Sexual harassment responses and investigations

Name: Sexual harassment responses and investigations
Start: 2025-05-12T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-05-12T12:00:00+01:00
Location: Online – Zoom

Monday 12 May, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Date: May 12, 2025
Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Cost: BSA Full Member – £135, BSA Affiliate Member – £ 170, Non-member – £270
Audience: Boarding house practitioners
Platform: Zoom (online) – seminar

Course outline:

This seminar will take delegates through the latest statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance around sexual violence and harassment in schools, considering in particular the boarding environment. ‘Everyone’s Invited’ and other disclosures highlighted the prevalence of sexual violence and harassment, both adult-on-child and child-on-child, in education settings. The subsequent Ofsted review demonstrated the importance of work around this area.

The boarding environment can provide additional areas of vulnerability, so this seminar will support delegates in considering best practice in this area and their work in their settings and communities.

Training topics will include:

Finding and understanding the latest guidance
Embedding a proactive culture in your setting
Hearing pupil and survivor voices and managing allegations.

Learning outcomes:

Delegates will leave with a clearer understanding of the application of sexual violence and harassment guidance
Delegates will understand the specific focus required in boarding
Increased confidence in managing allegations and supporting survivors and pupils.

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Speakers:

David Walker, Director, Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB

David is the BSA Director and joined the BSA group in August 2023. He has over 20 years’ experience in boarding schools and has worked in a range of schools in the UK and Africa, alongside being a prep school governor and a trustee of a MAT. Before taking up his post at the BSA, David was Deputy Head Pastoral at a large co-ed independent school in the South-East.

Maria Strauss, Partner, Farrer & Co.

Maria Strauss is a Partner at the law firm Farrer & Co. She has extensive experience in safeguarding and employment law. She acts for a variety of not for profit and education organisations including independent schools, charities, faith-based organisations and sports clubs. Maria has many years’ experience in handling sensitive and complex cases for clients. She is a specialist in investigations and a trained interviewer. Maria advises on all aspects of employment and equality law and was the lead author of the AGBIS Resource for Governors on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Most recently, Maria has advised on a number of complex cases such as bullying cases (including anonymous witnesses), safeguarding investigations into serious allegations with related parental complaints; whistleblowing complaints, ‘clash of rights’ cases, and a range of other cases involving staff, children and parents. Maria is a governor of an independent prep school in London.