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BSA/TIOB Annual Boarding Conference – Fresh Perspectives
6 June 2023 @ 09:00 - 7 June 2023 @ 17:00
- Date: June 06-07, 2023
- Time: 10:30 – 16:30
- Cost: Member delegate rate – £495, Affiliate member delegate rate – £745, Non Member delegate rate – £990
Cost will include: two-day conference, conference refreshments and formal dinner on the evening of June 06. - Audience: Deputy Head, Head of Boarding, SLT/SMT, Boarding House staff, Pastoral staff
- Venue: Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol City Centre, 2 Lower Castle Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS1 3AD.
- Accommodation: Accommodation is not included in the conference booking. We are pleased to announce that delegates are able to book accommodation for the two-day conference using the online booking platform, Roomex. Click here to login and secure your room using your school email address. A helpful BSA conference user guide is also available to watch here. If you would prefer to stay in the same hotel where the conference will be taking place, please select ‘Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol City Centre’ when booking via the platform. Roomex searches 35 global sources to provide the best hotel solution in one place and can save you up to 25%.
- Exhibiting and sponsorship:
- We are delighted to be able to welcome organisations sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at this event, for full details Click here, or email Neil Rust, Head of Commercial neil.rust@bsagroup.org.uk
We’re looking forward to welcoming Deputy Heads, Heads of Boarding and Boarding House staff from our member schools to our Annual Boarding Conference, which takes place on June 6-7, 2023.
Hosted by Judith Fremont-Barnes, Chair BSA/TIOB Boarding Conference and Head, Milton Abbey, the theme for the conference is ‘Fresh perspectives’. Our emphasis will be on sharing best practice to ensure our young people and staff teams continue to get the very best from their boarding experience.
The conference will address some of the most challenging issues facing our sector as we seek to support our boarding students in the growth of their confidence and sense of identity. Sessions will include perspectives on sexual orientation and gender identity in boarding schools, what neurodiverse students need to succeed, the challenges of affluence, promoting good mental health and how we can best promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our schools. There will also be a series of breakout sessions on topics including headship, legal updates, state boarding and prep boarding.
We will be joined by an exciting line-up of guest speakers across the two days and the conference will also allow plenty of time for interaction with colleagues, including a wonderful evening dinner together. Our aim is to ensure that you leave feeling refreshed and inspired, armed with practical ideas to implement in your school.
Programme:
Tuesday 6 June
10:30 Registration and refreshments
11:30 Welcome
Robin Fletcher, CEO, BSA and BSA Group
11:35 Fresh perspectives
Judith Fremont-Barnes, Conference Chair and Headmistress, Milton Abbey
11:50 BSA Foundation
Dr Helen Wright, Founding Trustee, BSA Foundation, Former BSA Head, International Executive Search Consultant and Leadership Coach
12:00 Working with LGBT+ pupils in boarding
Jonathan Charlesworth, Executive Director, EACH
12:45 Lunch
13:30 Seeing your mental health in a fresh light
McKenzie Cerri, Co-founder, Graydin
14:15 Fresh perspectives: scenario management
Judith Fremont-Barnes, Conference Chair and Headmistress, Milton Abbey School
15:00 Fresh perspectives: the future of boarding
Grant Muirhead, Deputy Headmaster and Director of Boarding, Whanganui Collegiate School
Marie West, Head of Boarding, St George’s International School, Switzerland
Paddy Rockett, Head of Middle School Boarding, Reed’s School
15:45 Refreshments
16:15 Fresh perspectives: scenario management
Judith Fremont-Barnes, Conference Chair and Headmistress, Milton Abbey School
17:00 BSA Research Fellowship winners
Emma Millo, Housemistress, Haileybury College
Simon Porter, Head of Boarding, Clayesmore Prep School
17:30 Close of day one
18:30 Drinks reception among exhibitors
19:00 Annual conference dinner
Wednesday 7 June
09:15 The boarding in-tray
Robin Fletcher, CEO, BSA and BSA Group
09:45 Boarding staff survey findings
Chris Wheeler, Chair, TIOB and Principal, Monkton Combe School
Gaelle Sullivan, Director, TIOB and Research and Inclusion Director, BSA Group
10:15 Refreshments
10:45 Representation matters: a fresh perspective on race in boarding
Aisha Thomas, Director, Representation Matters Ltd
11:30 Managing affluent neglect in boarding
Prof. Claudia Bernard, Professor of Social Work and Head of Postgraduate Research in the Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Compliance update: where are we now with safeguarding, standards and immigration
Kate Hollyer, Legal Director, BSA Group
Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group
14:15 In their own words: supporting neuro-diverse students in boarding
Augusta Faulkner, Head of Boarding, Dragon School
William Ogilvie-Jones, Assistant Head, Pupil Support, Merchiston Castle School
Henry Stoot, Head of Boarding and Compliance, Bedales School
15:00 Refreshments
15:30 Breakouts:
- Aiming for headship: TBC
- Boarding HR legal update: Krissy Scott, Partner, Harrison Clark Rickerby
- State boarding: Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group and Will Chuter, Head, Cranbrook
- Prep boarding: a bright future: Emilie Darwin, Director of Membership Services, IAPS.
