish in our vibrant and busy boarding house alongside my two beautiful daughters, Elodie, who is 3, and Estelle, who is 18 months.

Raising my girls in boarding has been a journey like no other. Elodie and Estelle interact daily with the older children, picking up invaluable social skills and becoming more independent.

For the boarders, having little ones around brings a sense of normality and comfort. It’s amazing to see how the older girls take on nurturing roles, often easing their own homesickness by caring for my daughters. It makes me smile watching the boarders play hide and seek with them or teaching Elodie how to use a hockey stick. The students develop leadership and caregiving skills that will serve them well in life.

It has been a journey ﬁlled with joy, growth and learning. It’s a role I cherish deeply, and I’m excited to continue witnessing the remarkable growth and development of all the children in my care.

HOW DO INSURERS WORK OUT MY SCHOOL’S RISK PROFILE?

Have you ever wondered how your insurer works out the cost of your premiums? Emma Butcher, Head of Education at Towergate Insurance, recently joined our partners at Pearson Webb Consulting on The Safer Schools Podcast to discuss just what goes into an independent school’s risk profile.

WHAT’S IN A RISK PROFILE?

When you’re looking to take out a policy, you’ll be asked a whole host of questions, the answers of which form what’s known as your risk profile. Insurers then use this risk profile to understand your risk and exposures and to calculate your premiums.

Emma goes through the key categories insurers are interested in when deciding a school’s risk profile, namely:

- The type of school – day school or boarding, etc

- Pupil demographics – including age and gender

- Risk information – construction, fire and security details and sums insured

- Risk Management Information – details of policies, procedures and protections in place such as H&S, Fire Risk Assessments and Safeguarding

- Overview of activities including Out-of-hours operations

– nursery provision, wrap around care, extracurricular classes and external hires

- High-value items on and off site, e.g. fine art, machinery and plant, musical instruments and sporting equipment

- Claims information – details of any past or ongoing claims

Together, all this information adds up to be your risk profile.

IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE PERSON JOB

Remember, while obtaining the above information can seem daunting it isn’t up to one person to collect.

“You’re going to need to involve the right people in this process,” Emma says. That means instead of chasing all the answers yourself, make sure you involve all of the relevant parties around the school to collate and review this information, such as Estates.

Don’t be afraid of leaning on your broker, either – that’s what they’re there for. “Throw it all across to your broker,” Emma recommends. “Let them do the leg work for you.”

Our partners at Pearson Webb Consulting Ltd are experts in the provision of risk assessments and health and safety assessments and training. Simply call 01438 739626 or email education@towergate.co.uk to find out more.

A passion for working in residential education – a

career unlike any other

Julianne Pennycook Housemistress

St Leonards School

St Andrews

Julianne loves inﬂuencing and learning from the students in her house, which is coeducational for boarders aged 10-16. “In teaching you get the opportunity to impart knowledge, but in boarding you truly get to know and be part of students’ lives. It should never be underestimated the knowledge they can give to you. Learning about their cultures, traditions and perspectives is equally as important as supporting them to grow as individuals.”

Her favourite time is the Summer Term, when activities take place outside: “Accessing our local beaches, evenings on the golf courses or toasting marshmallows on long summer nights are just some of the highlights in boarding,” she explains.

Winning the BSA award for Boarding Research was well-deserved recognition for Julianne, who completed her Masters in Residential Education whilst working fulltime in boarding and being a mother to her own six children. “To win the BSA award was hugely validating. I love everything about boarding, working with young people from all over the world as they develop and make lifelong friends. It’s a career unlike any other.”

“I was a pastoral deputy became available in boar chance and have nev

y and when a position rding, I jumped at the ver looked back.”

1. COMPASSION AND EMPATHY:

A great houseparent must have a genuine care and concern for the well-being of those under their supervision. Compassion allows them to understand and empathise with the challenges faced by boarders, helping establish a strong bond and trust.

GUEST What m great hou

BEING A HOUSEPARENT IS A CHALLEN IT REQUIRES INDIVIDUALS WHO POS QUALITIES TO EXCEL IN PROVIDING A N THEY CARE FOR. BUT WHAT EXACTL

2. PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING:

Being patient is crucial for a houseparent. They must possess the ability to understand that each child or individual has their own unique background, experiences, and behaviours. Patience allows them to approach situations calmly, guiding and supporting rather than resorting to impulsive reactions.

3. COMMUNICA LISTENING S Eﬀective com cornerstone o houseparent. clearly expres expectations, helps mainta open environ important is t listening. Hou be able to list and show gen the concerns of those they

BOAR

Kevin Per Head of Boarding

St Hugh’s, O

rry-Evans and Houseparent Oxfordshire

makes a separent?

NGING YET HIGHLY REWARDING ROLE. SSESS A UNIQUE SET OF SKILLS AND NURTURING ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE LY MAKES A GREAT HOUSEPARENT?

ATION AND SKILLS:

mmunication is a of a great . The ability to ss thoughts, and boundaries in a healthy and nment. Equally the skill of active useparents must ten attentively nuine interest in and aspirations care for.

4. CONSISTENCY AND STRUCTURE:

Consistency and structure are pillars in providing a stable and secure environment for individuals. Great houseparents establish and maintain consistent rules, routines, and expectations, fostering a sense of security and predictability that is vital for growth and development.

5. FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY:

Every day as a houseparent can present unexpected challenges and circumstances. Adapting quickly to change is essential. A great houseparent should be ﬂexible, open-minded, and able to think on their feet, ﬁnding creative solutions to problems and adjusting their approach as needed.

RDING

CONFERENCE

VENUE:

WELLINGTON COLLEGE PREP

SANDHURST

BERKSHIRE

TUESDAY 03

DECEMBER 09:00-16:30

Prep Boarding Conference

Course outline

Our brand new conference brings together prep schools and aims to share updates on current prep boarding issues from key members of the BSA team and external expert speakers, as well as giving networking opportunities with other colleagues working in boarding. The conference is suitable for anyone in a boarding role, and traditionally has a good mix of both school leaders and other boarding practitioners.

Being a great houseparent demands a combination of all of the above and more, it is a position that no job description can fully prepare you for as the best houseparents will always go above and beyond their duties and hours. It is a challenging but incredibly fulfilling role that makes a significant difference in the lives of those they care for.

“

THE INSTITUTE OF BOARDING Part of the BSA Group

ANNUAL BOARDING CONFERENCE

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE ANNUAL BOARDING CONFERENCE IN HEATHROW ON JUNE 4-5.

The theme of this year’s two-day conference was “FutureProof Your Boarding” and welcomed 120 delegates and 18 exhibitors, along with excellent guest speakers. A special thank you to Chris Wheeler, Conference Chair 2024, Chair, TIOB and Principal, Monkton Combe School.

Part of the BSA Group

New date for 2025

The BSA’s Annual Boarding Conference has now been running as a key face-to-face conference for boarding house staﬀ for many years. Many delegates may recognise the event as a key date in their busy summer term diaries, but in fact it was the pandemic which diverted BSA’s conference schedule.

Prior to 2020, the conference took place in the spring term at a time when boarding house staff calendars are more flexible, and not overspilling with end of year demands and school summer activities. Those who joined us in Bristol in 2020 may recall our Deputy Heads and Heads of Boarding conference running at the same time the first mention of ‘coronavirus’ hit our national press.

BSA, and now TIOB, services and opportunities are designed to support and complement life in our member schools. We are aware that many members struggle to spend two days oﬀ-site in June. As such, for the 2024-25 academic year, BSA is moving the conference back to a spring term ﬁxture for the foreseeable.

This year’s event will take place on January 28-29, 2025 at Crowne Plaza Nottingham. We hope you will join us for another excellent two-day conference designed to celebrate the sector and support our BSA community of boarding house staﬀ

Bookings are already open for next year. If you’d like to reserve your place for 2025 Annual Boarding Conference, please email bsa@boarding.org.uk

Refection on life in boarding

Mrs Areti Bizior Head, Luckley House School

On Tuesday June 4, during BSA/TIOB’s Annual Boarding Conference, I had the honour of addressing the gathering. As we enjoyed a delightful meal together, I was reminded of the incredible journey we shared throughout the conference. David Walker, Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB, had asked for warmth, aﬃrmation, and brevity - three qualities I aimed to bring to my speech as we reﬂected on the essence of boarding school life.

The conference focused on futureproofing our boarding schools, offering invaluable insights and advice. Yet, amid the headlines of elections and VAT issues flooding our feeds, it was vital that we paused to celebrate our collective experiences and shared a few moments of joy and laughter together.

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a rejuvenating half-term break in Zakynthos. The days were filled with sunshine and gentle waves, while evenings came alive with lively tavernas. Returning home to my boarding school, I was greeted by a scene that encapsulated the essence of our community - a meticulously maintained playing field buzzing with laughter and camaraderie as boarders reunited after a brief separation. It was a poignant reminder of why I felt so blessed to work in a boarding school setting, even if Zakynthos lacked such institutions, our beloved Wokingham would suffice! Working in boarding schools presents us with unique adventures and daily

challenges. From navigating homework crises to comforting homesick students and managing unexpected ﬁre drills, we juggled roles with grace, often hiding our internal chaos behind a composed exterior. Having served in leadership roles across four boarding schools, I came to appreciate the dedication and resilience of our boarding staﬀ - the unsung heroes who ensured everything ran smoothly.

Central to our boarding school experience was the sense of community we foster as we become a second family for our students, oﬀering support and guidance while learning from them in return. Together, we upheld cherished traditions and created lasting memories, from chaotic talent shows to legendary midnight feasts.

Reﬂecting on our roles, I had reached out to colleagues for their memorable anecdotes - stories of unexpected challenges and heartwarming moments when former students returned, grateful for the impact we had on their lives. These anecdotes illustrated the vibrant tapestry of boarding school life.

In closing, I extended my deepest gratitude to each of you for your dedication, resilience, and passion. It was an honour to work alongside such extraordinary colleagues, and I looked forward to the adventures that lay ahead. Here’s to the spirit of boarding schools - may it continue to inspire and enrich lives for years to come.

Educational visits: are you meeting Your legal and compliance requirements?

Risk assessment, safeguarding and compliance are essential components of running a school and taking care of children and young people. You know what these mean in your school setting and how to keep your staﬀ and students safe. But what about when children are oﬀ-site on visits, residentials, co-curricular activities and sporting events? Have you considered that routine and regular events such as going out to eat or social activities on evenings and weekends are also trips – and could be considered as such by authorities?

Need to know: have you got the basics in place?

1. As a minimum, each school should have a policy and process in place for planning and approving educational visits which is in line with National Guidance – free to access online at oeapng.info. ISI requires schools to follow DfE guidance, which recognises National Guidance on educational visits.

2. The school should appoint an Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) to oversee the organisation, risk assessment and planning of educational visits. The EVC will check and pass trip documents to the Head/Principal, who will conduct their own review and grant or decline approval for the visit.

3. The DfE recommends that schools work with a competent Educational Visits Adviser/Outdoor Education Adviser to ensure they are following National Guidance and good practice.

4. Schools should ensure their EVC and Visit Leaders are appropriately trained to undertake their roles and have access to competent advice.

Checking and approving visits

When reviewing visit plans and risk assessments for approval, both the EVC and Head should ensure all aspects have been considered and appropriately assessed. As an aide memoir, we use the acronym STAGED to structure this checking process.

S is for staﬃng:

• Do you have suﬃcient and suitably competent staﬀ?

• What is your staﬀ contingency plan?

T is for transport:

• Do you have (enough) qualiﬁed drivers?

• Are you using an appropriate provider?

A is for activity:

• Is this provider-led (do they hold an LOtC Quality Badge?) Are staﬀ appropriately qualiﬁed and trained if school-led?

G is for group:

• Have the behaviour, medical, educational, emotional needs of students and staﬀ been considered? Group dynamics and rooming?

E is for environment:

• Urban or rural? Season?

• Is this near water or in challenging terrain?

D is for distance:

• How accessible for the emergency services are you and therefore, how far are you from help?

This list is not exhaustive but provides a framework for guiding your thinking and approval decisions. For an informal and conﬁdential discussion about your current educational visits provision and whether it is compliant with the relevant guidance, please feel free to contact me: jake@evolveadvice.co.uk

Further training and resources: Webinar - Educational visits: risks and requirements for senior leaders in boarding schools. 26 September. Booking via the BSA website.

• EVC training - recommended frequency, 3 yearly.

https://events.evolveadvice.co.uk

• Self-directed e-learning for Heads and SLT.

https://www.evolveadvice.co.uk/lea dership-elearning

About EVOLVE Advice

At EVOLVE Advice, we work with educational settings, including independent day and boarding schools, to provide advice, guidance and training on managing educational visits. We support our schools to meet their speciﬁc inspection and regulatory requirements, as well as national legislation and National Guidance.

Jake Wiid, Director and Educational Visits Adviser at EVOLVE Advice, outlines the key requirements for all schools, including boarding schools, related to educational visits and co-curricular activities.

Nurturing Minds and The Vital Role Programmes

I wonder if I could ask you to consider the one fundamental area that is essential in supporting a thriving independent boarding school. Surely a broad and challenging curriculum, led by inspiring teachers to promote academic excellence? How about exciting and enriching co-curricular provision, providing a dazzling and diverse array of opportunities in sport, music and drama? Or could it be ﬁrst-rate pastoral care, where the entire school community collaborates in ensuring the emotional and physical wellbeing of pupils? Whilst all of these areas are of course invaluable, I hope that you would agree that the happiness and safety of the children in our care is of foundational importance, the quality of their wellbeing extending into every aspect of their school lives.

THE EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE

It has always been hard to be a young person but growing up in the 21st Century confronts our children with a particular set of daunting challenges. These include the glaring lens of relentless social media feeds, with the emotional burdens of ‘always on’ connectivity, commentary and unprecedented selfcomparison to peers. Add to this the existential worries of climate change, perpetual wars and global pandemics. Environmental concerns are compounded by the rapid pace of technological change, where more than half of children entering primary school

Director of Drama, Head

Mental Health Lea

SCHOOL, SOMERSET

d Fostering Futures:

e of Wellbeing s in Schools

today will end up working in completely new jobs that don’t yet exist. All of these psychological pressures unsurprisingly result in some sobering statistics that appear to be getting worse: we see that, in July 2021, 1 in 6 children aged 5 to 16 was identified as having a probable mental health problem, a huge increase from 1 in 9 in 2017 (youngminds.org). So, with seemingly five children in every classroom affected, many boarding schools have begun to adapt with proactive pastoral interventions, such as introducing comprehensive and meaningful wellbeing programmes.

NURTURING THE WHOLE CHILD

Wellbeing is defined as the “state of being comfortable, healthy and happy” (Oxford Dictionary) and arguably should be at the foundation of all pupil experience. A rich and meaningful wellbeing strategy can help support positive mental health and nurture the whole child, creating a solid foundation to help them thrive across their whole school experience. Educational research agrees that these programmes are one of the most effective ways to support our young people (European Commission, 2022) and can yield profound benefits. These include reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing emotional intelligence, increasing motivation and engagement and crucially, teaching our children how to develop resilience. Through this process, schools can help prevent mental health issues, encourage

better physical health and prepare pupils for future success. The beneﬁts of these programmes lay the foundations to help children manage their complex lives in a busy boarding school; these strong roots then grow wide branches that will extend into their broader lives, and beyond into the future.

WELLBEING AT WELLS

Here at Wells we have reﬂected on these issues and have made wellbeing a major focus for the school. We created a Wellbeing Fund to resource wellbeing spaces in the school as well as signing up to the Wellbeing Hub from the organisation Teen Tips, making a range of online resources available to all. The entire school community then collaborated on developing over 100 new initiatives for pupils, staﬀ and parents; including a weekly wellbeing tracker, a mindfulness scheme and a new addition to the curriculum entitled Mind, Body and Voice. Pupil voice was essential in developing these initiatives, and so we formed a School Council and Inclusivity Committee made up of children from throughout the year groups, as well as appointing Wellbeing Captains in the Sixth Form.

We have also become national pioneers of the proactive pastoral tracking programme STEER, a 15-minute assessment taken by pupils three times a year, which analyses patterns and trends in their mental health. A recent Lancet report on STEER stated that the benefits of such a tool allow educators to anticipate mental health risks earlier and enable institutions to obtain data on the impact of their school culture on social-emotional development. Recently, we have also introduced Wellbeing Wednesday presentations which are delivered by tutors to all pupils in the school, covering such topics as Managing Emotions, Healthy Lifestyle Choices and Developing a Growth Mindset. To ensure we fulfilled our overall aim of developing a robust and comprehensive Wellbeing programme, we entered into a rigorous 12-month process called The Wellbeing Award (accredited by Optimus Education in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau), which we were delighted to achieve this year. The final report pleasingly affirmed our efforts, commenting that: “The school’s wellbeing initiatives stand out for their clarity of purpose and tangible impact. Driven by a genuine desire to see children thrive, these initiatives lay a strong foundation for pupils’ future lives.”

THRIVE TODAY AND TOMORROW

In today’s rapidly evolving world, never before have our young people needed more support in their educational journeys. Success here is no longer solely deﬁned by academic aptitude or wider talents; it also hinges on skills such as creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience.

Wellbeing programmes equip children with these essential 21st-century human skills, ensuring they are not only prepared for the challenges of today but also poised to thrive in the unknowable world of tomorrow. My wish for the future is that boarding schools can forge collaborative networks to share best practices for developing these initiatives, using researchinformed evidence and direct experience to discuss and evaluate how we can all nurture the whole child.

“

In a world tha young peop unprecede of enviro technolog psychologica equipping our the resources navigate their complex lives h more im

“

“at presents our ple with an ented scale nmental, gical and al challenges, children with s and tools to r increasingly has never been mportant.

WE MAKE . TRANSPORT

School transport has moved on. Join us.

Vectare provides innovative school transport management services, blending paperless technology and transport expertise to revolutionise school transport.

Our award-winning online booking system replaces paper, alongside a DriverApp which facilitates live pupil registration and vehicle tracking. We supply software, consultancy and outsourced transport management for home-to-school runs, private hire and taxi trips.

National Boarding

MONDAY: HOUSE STEP CHALLENGE

TUESDAY: SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS

Monkton Combe School

Woodhouse Grove School

Hazlegrove Prep

Monkton Combe School

Millfield School

Repton Prep

Badminton School

Barnard Castle School

The Oratory School

g Week: Highlights

WEDNESDAY: BOARDING HOUSE QUIZ

Regis School

Port

Roedean School

Epsom College

Woodhouse Grove School

St Lawrence College

The Oratory School

St Mary’s Cambridge

Badminton School

THURSDAY: GET OUTDOORS FOR SUMMER SOLSTICE

FRIDAY: FILM FESTIVAL

Badminton School

Tudor Hall

Roedean School

St George’s School

Shrewsbury School

Rishworth School

Woodhouse Grove School

St Lawrence College

Badminton School

Embley

Milfiled School

ATURDAY: ELLNESS AND MINDFULNESS

SUNDAY: THANK A HOUSEPARENT

Woodhouse Grove School

Queen Anne’s School

St Lawrence College

Bedales Prep School

Whitgift School

Woodhouse Grove School

Badminton School

St Lawrence College

Felsted School

Shrewsbury School

Badminton School

WHAT IF EVERY CONVERSATION WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH? A LETTER FROM GRAYDIN CO-FOUNDERS

Dear Educator,

Boarding schools around the world are increasingly appreciating coaching as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Perhaps it’s on your agenda, too. Having worked alongside thousands of educators and hundreds of schools over the past decade, we intimately understand how to embed and sustain a thriving coaching culture. While each school is unique, we’ve identified the universal practices that lead to successful coaching implementation.

Having worked alongside thousands of educators and hundreds of schools over the past decade, we intimately understand how to embed and sustain a thriving coaching culture. While each school is unique, we’ve identified the universal practices that lead to successful coaching implementation.

Here are a few of The Do’s for embedding a coaching culture in your school:

DEVELOP A CLEAR VISION, STRUCTURE AND STRATEGY

A well-defined approach will ensure consistency and effectiveness. Consider a mixture of ‘quick wins’ and ‘slow burns’. Use our Strategic Plan Guide to get clear on your path forward.

1 2 3

APPOINT A DIRECTOR OF COACHING

Make it someone’s role to implement the vision, oversee strategy and support daily coaching efforts. Having a committed leader will significantly help to ensure its success.

TRAIN OTHERS IN COACHING SKILLS

Ensure your staff receive quality guidance on effective coaching techniques. A two-hour INSET or a handful of books is simply not enough. You need a robust curriculum and a memorable professional development experience.

PUT

TIME IN THE CALENDAR

Allocate dedicated slots for coaching sessions. Protect this time and treat it as a priority.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Encourage staff to form pairs and trios for peer coaching. Practicing regularly will build their coaching confidence and foster a supportive learning community.

CLEARLY STATE YOUR PURPOSE

Once you get clear about why you (and your school) are seeking the benefits a coaching culture can offer, emphasise its value regularly by bringing it up in meetings and whole school gatherings.

And now, for what to avoid—The Don’ts: RUSH THE PROCESS

Implementing coaching takes time, and not everyone will be on board right away. Embrace patience and allow for a gradual adoption.

ALLOW COACHING TO BECOME A TOP-DOWN INITIATIVE

Coaching thrives in an environment of equality and community and will be undermined if exclusively controlled by senior leaders. Instead, encourage buy-in from all stakeholders by taking a collaborative approach where staff from all areas can contribute and feel valued.

PIGEONHOLE COACHING TO ONE AREA OF SCHOOL LIFE

Coaching is a way of communicating that builds resilience, autonomy and purpose. It has the capacity for school-wide transformation; embedding it in just one area of school life limits its impact.

So, we’re genuinely curious, what would change if every conversation turned into an opportunity for growth? What if your school culture could thrive as you envision? What if coaching could be a part of your professional development plan this year?

This isn’t just another initiative – coaching is a sustainable catalyst for enhancing performance and wellbeing.

We’ll be here when you’re ready.

WITH HEART, MCKENZIE AND QUINN

Claire Smith Head of Marketing and Communications Wellington School

Wellington School joins BSA On Board

Wellington School has been part of the Wellington community since 1837 and we take great pride in playing a full and active role in the life of the town and the wider local area. “

The community beyond our gates is an integral part of the identity of Wellington School and we are deeply committed to supporting it to the very best of our ability. Whether in the form of bursaries, sharing our facilities, charity fundraising, community service or hosting joint learning and events, Wellington School seeks to support families, schools and partners in many varied ways.

The ethos of compassion and caring for others is deeply embedded within the school community and the enthusiasm for carrying this forward into practical action runs throughout the whole school. There are consistent efforts to help others cheerfully, willingly and usefully and for pupils all ages, staff and parents work together creatively to help members of the local community in difficulty.

These initiatives include; raising much needed funds local charities

• donating food and provisions

• sponsorship of local clubs and societies community volunteering and service

• running a host of enrichment activities for local primary schools

• support to local secondary schools

• opening a stage school, dance school and toddler group for the local community

• interacting and consulting with local pressure groups supporting local wider education

• interaction and support of local clubs

• running events for local businesses, charities and organisations opening the facilities to the public

Prep School – Funds raised for charity over £6,000 annually

Senior School – Funds raised for charity over £8,000 annually

Over 3,000 hours of community service from DofE

Our Citizens Programme delivers over 5,000 hours of community service

Each year we welcome over 1000 children from surrounding primary schools to participat community action through the BSA On Board initiative designed to highlight the contribut

te in events. Wellington is delighted to showcase our tions boarding schools make within their local areas.

Verisio info@verisio.com verisio.com

BSA diligence@bsagroup.org.uk boarding.org.uk

GROUP LEGAL SERVICES LTD

BSA’s Due Diligence Service in partnership with Verisio is a bespoke service for UK boarding schools which recruit international students. This service will couple Verisio’s expertise in ethical and ective international due diligence with BSA’s understanding of UKVI compliance requirements in independent schools to ensure best practice in knowing who your school is doing business with. We can provide you with the security knowing who your international parents are, how they their money, who their business associates are and rce of their funds. For further information, visit w.boarding.org.uk/immigration-support-for-schools/

BSA Certiﬁed Agent and Guardian schemes

The schemes’ training and certification programmes assure BSA boarding schools 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, knowledge of the UK education system 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 agents and guardians who reach certified status.

Both schemes launched in 2020 and currently 78 agents and 65 guardians have been certiﬁed, with more joining all the time.

Caroline Nixon, International & Membership Director, BSA Group, said: “Finding a suitable educational agent can be a time-consuming process for schools and parents, but it’s an absolutely vital one. Our recent survey of Chinese parents tells us that agents have a major inﬂuence when it comes to choosing the right school for their child, with 89% relying on an agent’s recommendation, so making sure the agent has integrity and knowledge of the school and family is what the scheme aims to do.

