BOARDING SCHOOLS’ ASSOCIATION
BSA
BOARDING SCHOOLS’ ASSOCIATION
The Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) is part of the BSA Group. BSA Group supports excellence in boarding, safeguarding, inclusion and health education, serving more than 1,700 organisations and people in 52 countries worldwide. Since its foundation in 1965-6, BSA has promoted boarding education and the development of quality boarding through high standards of pastoral care and boarding accommodation.
BSA Group encompasses the following:
A UK boarding school can only be a full member of the BSA if it is also a member of one of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) constituent associations, or in membership of the BSA State Boarding Forum (SBF). These two bodies require member schools to be regularly inspected by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), Care Inspectorate (Scotland), Care Inspectorate Wales or Ofsted. Other boarding schools who are not members of these organisations can apply to be affiliate members. Similar arrangements are in place for international members. In England, boarding inspection of ISC-accredited independent schools has been conducted by ISI since September 2012. Ofsted retains responsibility for the inspection of boarding in state schools and non-association independent schools.
Boarding inspections must be conducted every three years. Boarding in England is judged against the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools which were last updated in September 2022.
There are similar standards in Wales (2003) and a separate quality framework in Scotland.
Relationship with government
BSA is in regular communication with the Department for Education (DfE) on all boarding matters in England and with devolved governments for other parts of the UK. BSA’s Honorary President, Lord Black, is a member of the House of Lords and regularly advocates for boarding education. The Children Act (1989) and the Care Standards Act (2001) require boarding schools in England to conform to national legislation. The promotion of this legislation and the training required to carry it out are matters on which the DfE and BSA work together. Other governmental departments BSA work with are the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. BSA also issues a regular Boarding Schools’ Parliamentary Network (BSPN) newsletter containing briefing news from the sector.
Boarding training
BSA delivers the world’s largest professional development programme for boarding staff. It offers:
• Two-year Pastoral Care and Boarding Management courses for graduate and non-graduate boarding staff
• Certificates in Mental Health. Safeguarding, Inclusion, School Nurses, Headship, Career Planning, Supporting International Students, UKVI Sponsor Compliance
• A Leadership Diploma course for senior experienced boarding staff
• MA in residential education
• A broad range of day seminars and webinars
• Specialist conferences for all state and independent boarding roles
• A course for new and aspiring boarding Heads
• Basic training for those new to boarding.
State Boarding Forum (SBF)
BSA support state boarding school members through the State Boarding Forum. There are a total of 30 state boarding member schools across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At these schools, parents pay for boarding but not for education, so fees are substantially lower than in an independent boarding school. The latest BSA State Boarding Forum Census was published in January 2025.
Legal Services
BSA Legal is the trading name of BSA Group Legal Services Ltd, a law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales. The BSA Legal team supports schools with immigration and UKVI compliance matters, and international families with UK visa applications. BSA also offers member schools a free legal hotline service for support with legal matters spanning employment / HR, safeguarding and SEND, data privacy and GDPR, contracts, charity obligations and health and safety, as well as immigration.
Contact details:
The Boarding Schools’ Association
167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF