Leading a boarding team

• Date: June 23, 2025
• Time: 10:30 – 15:30
• Cost: BSA Full Member – £175, BSA Affiliate Member – £ 250, Non-member – £350
• Audience: Boarding staff, Head of Boarding, Deputy Head.
• Platform: Zoom (online) – seminar

Course outline:

This virtual day seminar aims to equip those aspiring to move into leadership positions within boarding with the relevant skills and knowledge to lead their teams effectively, and with the best outcomes for the boarders in their care. It is relevant also to those who have recently taken up a new position, allowing time for reflection on personal skills and how they work in a leadership role.

There is often a huge focus on equipping leaders in the classroom with the necessary skills to achieve the best outcomes for pupils, but the skills required by pastoral leaders are often more subtle, more wide-ranging and can often have a greater impact for the children in the school. Successful leadership is important to cultivate a genuine and strong team dynamic which positively impacts on the daily lives of all within the boarding house and community.

During this training, delegates will have the opportunity to share thoughts, experiences and any concerns with the trainer and other delegates. The training content covered will apply to houseparents of large teams, Heads of Boarding as well as Deputy Head, Pastoral, depending on the size and makeup of the school.

Training topics will include:

• Leadership styles – this session will consider the demands of leadership and the recognised different styles of leadership
• Building an effective team – communication, planning, building a shared vision and appreciating the skills and attributes of team members
• Effective leadership – deployment of resources, time management, focusing on student outcomes
• Successful leadership – this final session will consider how to put everything into practice, discuss self-reflection and review.

Learning outcomes:

• Promote a better understanding of different leadership styles
• Be aware of how to build a successful team
• Develop skills as a reflective practitioner.

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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.