“With our Certiﬁed Agent scheme, we’re doing the due diligence on an agent that schools need to do to maintain their UKVI sponsorship status. If an agent is BSA certiﬁed, schools don’t need to do their own checks so this saves our members a huge amount of time. We ensure agents demonstrate a clear understanding of the UK education system; carry out checks on parents; recommend schools which are right for individual students, and maintain the highest standards of integrity in placing and supporting each child.”

The BSA Cert Guardian sche grow, providin schools and fa

“Again looking at our survey of Chinese parents, an increasing number of respondents this year highlighted the importance they placed in having assurance around a guardian’s certiﬁcation. And that’s what our Certiﬁed Guardian scheme provides. Similar to the criteria agents are required to meet, guardians have to demonstrate the highest standards around their interaction with schools, parents, pupils, and show that they meet our strict assurance requirements for all aspects of safeguarding.

tified Agent and emes continue to ng reassurance for amilies.

“Certification comes with many benefits for both agents and guardians, as those who are certified get access to BSA membership, are listed on the BSA website, receive regular updates from BSA on training and changes to legislation, and two free places annually on BSA training days, as well as discounted access to other events such as BSA conferences, events and training. We can also support agents and guardians with free specialist advice and attendance at their events.”

For more information about the agent scheme, please visit the Certiﬁed Guardian Scheme page of the BSA website. For a full list of BSA Certiﬁed Agents, please go to page 137.

For more information about the guardian scheme, please visit the Certiﬁed Agent Scheme page of the BSA website. For a full list of BSA Certiﬁed Guardians, please go to page 139.

The following organisations have achieved BSA Certified Guardian status since the last edition of the magazine was published:

British Guardianship (Provisional) (UK Wide)

Cherry Education Consultancy (Provisional) (England)

East Coast Guardians (East England)

Japan-London Study & Sport (Provisional) (England)

Orpington Education Group (England)

See World (London And Southern England)

A very warm welcome to the BSA family.

For more information on the BSA Certiﬁed Guardian scheme, please visit our website.

BSA Certified Guardians:

Academic Families

Access UK Education

Alderwood International (provisional)

Alina Yegorova (provisional)

Alpha Guardians

Anglo International Student Centre (provisional)

Amber Education

Belgravia Guardians

Berkeley Guardians

Boarding Schools Ireland (provisional)

Cambridge Guardian Angels

Carfax Guardians

Churchill Education Services

Chinese UK Study Company

Clarendon International Education

College Guardians

Connexcel

Convoy Education (UK Wide)

Cotswold Guardians

Crown Guardians (England, Wales)

East Coast Guardians (East England)

Eduexcellence Consulting Services (provisional) (England)

Education and Exchange in Europe (provisional)

Edukatus (provisional) (England)

Edukatus (provisional) (UK wide)

Edinburgh Guardian Angels

Elite Anglo-Chinese Services

English Country Guardians

Gabbitas

Genesis Education Planning

Great British Guardians

Guardians International Support

Guardians UK (South UK)

High Schools International

Hostlink UK

Hyde Global Education

International Student Guardianship Ireland

IQ Consultancy

Japan-London Study and Sport (provisional) (England)

JD Consultancy

Orpington Education Group (England)

Overseas Personal Development Services

Oxbridge Guardians

Prestige Guardians (provisional)

PJL Global Students (provisional) (England)

Redoor Education (provisional)

Regent Guardians

Robin Education

Ruyang Guardian Service (England)

RV Sport and Education (provisional)

Scottish Overseas Guardianship Association See World

See World (London and Southern England)

St George’s Guardians

Study Links

Test Education Centre

The Guardian Family Network

Trusted Guardianship

UK Academics and Guardianship (England and Wales)

UK Guardians

UKGuardianship

UK Tuition Services

UM Education (provisional)

VIP Guardians (England and Wales)

Ying Lang Guardian, Glamour Edu Ltd

The following organisations have achieved BSA Certified Agent status since the last edition of the magazine was published:

Imega Culture And Education (China, Singapore, Spain, Italy)

Next Step Education (Worldwide)

Pen Students (Iran, Turkey, Emirates)

Uk Schooling Experience (China)

Which British School – Wbs (China)

Wonmillion Education (China)

A very warm welcome to the BSA family to you all.

For more information on the BSA Certiﬁed Agent scheme, please visit our website.

BSA Certified Agents:

Academic Asia (China)

Academic Families (worldwide)

(Certiﬁed Agent and Certiﬁed Guardian)

Akademis (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

Anglo International Student Centre (China)

ApplyEasyPro (China and Taiwan)

Aster Tuition (China, Worldwide)

Aston Education (Hong Kong)

@School-in-UK (Russia)

Baltic Council for International Education (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia & Poland)

Barbara Glasmacher Internationale (Germany)

Beach Education (Bermuda)

Be Education (China, Hong Kong, Singapore)

Bespoke Education (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan)

Better School! Internatsberatung (Germany)

BOSSS UK (China)

Britannia StudyLink (Hong Kong)

Brighteru

British International Consulting Ltd (China)

British United Education Services (Hong Kong)

Carfax Consultants (Worldwide)

Chamberlain Educational Services (Hong Kong and China)

Cherry Education Consultancy (China)

Connexcel (China)

(Certiﬁed Agent and Certiﬁed Guardian)

Convoy Education (China)

Crest Education (China)

CSF Educational Consultants (Military Families)

Dickinson School Consulting (Germany and worldwide)

EduExcellence Consulting Services (China)

Edugo Guardian (South Korea, Worldwide)

Edu S.O.S Consulting (Italy)

Edukatus (China, Hong Kong, Singapore)

Esta Educational Consultancy

Future Perfect

Genesis Education Planning (China)

(Certiﬁed Agent and Certiﬁed Guardian)

Global Education Tumulka (GET) (Germany)

Golden Apple Tree (China)

Imega Culture & Education (China, Singapore, Spain, Italy)

HKIES Overseas Education Centre (Hong Kong)

Intake Education (Worldwide)

InterGreat Education Group (China)

IQ Consultancy (Russia)

ITEC (Russia)

IvyU Education

J3 Group (HK)

JD Consultancy (China)

(Certiﬁed Agent and Certiﬁed Guardian)

JMS Global Consultancy (Hong Kong and South East Asia)

Kew Learning (China)

Kulturwerke Deutschland Sprachreisen (Germany)

Leo Education

Mark Brooks Education (Ghana, Nigeria, worldwide)

Meridian Group (Latvia)

Next Step Education (Worldwide)

Orpington Education Group

One School Group (China)

Overseas Personal Development Services (China)

Oxbridgecrew Education

Panoba (Nigeria and Saudi Arabia)

Pen Students (Iran, Turkey, Emirates)

Petra Heinemann Internationale Schulberatung (Germany)

Prime UK Education (China)

QED Education Group (China)

Quest Tokyo (Japan)

Rise Smart Overseas Education Centre (Hong Kong)

RV Sport and Education

Sarah Jochums Internatsberatung (Germany)

Sino-UK Arts & Cultural Bridge Ltd (China)

Test Education Centre

The Independent Education Consultants (worldwide)

The Watanabe Oﬃce (Japan)

Toechter and Soehne (Germany)

UK Academics & Guardianship (UKAG) (China)

UK Education Guide (Middle East, worldwide)

UK Epsom Education (China)

UK Schooling Experience (China)

UK Tuition Services (China)

(Certiﬁed Agent and Certiﬁed Guardian)

UM Education

Unibridge International Education (China)

Which British School - WBS (China)

Wonmillion Education (China)

EcoSync: Award-Winning Heating Management and Sustainability Solution for Boarding Schools

At EcoSync, we specialise in delivering advanced heating management and control solutions tailored for the education sector, particularly boarding schools and student accommodations. Trusted by over 40 customers within the public and private education sector in the UK, our award-winning, data driven system integrates innovative technology to meet your modern energy management needs, emphasising sustainability and eﬃciency.

MEETING YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS

Boarding schools face distinct challenges in managing energy efficiently across extensive campuses with varied occupancy levels. EcoSync’s solution precisely addresses these challenges, ensuring optimal comfort for students and staff while maximising energy efficiency and meeting sustainability goals.Our technology stops heating empty rooms, which is crucial given the flexible occupancy patterns typical in educational institutions, as well as allows you to cut carbon emissions from the first day of installation.

COMPREHENSIVE HEATING MANAGEMENT

Our system includes self-charging, wireless radiator controllers and a comprehensive cloud-based platform for remote scheduling and control of individual room heating. This combination ensures precise temperature management, signiﬁcant energy savings, and an intuitive user experience. Don’t just take our word for it… Brambletye School successfully implemented our solution, achieving impressive energy savings and greater control over their heating. From October to January Brambletye School saved 39.7% on their energy usage, signiﬁcantly reducing unnecessary heating and associated costs.

KEY CAPABILITIES AND FUNCTIONALITIES

• Cloud-Based Heating Management: Our platform allows you to schedule and control heating remotely, optimising eﬃciency and ensuring comfort. This is particularly beneﬁcial for the dynamic environment of boarding schools, where occupancy varies widely.

• In-Room QR Codes: We provide inroom QR codes that empower staﬀ and students to adjust temperatures easily and immediately. This feature allows real-time adjustments, ensuring that every room is heated according to current needs without wasting energy.

• Energy Insight Reporting: Our comprehensive reporting tools oﬀer detailed analytics on building energy usage and carbon emissions. These insights are crucial for sustainability reporting, compliance, and continuous improvement in energy management practices.

• Self-Charging Radiator Controllers: Our wireless radiator controllers are quick and easy to retroﬁt, eliminating the need for batteries and reducing maintenance costs. These controllers are designed for longevity and reliability, ensuring consistent performance with minimal upkeep.

STRATEGIC BENEFITS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND PROCUREMENT PROFESSIONALS

• Cost Efficiency: EcoSync’s lowmaintenance, self-charging controllers significantly reduce operational costs. The system’s ease of installation and long-term reliability further enhance cost savings, which is particularly beneficial for budget-conscious educational institutions.

• Sustainability Compliance: Achieve your low carbon and Net Zero goals with our proven technology. Our solutions have already saved over 1.565 MWh of energy and reduced carbon emissions by more than 285 tonnes, underscoring our commitment to environmental stewardship. Additionally, our system supports carbon reduction and oﬀsetting initiatives.

• Data-Driven Insights: Utilise detailed energy usage reports to inform heating policies and optimise energy management strategies. Our reporting tools provide actionable data that supports informed decision-making and fosters a culture of sustainability.

• Ease of Implementation: Our scalable, user-friendly system ensures a smooth procurement process and straightforward integration into existing infrastructures. The ﬂexibility of our solution allows it to grow with your school’s needs, making it a future-proof investment.

TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT AND INSIGHTS

With fewer than 1% of buildings currently equipped with smart heating controls, EcoSync’s holistic solution represents a vital advancement in energy management. By addressing the needs of Facilities and Utilities Managers, Contract Managers, Public Sector organisations, and Senior Buyers, we align with broader decarbonisation efforts. Our solutions provide the necessary data and tools to drive energy efficiency and sustainability, making a significant impact on both operational costs and environmental footprints.

YOUR PARTNER IN A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

We at EcoSync are committed to helping you achieve a sustainable future through advanced heating management solutions. Our comprehensive approach ensures that every aspect of your energy management is optimised for eﬃciency and sustainability. Additionally, implementing our innovative green technology can enhance your school’s sustainability credentials, which is increasingly important to prospective parents. For more information on how we can transform your energy practices, contact us at: contact@ecosync.energy.

SPECIAL OFFER: FREE HEATING POLICIES CONSULTATION

Place any order before the end of August and receive a complimentary heating policies consultation. Let us guide you towards an optimised, energy-eﬃcient future with tailored insights and expert guidance.

For more details, visit EcoSync.

Gold Member 2023/2024

Gold SupplierCertified2024 GROUP

Schoolblazer / Limitless

School uniform and sports kit supplier

Witley Jones

Designers, manufacturers and installers of quality school furniture for BSA boarding schools

Engage

A powerful and ﬂexible platform delivering eﬀective communication, control, reporting and insight across your school.

Govox

Wellbeing and mental health platform.

Certified Suppliers

· Innermedia: website design / digital marketing

Across Cultures: Supporting people and organisations

· Allergy Team: wellbeing

Anderson Quigley: supporting people and organisations

Brek Foundation: safeguarding

· The Divergent School Group

Enhanced catering: recruitment

EcoSync Energy Management: smart temperature control systems

· EVOLVE Advice Ltd: advice, guidance, and training

Flooglebinder: Travel

· Govox: wellbeing

Hays: recruitment

HEM Education Marketing Solutions: advice and digital marketing

· iSAMS: School Management Solutions, MIS, Management System

IDAT: International Diagnostic and Admissions Test

International SOS Assistance UK Limited: Risk Management

· Jeremy Thomas Talks: wellbeing

K9 Deployment: Drugs search dogs and patrol dogs

Opus Pharmacy: accredited medicines training

· Pavocat: compliance

Recoverable solutions: debt collections

· Redwood: debt collections

Schoolblazer: uniform and sports supplies

School Teeth: orthodontic and dental treatment

· Succession Independent Schools: Financial services

Switchshop: IT networking and cyber security

The Awareness Key: Supporting people and organisations

· The Litmus Partnership Ltd: catering and facilities management

The Manager’s Training Company Ltd: Supporting people and organisations

· The Sleep Charity: Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Hub: wellbeing

TG Escapes: construction

· Towergate: insurance broker

True Adventure: travel

Unifrog: careers guidance software

· Utility Aid: energy broker

Vectare: transport management

· WCBS: management system

Welcomm Communications Ltd: IT Communications and Cyber Security

Witley Jones: furniture supplies

· World Challenge: travel

Zeelo: bus and transport services

Powerful Allies: renewable energy

· SDS Group: archives, history, development, and alumni

Shelleys: print and design

The opportunities in hirin beyond the school sector

By Hayley Mintern, Anderson Quigley

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY AT BOARDING SCHOOLS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT, WITH A GREATER FOCUS BEING PLACED ON THE CHANGING NATURE OF ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

Commercial nous, assessing and balancing the cyber risks of AI versus its strengths, staying on top of more stringent employment laws, a strong workplace culture, the list goes on, are all essential parts of the modern, highly functioning boarding school. These are all skills that often need to be fulﬁlled by talent external to the sector.

Operating more like businesses, boarding schools must look further aﬁeld for top talent, and the private sector contains a wealth of opportunity.

As in the UK’s private sector, particularly at its top companies, the talent pool for boarding schools is also increasingly a global society. This is an opportunity for schools: an international workforce brings with them a new skill set that can make boarding schools thrive.

Hiring from alternative sources gives the opportunity for greater diversity. As is well-known, greater diversity, of people and of thought, brings competitive advantages. And new thought will likely illuminate areas where diversity is lacking and where there is still work to be done, perhaps signiﬁcant work.

There’s no beneﬁt to being discouraged at these insights. Rather, it’s important to view equality, diversity, and inclusion as a journey that is always evolving. Schools becoming more diverse, and hiring

from a commercial and international pool, will broaden the appeal of one of the UK’s most valuable assets: its education.

Implementing the changes will be a long term investment in the kind of schools we want to see - where people of all backgrounds have equal access to professional opportunities and children have unhindered potential for growth.

For more information please contact hayley.mintern@andersonquigley.com

ABOUT ANDERSON QUIGLEY

Anderson Quigley is an executive search and interim management consultancy delivering leadership recruitment in education, healthcare, social care, charities, cultural organisations, the arts and government.

Driven by a core set of valuesintegrity, diversity and hands-on project ownership - Anderson Quigley’s team of executive search experts support boarding schools to build better leaders for a better society.

The business was founded in 2017 and brings together decades of knowledge and experience in executive search, interim management and advisory services.

ABOUT HAYLEY MINTERN

Hayley Mintern is a Partner at executive search agency Anderson Quigley. She has supported the education sector for ten years, providing executive search and interim and consultancy solutions to Independent Schools, Academy Trusts, FE Colleges, and Universities. Her speciality is understanding the education sector and connecting talent that is passionate about providing high quality inclusive education.

Hayley joined the AQ team to further develop the schools and colleges practise and is driven by making a positive diﬀerence to the education sector through the quality of leadership appointment.

A York degree is recognised and respected all over the world. As a high-performing and prestigious Russell Group university, our groundbreaking research underpins our teaching.

One of only four universities in the UK rated Gold for teaching and Top Ten for research (alongside Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial in the latest TEF/REF rankings) Sign

2nd safest city in the UK (Get Licensed, 2023)

Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) is home to a diverse community of international students from over 120 different countries.

Located in the centre of Manchester, our campus is conveniently located close to the city’s worldrenowned music, sports and cultural venues, as well as the second-largest Chinatown in Britain.