16:15 A fresh perspective for student wellbeing, via data led insights
Jonathan Bentley, CMO & Board Director, Govox
17:00 Close of conference
Judith Fremont-Barnes, Conference Chair and Headmistress, Milton Abbey School
Speakers:
Judith Fremont-Barnes, Conference Chair and Headmistress, Milton Abbey
Educated at Kingston Grammar School from 1980-1987, Judith was usually to be found in the Classics Department or on stage. Reading English Language and Literature at Christ Church, Oxford, she became an Oxford Union debater and toured the United States as English-Speaking Union debating scholar in 1990, during a gap year.
Thinking she would teach just for a year before deciding what to do with her life, she fell in love with the classroom and has never looked back. An eclectic career has included appointments at James Allen’s Girls’ School, a spell in Japan where she lectured at Kobe Kaisei Women’s College and Kobe University, raising her two sons, taking a master’s degree in Inclusive Education at the Open University, and teaching at King Edward’s, Southampton.
Four years in the English Department at Radley College, where she became Head of English and served as a sub-tutor in E Social, were followed by Deputy Headship at More House School, Frensham. From 2011, she was Head of Duke of Kent School in Ewhurst, Surrey, and she joined Milton Abbey as Head in September 2018.
Judith is married to Gregory, a military historian and lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Their sons, William and Edward, studied at UCL and Glasgow. An ideal day out for Judith, who is a keen supporter of the arts, might include a visit to the V&A, a very long lunch with friends and family, and an evening at the National Theatre. However, she would be just as happy to take a long walk in the Dorset countryside with her border terrier, Ruby.
McKenzie Cerri, Co-founder, Graydin
McKenzie Cerri is a co-founder of Graydin, an organisation working to revolutionise the ways we support, empower and connect with our next generations through coaching skills. Together with more than 250 schools and thousands of educators world-wide, Graydin has been at the forefront of the coaching movement in education since 2011.
McKenzie has over 20 years of experience in coaching and teacher training, having delivered hundreds of coaching workshops and courses to thousands of educators. She is a Co-active Coach, a Certificated Practitioner of NLP, and a Mytho Facilitator. Prior to Graydin, she worked as a youth coach within the public sector and partnered closely with Maudsley Hospital eating disorder unit to bring a coaching approach to carer support. Born in California, now based in East Sussex, she took her first personal development course at age nine.
Robin Fletcher, CEO, BSA and BSA Group
Robin Fletcher is CEO of BSA Group, comprising BAISIS (British Association of Independent Schools with International Students), BSA (Boarding Schools’ Association), BSA Legal, HIEDA (Health in Education Association) SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association) and TIOB (The Institute of Boarding). A former journalist, editor and communications director, Robin is a non-executive director of the manufacturers’ trade body Make UK, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Hannah Kinsey, Head of Training & Service Design, YoungMinds
Hannah is Head of Training and Service Design at YoungMinds and has been with the charity for 8 years. Hannah’s team work to equip trusted adults with the tools they need to support young people’s mental health and champion the meaningful participation of young people in the services that are there to help them.
Hannah has over 15 years of experience in the young people’s charity sector having worked for the National Youth Advocacy Service, ChildLine, NSPCC, Kidscape and Parliament’s Education Service. Hannah is passionate about supporting young people, and the adults around them, to have the best possible mental health outcomes.
Jonathan Charlesworth M.Ed., Executive Director, Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH)
Jonathan Charlesworth is the Executive Director of Educational Action Challenging Homophobia. He has extensive knowledge and understanding of LGBT+ people’s experiences acquired across thirty-six years’ practice in teaching, training, consultancy, Helpline management and books’ authorship. Jonathan’s been commissioned multiple times by the Department for Education and the Welsh Government to generate guidances and create training for schools nationally (including statutory anti-bullying guidance for Welsh schools). He’s the author of two books on how schools can challenge homophobic bullying and his training and consultancy work has been commissioned by the USA, Finland, Sweden and throughout the UK.
Emma Millo, Housemistress, Haileybury College
After first studying psychology at Durham University Emma then studied for an MSc in physiotherapy at the University of Essex and worked with professional sports teams such as the All Blacks and at London 2012. She then moved into a career teaching psychology. Emma has worked at Haileybury College in Hertfordshire for the past 10 years and is currently a Housemistress of a seniors girls house. Emma is currently studying for an MSc in Mental Heath in Children and Young People at Edinburgh University. Through her studies and work she has developed a passion for pupil wellbeing and is interested in how we can enhance this through proactive strategies.
Simon Porter, Head of Boarding, Clayesmore Prep School
Simon has a wealth of experience in pastoral and wellbeing matters, having worked at some of the country’s top prep boarding schools. In addition to this, he is currently completing a masters in educational leadership. He is passionate about helping children to prioritise their wellbeing in the challenging society they live in, focusing especially on early identification of issues and how to resolve them before they start to have adverse effects on children’s lives.
Away from his current role of Head of Boarding, he is a highly sought after sports coach, where he has elite experience heading up the training, support and development of county level cricketers, guiding them in both physical and psychological areas. He is passionate about all sport, recently completed his first ever half marathon, raising funds for a local grass roots charity.
Gaelle Sullivan, Director of Research Services and Inclusion, and Director of TIOB
Gaelle is Director of Research Services and Inclusion, and Director, TIOB. She and joined the BSA in January 2023. She is an experienced senior leader and has worked in a range of state and independent schools. She is a qualified SENCO and holds a Masters Degree in Inclusive Education. Prior to joining the BSA, Gaelle was Deputy Head Pastoral, DSL and Head of Boarding at an all-girls independent school in the South-East.
Chris Wheeler, Chair, TIOB and Principal, Monkton Combe School
Chris Wheeler has been Principal of Monkton Comb in Bath since January 2016. He was elected Vice Chair of HMC for 2019-20 and has served on HMC’s Inspection Sub Committee. He previously served as Principal and CEO at Hillcrest International Schools in Kenya, Headmaster at St Christopher’s, Hove, and has variously been Deputy Head, Housemaster (day and boarding) and Head of English.
In addition to his work at HMC, he is an ISI Team Inspector and a trustee of the Lywood Colley Academy Trust. He has previously served as a Trustee with the Palladian Academy Trust, a member of the Court of the University of Bath, an examiner at GCSE and A-level for both English and Literature and often speaks at churches and chapels across the country.
Aisha Thomas, Director, Representation Matters Ltd
Aisha is a born and bred Bristolian. She studied law at the University of the West of England before transitioning to education in 2010. In September 2016, Aisha became an Assistant Principal at an inner-city secondary school in Bristol. She is also an educational activist specialising in race and anti-racist practice.
After transitioning to education, she has completed the national qualification for senior leaders (NPQSL), Roehampton University Level 6 Certificate of professional development in PSHE, Foundation for Educational Leadership, Leading with moral purpose and the CLF Diversity Leadership Programme.
In 2018 Aisha presented a BBC documentary about the lack of black teachers in Bristol and collaborated with city partners to launch the ‘One Bristol Curriculum’. This aimed to create a more equitable representation of black history, achievement, and culture in Bristol as well as Britain and globally.
2019 saw Aisha deliver her TEDx Bristol talk, ‘Why representation really matters‘. In a world where many people do not see themselves recognised in all aspects of life, Aisha wanted to reignite the debate and challenged education and industry to look at their practice.
Kate Hollyer, Legal and Public Affairs Director, BSA Group & Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
Kate is Legal Director of BSA Group and Director of BSA Legal Services Ltd. As a qualified solicitor with more than 10 years’ experience advising clients on UK immigration law, Kate assists members with all immigration and safeguarding legal matters. Prior to joining BSA in 2022 Kate was Partner and Head of Department at a leading full-service UK law firm. Having resided in state, preparatory and senior school boarding houses since 2014 with her Housemaster husband, Kate has a unique perspective of boarding life.
Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group
Dale joined the BSA during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s accredited training programme. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter, the Annual Safeguarding conference, and the Safeguarding Forum. He has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our overseas members.
For 31 years Dale was a boarding practitioner. After boarding positions at Norwich School and Tettenhall College, Dale became a Housemaster at Old Swinford Hospital in 1992, and was promoted to Deputy Head in 2007, and subsequently also DSL. He has also been a multi-agency trainer for the Dudley Safeguarding Children’s Board and has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding since 2002. Dale had previously been a BSA course tutor since 1998 and developed the BSA Self-Assessment Toolkit.
Krissy Scott, Partner, Harrison Clark Rickerbys
Education is such an important part of everyday life and Krissy uses her expertise to focus on issues relating to staff, pupils and parents to allow schools to keep teaching and learning as a priority.
Krissy is trusted to support educational establishments of all types, from independent schools and grammar schools to colleges with sensitive issues such as child protection, pupil exclusions and parental complaints. Working collaboratively with schools, engaging with them beyond pragmatic legal advice, Krissy sees herself as an extension to the school team.
Safeguarding and child protection are vital, creating safer systems in schools and pupil and staff wellbeing. Krissy also helps schools when allegations of abuse are made against staff, including support on multi-agency working and the duty to report and refer to the appropriate authorities; she is also a safeguarding link governor at a large senior school.
The quality of Krissy’s work is recognised in the legal directories – delighted clients have said “the quality of her response is great, as it is always right first time, and she is great to deal with on a personal level.” Sharing her expertise, Krissy regularly speaks at national education sector events and provides training to clients on difficult pastoral issues.
Will Chuter, Head, Cranbrook
Will started his teaching career in 2005, following a stint in publishing in London. Will teaches Classics, was Head of Department and Housemaster at Uppingham, then Deputy Head Pastoral at Gresham’s, before taking on Headship of Cranbrook in January 2021. Will is a passionate advocate of boarding and state boarding schools.
Emilie Darwin, Director of Membership Services, IAPS
Emilie is a very experienced Cheltenham lawyer with an in depth knowledge of the independent school sector. Emilie has previously spent some time on secondment with the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Emilie provides advice and help to IAPS members in all school operations including marketing, recruitment, legal, safeguarding and associated matters.
Dr Claudia Bernard, Professor of Social Work, Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies
Professor Claudia Bernard is an experienced researcher, academic and author who has worked in the practice, policy, and academic fields for several decades. She has a background in social work and her research interests lie in the areas of social work with children and families, child abuse and neglect, and social equalities. She has written widely on these topics, including a book entitled Constructing Lived Experiences: Representations of Black Mothers in Child Sexual Abuse Discourses (2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017), and an edited collection entitled Safeguarding Black Children: Good Practice in Child Protection (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016). Her latest book Intersectionality for Social Workers: A Practical Introduction to Theory and Practice (2022) is published by Routledge. Professor Bernard also has broad experience of knowledge exchange and working in partnership with a number of public sector organisations, most recently, the City of London Corporation, to deliver a programme of research on safeguarding children in affluent families. She was featured in the 2020 Photography Exhibit Phenomenal Women: Portraits of UK Black Female Professors.
Jonathan Bentley, Chief Marketing Officer, Govox Wellbeing
With over 25 years’ experience in marketing consultancy, working for leading communications agencies and brands, Jonathan joined Govox Wellbeing in January 2022 to head up all things brand marketing and partnerships with organisations like the BSA.
Jonathan & the Govox team are passionate about Health Tech innovation and how new proactive Wellbeing data led insights are already complimenting well-established education pastoral strategies.
Govox helps Pastoral leaders put a discreet digital lens on students’ mental health and extract wellbeing information from them in a non-intrusive way, often with over 85% engagement rates.
Govox are proud to partner with UK Universities, 6th Form Colleges and State & Independent schools like Stowe, Culford & Wellington & Immanuel College, in providing the actionable insights to build healthier & happier pupils, staff and school culture.
Dr Helen Wright, Founding Trustee, BSA Foundation, Former BSA Head, International Executive Search Consultant and Leadership Coach
Dr Helen Wright is a distinguished former BSA Head (and former GSA President and Vice-Chair of ISC) with over 20 years’ experience in boarding education. She is also a globally well connected and internationally recognised educationalist, and since leaving Headship in 2014, she has developed a portfolio of non-executive and consultancy roles in the UK and international education sector, including as a challenging executive coach and school leadership recruitment specialist.
William Ogilvie-Jones, Assistant Head, Pupil Support, Merchiston Castle School
Will is an energetic and dedicated educational leader and teacher with experience managing complex and challenging school situations, promoting high quality pastoral care, working at a strategic management level advising on policies, procedures and operational matters.
Will teaches Design Technology, Computing and Electronics, using his previous Design Engineering experience in product mass-manufacturing and the automotive industry. He was Head of Design Technology at Pangbourne College, as well as Houseparent and Head of Boarding, before moving to Merchiston Castle School to continue as a Houseparent and then more recently taking on the role of Assistant Head (Pupil Support). As well as having a lead and overview of the school’s pastoral support and structures, he is responsible for Merchiston’s Rights Respecting journey towards Gold accreditation.
When he is not at school, Will enjoys his hobby of singing, having sung soloist for the London Welsh Male Voice Choir; he is now an active member of the Voice of the Town, Edinburgh.
Paddy Rockett, Head of Middle School Boarding, Reed’s School
Paddy Rockett is the Head of Middle School Boarding/Housemaster at Reed’s School in Surrey. Paddy has been through the Pastoral Care modules and Boarding Management modules run by the BSA and is currently completing his masters in Residential Education with the University of Buckingham. His current area of research is focussed on the development of life skills in boarding houses and the development a national programme for life skills development. Previously, Paddy was a lead in the “Broadening the Curriculum” strategy of the University of Limerick designing a social responsibility module undertaken by first year students. As a Biology teacher he is interested in the use of VR and AR in the teaching of Science. He is also in interested in Pastoral care, the development of Boarding nationally and internationally and social mobility.
Henry Stoot, Head of Boarding and Compliance, Bedales School
Henry Stoot started his career in boarding in his first role after graduating from university. Since then, Henry has gone on to be a Head of Department (Geography) and then Housemaster at Milton Abbey School in Dorset. In 2020, Henry moved to Bedales School in Hampshire to take on the role of Head of Boarding and Compliance. In his current role, Henry is responsible for the leadership and development of boarding, with a particular focus on supporting overseas students and compliance towards the National Minimum Standards. Having boarded himself at Sherborne School in Dorset, Henry is a strong advocate of boarding schools, and all they do to support and nurture students through the turbulence of adolescence. Henry is also completing an MEd in Educational Leadership and Management, and is due to graduate in March 2024.
Grant Muirhead, Deputy Headmaster and Director of Boarding, Whanganui Collegiate School
Grant has over 30 years’ experience as a teacher in a variety of schools throughout New Zealand. In the last sixteen years Grant has worked at Whanganui Collegiate School which is one of New Zealand’s leading boarding schools. Grant was a Housemaster for 8 years and then was appointed as Deputy Headmaster. One of the focuses in this role has been reviewing boarding in terms of the Duty of Care and collaboratively working to make boarding at Whanganui Collegiate School a fulfilling experience for both staff and students. This has led to Grant developing and implementing the ACTIVE approach which will be the subject of his presentation at this conference.
Grant is married to Karin and together they have two children, Joe who works in IT in Melbourne and Rosie who is a teacher in Auckland. Grant was a keen cricketer and runner but now enjoys keeping fit at the gym, and the challenges of being a Leeds United fan.
Marie West, Head of Boarding at St George’s International School in Switzerland
Mrs Marie West is Head of Boarding at St George’s International School in Switzerland. She is a French native speaker and completed her degree in English Literature and Civilisation at the Université Occidentale de Bretagne in France, before pursuing her studies in Swansea Metropolitan University in Wales, where she completed her French Teaching qualification. She worked in teaching and in boarding in the UK for over 10 years and was Head of Boarding at Loughborough Amherst School in the UK for the last 3 years, before joining St George’s in August 2022. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, walking Poppy the dog and of course spending time with her family.
Augusta Faulkner, Head of Boarding, Dragon School
Augusta is Head of PSHE at the Dragon School, having taught in two Prep schools, Caldicott and the Dragon. Her teaching and pastoral experience is with Prep school age children and she is a mother to three teenagers, two of which are at boarding schools, and one at university. Together with her husband, she ran a Junior and Senior boarding house for 15 years. More recently, she took on the role of Joint Heads of Boarding at the Dragon, leading a team of nine sets of Houseparents, Dorms Takers and Boarding Assistants looking after 300 Dragon Boarders.
