Induction training for Graduate and GAP assistants

• Date: January 21, 2025
• Time: 10:30 – 15:30
• Cost: BSA Full Member – £175, BSA Affiliate Member – £ 250, Non-member – £350
• Audience: Graduate assistants, GAP assistants
• Platform: Zoom (online) – Day Seminar

Course outline:

The level of professionalism in boarding supervision has risen dramatically in recent years, due in part, to improved regulation and increased parental expectation. The sooner your new Graduate and GAP assistants have a real understanding of the basic principles and expectations of their role in boarding, the sooner the school will have effective staff members and teams who enjoy their duties and feel able to support the young people in their care and deal with any challenges that may arise. 

 This seminar will compliment a school-based induction and enable your new Graduate and GAP assistants to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to make the best possible start to their role in boarding in your school. 

 This seminar will cover relevant aspects of the Duty of Care framework, the legal context, roles and boundaries, and ways in which delegates can meet the emotional needs of the boarders in their care. By the end of the session, delegates should feel more confident in their role and be looking forward to enjoying their time on duty in their boarding house. 

 In advance of the seminar, it is recommended that delegates have familiarised themselves with their schools’ boarding handbook and/or visited the boarding section of the schools’ website and promotional material that relate to boarding. Delegates should also be familiar with and have signed Part 1 of KCSIE 2023/24. 

 Delegates will be provided with a workbook including core information relating to boarding and safeguarding for their year involved in the boarding sector. 

Training topics will include:

• The legal framework and Duty of Care – this session will explore current boarding practice with particular focus on safeguarding and the legal and inspection requirements of pastoral care in our schools
• Meeting the needs of the boarders – practical case studies will be used to explore the issues that arise every day in boarding, and suggest ways in which these issues can be dealt with effectively and with confidence by those in a Graduate or GAP assistant position
• Understanding your role in Boarding – in this session the group will discuss and explore the expectations of the school, the boarding house, parents, along with your own expectations with regards your boarding role in the school
• Working safely and looking after yourself – some hints and tips on keeping yourself healthy, safe and enjoying your role in Boarding!

Learning outcomes:

• An understanding of the principles and expectations of boarding, stake holders, and the role of the Graduate and GAP assistants within that
• An increased confidence to be able to meet the needs of the boarders in their care
• Increased awareness of the legal context, safeguarding, KCSIE Part 1 and National Minimum Standards for Boarding
• Recommendations and reasons for best practice and looking after yourself, setting professional boundaries and working as a team.

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Speaker:

Mark Robinson, BSA Senior Consultant

Mark has a Product Design Degree from Brunel University and a PGCE. His first post in independent education was as Assistant Master at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham where he held several positions including Assistant Housemaster to a junior boy’s boarding house. After five years he moved on to Ardingly College in West Sussex as a Head of Department and Housemaster to a joint day and boarding house. Mark has been an inspector on boarding inspections, an Assistant Housemaster to a girls’ boarding house and fully involved in teaching up to ‘A‘ Level.

In 2002 Mark gave up teaching to set up Mentor Education Services Ltd, a business offering education-related consultancy services to the independent sector, initially training, interview coaching and professional development but also marketing and pre-inspection to schools both in the independent and maintained sector.

Mark was appointed as Assistant Director of Training for the Boarding Schools’ Association in 2010, where he continued offering training and consultancy to independent and state schools both in the UK and around the world. In 2017 he was appointed as Deputy Head Pastoral at Collège du Léman in Switzerland, a large international boarding and day school. After gaining some further, valuable international experience, Mark returned to the UK to continue his training and consultancy in the Independent and state school sectors.