We are one of the largest universities in the UK, with over 5,000 international students. Manchester has one of the largest student populations in Europe: 100,000 students including 27,000 international students*

The University has invested over £400m to enhance its teaching and research facilities, buildings and public spaces. This includes the Grosvenor East building for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the School of Digital Arts, the Institute of Sport and our new Dalton building for the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Our degree programmes are designed with your employability in mind. We will help you develop a mix of skills, experience and confidence needed to reach your potential. The University provides students with regular employability events, including workshops, networking opportunities, guest speakers and career fairs. Our Rise programme offers learning opportunities to boost your employability.

Support continues after graduation, with students benefitting from lifelong access to our digital careers service.

*Complete University Guide 2024

Password Skills Plus

Reliable test of academic English for university admission

Schedule tests 24/7

Securely invigilated online

Results within 7 days

Widely accepted by UK universities

contact@englishlanguagetesting.co.uk englishlanguagetesting.co.uk This is your place

SHAPE OUR WORLD

International scholarships available up to GBP15,000

Meet with our International Officers on 2 October at BSA Group International University Day

norwichuni.ac.uk

Campus accommodation included in your tuition fees, or at a discounted cost

(International Accommodation Award)

2nd in the UK for Student Experience

(Good University Guide, The Times and Sunday Times 2024)

3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality

(Good University Guide, The Times and Sunday Times 2024) A Top 40 University in the UK

(Good University Guide, The Times and Sunday Times 2024; Complete University Guide 2024)

92% of graduates in work or further study 15 months after graduating (HESA 2023)

Study in the UK

Join our global community of students from over 100 different countries

• International scholarships of up to £5,500 per year

• The most affordable university in the UK, The Times 2023

• University of the Year, Edufuturists Uprising Awards 2023

Find out more uclan.ac.uk/international-students

+ Top 20 UK university*

+ Top 80 Global university**

+ Top 10 UK university targeted by the top employers***

+ Over 350 courses from Accounting and Finance to Zoology

Join us on Saturday October 05, 2024

Celebrating the value of multicultural boarding communities with this year’s theme 'Global Unity'.

To get involved, share your stories, photos and videos with us using the hashtags: #InternationalBoardingDay and #iloveboarding

Abbey College, Cambridge

Abbey College, Manchester

Abbotsholme School

Abingdon School

Abrar Academy

Ackworth School

ACS International School Cobham

Adcote School

Aldenham School

Aldro School

Aldwickbury School

All Hallows School

Alliance Francaise

Amesbury School

Ampleforth College

Appleford School

Ardingly College

Ardvreck School

Ashfold School

Ashford School

Ashville College

Atlantic College

Aysgarth School

Badminton School

Barnard Castle School

Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School

Bath Academy

Battle Abbey School

Beachborough School

Beaudesert Park School

Bedales (incl Prep)

Bede’s Preparatory School

Bede’s Senior School

Bedford School

Bedstone College

Beech Grove School and Academy

Beechen Cliff School

Beechwood Park School

Beechwood Sacred Heart School

Beeston Hall School

Belhaven Hill School

Benenden School

Berkhamsted School

Bethany School

Bilton Grange School

Bishop’s Stortford College (incl Prep)

Bishopstrow College

Bloxham School

Blundell’s School

Bootham School

Bosworth Independent College

Boundary Oak School

Bournemouth Collegiate School

Box Hill School

Bradfield College

Brambletye School

Bredon School

Brentwood School

Brighton College

Brockhurst And Marlston House Schools

Brockwood Park School

Bromsgrove School (incl Prep)

Brooke House College

Brookes United Kingdom

Bruern Abbey School

Bryanston School

Brymore Academy

Buckswood School

Burford School

Burgess Hill Girls

Caldicott Preparatory School

Cambridge Tutors CollegeCampbell College

Canford School

Cardiff Sixth Form College

Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge

Cargilfield Preparatory School

Carsterton Sedbergh Preparatory School

Caterham School

CATS College, Cambridge

CATS College, Canterbury (Worthgate School)

CATS College, London (Guildhouse School)

Chafyn Grove School

Charterhouse School

Chase Grammar School

Cheam School

Cheltenham College (incl Prep)

Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Cherwell College Oxford

Chetham’s School of Music

Chigwell School

Christ Church Cathedral School

Christ College, Brecon

Christ’s Hospital School

City of London Freemen’s School

Claremont School

Clayesmore Preparatory School

Clayesmore School

Clifton College

Clifton College Preparatory School

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Concord College

Copthorne Preparatory School

Cothill House School

Cotswold Chine School

Cottesmore School

Cranbrook School

Cranleigh School (Incl Prep)

Culford School (Incl Prep)

Cumnor House School

Cundall Manor School

Dallam School

Darul Uloom Dawatul Imaan

Darul Uloom London School

Dauntsey’s School

David Game College

Dean Close Preparatory School

Dean Close School

Dean Close St John’s

Denstone College

DLD College, London

Dollar Academy

Dorset House School

Dover College

d’Overbroeck’s

Downe House School

Downside School

Dragon School

Dulwich College

Dulwich Preparatory School, Cranbrook

Durham School

Eagle House School

Earlscliffe

Eastbourne College

Edgeborough School

Ellesmere College

Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School

Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham

Elstree School

Embley

Epsom College

Eton College

Exeter Cathedral School

Exeter College

Exeter Maths School

Fairview International School

Farleigh School

Farlington School

Farringtons School

Felsted School (incl Prep)

Feltonfleet School

Fettes College (incl Prep)

Five Islands Academy

Foremarke Hall, Repton Preparatory School

Forres Sandle Manor School

Framlingham College

Frensham Heights School (Incl Junior)

Frewen College

Fulneck School

Fyling Hall School Trust LTD

George Watson’s College

Giggleswick School

Glenalmond College

Godolphin School

Godstowe Preparatory School

Gordon’s School

Gordonstoun (Incl Junior)

Gresham’s School (incl Prep)

Haberdashers’ Adams

Haileybury

Hall Grove School

Handcross Park School

Hanford School Harrogate Ladies’ College

Harrow School

Hatherop Castle Prep School

Hazlegrove Preparatory School

Headington School

Heath Mount School

Heathfield School

Hereford Cathedral School

Highfield School

Hockerill Anglo-European College

Holmewood House School

Holmwood House School (incl Prep)

Holyport College

Horris Hill School

Hurstpierpoint College

Hurtwood House School

International School of Creative Arts

Ipswich High School

Ipswich School

Jamea Al Kauthar

Jamia Al - Hudaa

Jersey College for Girls

Junior King’s School, Canterbury

Kensington Park School

Kent College Nursery, Infant and Junior School

Kilgraston School

Kimbolton School

King Edward’s School, Witley

King William’s College, Isle of Man

Kingham Hill School

Kings Bournemouth

King’s College School, Cambridge

King’s College, Taunton

King’s Hall School

King’s High School, Warwick

King’s School , Rochester (Incl Prep)

King’s School, Bruton

King’s School, Ely (Incl Junior)

Kingsley School

Kingswood Preparatory School

Kingswood School

Kirkham Grammar School

Kitebrook Prep School

Lambrook School

Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lancing College

Langley School

Lathallan School

Leighton Park School

Leweston School (Incl Prep)

Lime House School

Lincoln Minster School

Liverpool College

Llandovery College

Lockers Park School

Lomond School

Longridge Towers School

Lord Wandsworth College

Loretto School (Incl Junior)

Loughborough Grammar School

Luckley House School

Lucton School (incl Prep)

Ludgrove School

LVS Ascot

Maidwell Hall School

Malvern College

Malvern St James

Manchester City Football Club

Marlborough College

Marlborough House School

Marymount London

Mayfield School

Merchiston Castle School

Mill Hill School Foundation

Millfield Preparatory School

Millfield School

Milton Abbey School

Monkton Combe Preparatory School

Monkton Combe Senior School

Monmouth School for Boys

Monmouth School for Girls

Moor Park School

Moorland School

More House School

Moreton Hall School

Moulsford Preparatory School

Mount Kelly School (Incl Prep)

Mount St Mary’s College

Mowden Hall School

Moyles Court School

MPW London

Myddelton College

New Hall School

North London Grammar School

Northbourne Park School

Oakham School

Old Buckenham Hall School

Old Swinford Hospital

Orwell Park School

Oswestry School

Oundle School

Oxford International College

Oxford International College Brighton

Oxford Sixth Form College

Packwood Haugh School

Padworth College

Pangbourne College

Papplewick School

Perrott Hill School

Peter Symonds College

Pinewood School

Plymouth College

Pocklington School (Incl Prep)

Port Regis Preparatory School

Prestfelde School

Prior Park College

Prior’s Field School

Queen Anne’s School

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate

Queen Margaret’s School

Queen Mary’s School

Queen’s College, Taunton (Incl Prep)

Queenswood School

Reddam House Berkshire

Reed’s School

Rendcomb College

Repton School

Richard Huish College

Rikkyo School in England

Ripon Grammar School

Rishworth School

Rochester Independent College

Rockport School

Roedean School

Rookwood School

Rossall School

Royal Alexandra & Albert School

Royal High School, Bath

Royal Hospital School

Royal Russell School

Rugby School

Ruthin School

Ryde School with Upper Chine

Rye St Antony School (Incl Prep)

S.Anselm’s Preparatory School

Saint Felix School

Saint Ronan’s School

Salisbury Cathedral School

Sandroyd School

Scarborough College

Scarisbrick Hall School

Seaford College (Incl Prep)

Sedbergh School

Sevenoaks School

Sexey’s School

Shaftesbury School

Shebbear College

Sherborne Girls

Sherborne Preparatory School

Sherborne School

Sherfield School

Shiplake College

Shrewsbury School

Sibford School

Sidcot School

Slindon College

St Andrew’s College, Cambridge

St Andrew’s Preparatory School, Eastbourne

St Andrew’s School, Pangbourne

St Bees School

St Catherine’s, Bramley

St Christopher School

St Clare’s, Oxford

St David’s College, Llandudno

St Edmund’s School, Surrey

St Edmund’s College & Prep School, Hertfordshire

St Edmund’s School, Canterbury (Incl Junior)

St Edward’s Oxford

St Francis’ College

St George’s School, Ascot

St George’s School, Harpenden

St George’s School, Windsor

St George’s, Edinburgh

St Hugh’s Prep School, Lincolnshire

St Hugh’s Prep School, Oxfordshire

St John’s College School, Cambridge

St John’s College, Southsea

St John’s Beaumont Preparatory School

St John’s School, Leatherhead

St John’s School, Sidmouth

St Joseph’s College (Incl Prep)

St Lawrence College (Incl Junior)

St Leonards School, Fife

St Margaret’s School, Bushey

St Mary’s Calne

St Mary’s Music School

St Mary’s School, Ascot

St Mary’s School, Cambridge

St Michael’s School

St Paul’s Cathedral School

St Paul’s School, London

St Peter’s Prep School

St Peter’s School, York (incl St Olave’s)

St Swithun’s School

St Teresa’s School

Stamford Endowed Schools

Stamford Junior School

Stanborough Secondary School

Stephen Perse Foundation

Stewart’s Melville College

Steyning Grammar School

Stoke College

Stonar School

Stonyhurst College

Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall

Stover School (Incl Prep)

Strathallan School (Incl Prep)

Summer Fields School

Sunningdale School

Sutton Valence School (incl Prep)

Swanbourne House School

Cobham Hall School

Kent College, Canterbury

Kent College, Pembury (Incl Prep)

Keswick School

Radley College

Ratcliffe College (Incl Prep)

Reading School

Talbot Heath School (Incl Junior)

TASIS, The American School in England

Taunton Preparatory School

Taunton School

Teikyo Foundation School

Terra Nova School

Terrington Hall School

Tettenhall College

The Chorister School

The Downs Malvern

The Duke of York’s Royal Military School

The Elms School

The Hammond School

The King’s School, Canterbury

The Leys School

The Mary Erskine School

The Montessori Place, Hove

The Mount School

The National Mathematics and Science College

The New Beacon School

The Oratory Preparatory School

The Oratory School

The Pilgrims’ School

The Prebendal School

The Purcell School for Young Musicians

The Read School

The Royal Ballet School

The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe

The Royal Masonic School for Girls

The Royal School, Armagh

The Royal School, Dungannon

The Royal School, Surrey

The Royal School, Wolverhampton

The Thomas Adams School

The Wellington Academy

Thetford Grammar School

Thornton College

Tonbridge School

Trent College

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts

Trinity School

Truro High School for Girls (Incl Prep)

Truro School

Tudor Hall School

Twyford School

Uppingham School

Vinehall School

Walhampton School

Warminster School (Incl Prep)

Warwick School

Wellesley House School

Wellington College

Wellington School

Wells Cathedral School (Incl Prep)

West Buckland School

West Hill Park School

Westbourne House School

Westbourne School

Westminster Abbey Choir School

Westminster Cathedral Choir School

Westminster School, Westminster

Westonbirt School (Incl Prep)

Whitgift School

Winchester College

Winchester House School

Windermere School

Windlesham House School

Wisbech Grammar School

Witham Hall School

Woldingham School

Woodbridge School

Woodcote House School

Woodhouse Grove School

Worksop College (Incl Prep)

Worth School

Wrekin College

Wychwood School (Oxford) Ltd

Wycliffe College (incl Prep)

Wycombe Abbey

Wymondham College

Wymondham College Prep School

Yehudi Menuhin School

REST OF THE WORLD EUROPE

A+ World Academy, Switzerland

Aiglon College, Switzerland

Alexandra College, Ireland

Amadeus International School, Austria

American Collegiate Institute, Turkey

Apex 2100, France

Bandon Grammar School

Berlin Brandenburg International School,

Germany

Blackrock College, Ireland

Brillantmont International School, Switzerland

Cabella International Sahaja School, Italy

Ciscercian College

Clongowes Wood College, Ireland

College Alpin Beau Soleil, Switzerland

College Champittet, Switzerland

College du Leman International School, Switzerland

Complejo Educativo Mas Camarena, Spain

Ecole Jeannine Manuel, France

Exupery International School, Latvia

Glenstal Abbey School, Ireland

Hamelin Laie International School

Institut Montana Zugerberg, Switzerland

International School Eerde, Netherlands

International School of Milan

International School San Patricio Toledo

John F Kennedy International School, Switzerland

Kilkenny College, Ireland

King’s College, The British School of Madrid, Spain

La Garenne, Switzerland

Laude Lady Elizabeth School, Spain

Leysin American School, Switzerland

Lundsbergs Skola, Sweden

Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz, Switzerland

Midleton College, Ireland

Open Gate Boarding School, Czech Republic

Préfleuri International Alpine School

Rathdown School, Ireland

Rockwell College, Ireland

Sage College

Saint Charles, Switzerland

SEK International School El Castillo

Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket, Sweden

Sotogrande International School, Spain

St Columba’s College, Ireland

St George’s International School, Switzerland

St Gilgen International School GmbH, Austria

St John’s International School, Belgium

St Louis School Milan

St Peter’s International School, Portugal

Surval Montreux, Switzerland

The Kings Hospital, Ireland

The Koc School, Turkey

Villiers School, Ireland

Wilson’s Hospital School

Aga Khan Academy

Aitchison College

Benenden Bilingual School Guangzhou

Braeburn Garden Estate School

British International School Lagos

Bromsgrove International School, Thailand

Charterhouse Lagos

Episcopal High School, USA

Epsom College in Malaysia

Fettes Guangzshou

Frensham, Australia

Greensteds International School, Kenya

H Farm International School

Haileybury Bhaluka

Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School, China

Harrow Innovation Leadership Academy Chongqing

Harrow Innovation Leadership Academy Nanning

Harrow International School Shenzhen Qianhai

Harrow Innovation Leadership Academy Zhuhai

Harrow International School Bangkok, Thailand

Harrow International School Bengaluru

Harrow International School Haikou

Harrow International School, Hong Kong

Harrow Appi Japan

Heritage Girls School

Huawei-Tongman Foreign Language School

Hulli School Nantong

Idyllwild Arts Academy, USA

Jerudong International School, Brunei

Kaiyo Academy

Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Australia

King Henry VIII College, Malaysia

Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar, Malaysia

Lady Eleanor Holles International School Foshan, China

The Lawrence School, Lovedale, India

The Lawrence School, Sanawar, India

M-PESA Foundation Academy

Marlborough College, Malaysia

Merchiston International School, China

Michaelhouse, South Africa

New School Georgia

Nord Anglia Guangzhou Panyu School

North London Collegiate School, Jeju, Korea

NUCB International College, Japan

Peponi School, Kenya

Pinegrove School, India

Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Thailand

Planet Spiti Boarding School

Pymble Ladies’ College, Australia

Regents International School Pattaya, Thailand

Ridley College

Rong Qiao Sedbergh School

Rugby School, Japan

School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA)

The Scindia School, Gwalior, India

Sela Qui International School, India

Selborne College

SEK International School El Castillo

Shenzhen International Foundation College

Shenzhen Foreign Languages GBA Academy

St Andrew’s College, South Africa

St Andrew’s Prep School Turi, Kenya

St Andrew’s Senior School Turi, Kenya

St Christopher Schools, Kenya

St Constantine’s International School

St George’s College, Argentina

The Sultan’s School

Swiss International Scientific School Dubai, UAE

Thailand KIS Reignwood Park School

The British School of Lome’, Togo

The Doon School, India

The Forman School, USA

The Hun School of Princeton, USA

The International School of Penang (Uplands), Malaysia

The International School, Bangalore, India

The King’s School, Australia

The Mayo College, India

The Regent Secondary School, NigeriaToowoomba Anglican School, Australia

United World College South East Asia, Singapore

Wellington College International Tianjin, China

Wellington College International Pune

Wellington College International Hangzhou

Welham Boys’ School, India

Welham Girls’ School, India

Westlake International School, Malaysia

Woodstock School, India

Whanganui Collegiate School, New Zealand

Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou, China

Wycombe Abbey School, Hangzhou, China

Wycombe Abbey School, Hong Kong

Wycombe Abbey School Nanjing, China

Y K Pao School

Yew Chung International School of Qingdao (YCIS -QD), China

Yew Wah International Education School of Guangzhou (YWIES-GZ) , China

Yew Wah International Education School, Zhejiang Tongxiang Campus, (YWIES-TX), China

Yew Wah School of Shanghai Changning. (YWIES - GB), China

Yew Wah International Education School of Shanghai Lingang (YWIES - SHLG), China

Preparing for a Healthy and Safe Academic Year

Managing school trips, campus health, and safety is complex, particularly in today’s rapidly changing global environment. International SOS, the world’s leading health and security services company, plays a pivotal role in supporting educational institutions to ensure the well-being of students, staﬀ, and faculty, while safeguarding the organisation’s reputation.

As educational institutions prepare for the new academic year, the health and safety of students and staﬀ remain critical. In recent years, the education sector has faced numerous challenges, ranging from public health emergencies to increasing security threats.

In response to these growing threats, International SOS emphasises the importance of a holistic approach to campus health. Dr. Rodrigo RodriguezFernandez, Global Health Advisor at International SOS, highlights the need for educational institutions to go beyond reactive measures and adopt proactive strategies. “By understanding and preempting the changing health risks, institutions can create robust systems that support resilience and adaptability within the campus community,” Dr. RodriguezFernandez advises.

This proactive approach includes investment in comprehensive health education programs, regular health screenings, and mental health support services for students and staﬀ. In addition, promoting a culture of wellness through initiatives such as physical activities and healthy eating options contributes to the overall well-being of the campus community. These measures can improve the physical health of students and staﬀ but whilst fostering psychological resilience.

THE FOLLOWING HEALTH AND SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR A SAFE RETURN TO SCHOOLS:

1. Comprehensive risk assessments and security measures: Conduct thorough risk assessments regularly to identify potential hazards and vulnerabilities on campus

2. Health guidelines and enhanced hygiene: Collaborate closely with local health authorities and experts to implement comprehensive health guidelines. Promote good hygiene practices through educational campaigns

3. Emergency preparedness and response training: Provide ongoing training for staff and students on emergency response procedures, including fire drills, lockdown protocols, and first aid, to ensure everyone is prepared for any situation. Establish clear emergency response plans, ensuring everyone knows the correct actions to take in case of health crises or other emergencies.

4. Mental health support: Oﬀer mental health support and counselling services and resources to address the challenges that may arise during the return to campus life. Regularly communicate to students, faculty and staﬀ about the support available and how to access it.

5. Develop a comprehensive safety plan: Institutions should create a detailed safety plan that includes protocols for various scenarios, such as natural disasters, health emergencies, and security threats. This plan should be regularly updated and communicated to all staﬀ and students.

6. Foster a safe and inclusive environment: Addressing bullying and violence through educational programmes and strict anti-bullying policies can create a safer school environment. Promoting inclusivity and respect among students and staﬀ is key to fostering a positive campus culture.

For more information on how International SOS can assist with your campus reopening plans, click here. To assess your return-to-campus readiness and identify gaps in your Return-to-campus plan, click here.

ADVERT

Manufacturing Bespoke School Furniture:

A Comprehensive Project Timeline

At the heart of manufacturing bespoke school furniture lies our project management and production process, designed to ensure schools meet their refurbishment and renovation deadlines which we have reﬁned over many years.

This process is critical, as it aligns with school term time calendars, making timely delivery essential for a smooth transition when pupils return. Here’s an in-depth look into the timeline and operations involved.

DESIGN AND PLANNING

The cornerstone of a successful school furniture project is early and thorough project planning. Engaging with a project as early as possible, sometimes over 12 months in advance, allows ample time for careful consideration of all options, reﬁning requirements, and securing the best pricing. This phase involves multiple site meetings with all stakeholders and contractors to plan realistic and achievable project timelines.

Early discussions enable schools to budget appropriately and explore various design possibilities without the pressure of imminent deadlines. This proactive approach ensures that all logistical aspects are covered, minimising the risk of potential issues down the line.

DRAWING OFFICE AND QUOTATION

Once the project reaches our Drawing Oﬃce, the Design Team begin to produce detailed 3D drawings of each furniture piece along with layout options. This typically involves a set timescale for completion, ensuring that the project remains on track.

The timescales for drawing work can extend to 6-8 weeks during the lead up to the Summer period, typically beginning in April through to June. As we see a spike in the workload for our Design Team, we emphasise the importance of planning and ordering as early as possible to enable all parties to deliver a project on time.

3D drawings are crucial to allow stakeholders to visualise the ﬁnished room and make any necessary changes before going into production. The review process ensures that the designs meet the school's requirements, this is crucial to maximising space and getting measurements correct. At this stage, a detailed quotation is provided, which helps in ﬁnalising the budget and making informed decisions.

At this stage, finishes and the finer details are specified, this includes the finish of each piece of furniture, ironmonfery, handles, integrated lighting and electrics.

PROJECT SIGN OFF AND PLACING AN ORDER

The decision to sign off on designs and place an order is a pivotal moment in the project timeline. The time taken to approve and place the order affects the production process, including securing materials, which are subject to availability and cost fluctuations.

Once the order is placed, production planning and machining can commence. This stage's timing directly inﬂuences the subsequent delivery and installation phases, highlighting the importance of timely decision-making.

PRODUCTION PLANNING

Upon order conﬁrmation, the Operations and Production Team optimise the manufacturing cycle. Key considerations during this phase include:

• Machining capacity and material optimisation - Ensuring the best value for money and minimizing waste.

• Material availability - Managing stock and lead times to prevent delays.

• Production and machining processes - Scheduling the necessary steps to complete each piece throughout our manufacturing facility.

• Spray Shop - ﬁnishing and drying times.

• Assembly

• Packaging, dispatch, and logistics

The entire production timeline is carefully managed to ﬁt within the manufacturing facility's capacity, ensuring eﬃciency and adherence to deadlines.

DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

The ﬁnal phase involves close collaboration with schools, estate teams, and contractors to plan the delivery and installation. Eﬀective communication during the initial planning phase is vital to set clear expectations and accommodate any changes early on, thus avoiding lastminute adjustments and potential delays.

By coordinating delivery and installation to align with the overall project plan, the risk of missing deadlines is signiﬁcantly reduced. This collaborative approach ensures that the bespoke school furniture is ready and installed in time for the new school term.

Manufacturing bespoke school furniture is a complex but a wellcoordinated process that begins with detailed planning, timely decisionmaking, and eﬃcient execution leads to success.

By following a structured project timeline and maintaining open communication with all stakeholders, we ensure that each project is completed on time and to the highest standards.

PROJECT SIGN OFF AND PLACING AN ORDER

BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WITH INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Part of the BSA Group

VIRTUAL

ONE-DAY CONFERENCE

VENUE: ZOOM (ONLINE)

TUESDAY 08 OCTOBER 09:30-16:30

Visa and immigration Autumn term conference

Course outline

This annual BSA and BAISIS conference enables delegates to hear directly from the experts on the latest in visas and immigration relevant to the education sector. Addressing key issues from our members, sessions will consider the latest in Student and Child sponsor routes, the application process, CAS allocations, due diligence and compliance against sponsor license responsibilities.

The conference will enable delegates to ask questions directly to our experts throughout the day so please come prepared with questions for our panellists.