SBF summer conference

 

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• Date: June 14, 2024
• Time: 10:00 – 16:00
• Cost: BSA Full Member – £100,  Non-member – £200
• Audience: Head, Deputy Head, Head of Boarding, Pastoral staff, all at state boarding schools
• Platform: Zoom

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The annual SBF summer conference is an opportunity for practitioners working in state boarding to come together and receive an update on the current position of the state boarding sector, specifically addressing the issues raised by SBF members at their regular forum, and to hear from government departments including DfE, Ofsted, MOD and FCO.

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Programme:

10:00 – 10:10

Session 1 – Welcome and introduction

• Speaker: Dr Chris Pyle, Chair, SBF Executive Committee and Headmaster at Lancaster Royal Grammar School

10:10 – 11:00

The Boarding Landscape

BSA Group update & State of the boarding sector 

• Speaker: David Walker, Director, BSA

NMS update

• Speaker: Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group

Q&A

• Chair: Dr Chris Pyle, Chair, SBF Executive Committee and Headmaster, Lancaster Royal Grammar School

11:00 – 11:15

Break

11:15 – 12:00

Session 2 – International recruitment

• Chair: David Walker, Director, BSA
  • Speaker: Mark Brooks, MBA, Director, Brooks Education

12:00 – 12:15

Break

12:15 – 13:00

Session 3 – Compliance Update

IICSA/Ofsted update

• Speaker: Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group

Q&A

• Chair: Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 14:45

Session 4 – Panelist Discussion

Staff well-being, recruitment and retention – How can we help our boarding schools

• Chair: David Walker, Director, BSA
  • Speaker: Matt Albrighton, Headmaster, Burford School
  • Steve Gardner, Deputy Head, Holyport
  • Helen Cullen, Head, Sexeys
  • Jonathan Webb, Head, Ripon Grammar

14:45 – 15:00

Break

15:00 – 15:45

Session 5 – Supporting vulnerable children

• Chair: David Walker, Director, BSA
  • Speaker: Mark Heywood, Principal, Royal Wolverhampton
  • Railton Blyth, Director of Safeguarding at The Circle Trust

16:00

Close and thanks

• Speaker: Dr Chris Pyle, Chair, SBF Executive Committee and Headmaster at Lancaster Royal Grammar School

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Speakers:

Dr Chris Pyle, Chair, SBF Executive Committee and Headmaster at Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Chris Pyle is Chair of the State Boarding Forum. He has been Head of Lancaster Royal Grammar School since 2012. The school has grown significantly over that period and has welcomed Sixth Form girls as boarders and day students. It has been judged Outstanding in all categories in three successive Ofsted boarding inspections.

Chris was previously Deputy Head of the Perse School, Cambridge. Before becoming a teacher he completed a PhD in Geography at Cambridge University and also worked in the water industry.

He holds the NPQH, is currently studying for the NPQEL in school leadership, and is Executive Lead of the NNW Maths Hub. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and regularly writes resources for schools on natural hazards and environmental change.

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David Walker, Director, BSA

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.

 

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Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group

Dale joined the BSA during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards, having previously been a course tutor since 1998. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s training programme, including both day seminars and accredited training courses. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter and has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our international members. He also liaises with ISI, Ofsted and DfE on matters relating to compliance and inspection standards, and compiles the BSA Self-Assessment toolkit, which he first produced in 2002, since which time he has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding.

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.

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Mark Brooks, MBA, Director, Brooks Education

Mark began his career as a marketing executive with the Financial Times in London and moved on to become the marketing manager for a theological college, and then for a leading boarding school in Oxfordshire. At both establishments Mark revolutionised the student recruitment processes and saw pupil numbers reach record levels. During this time, he also completed an MBA, focusing on schools marketing. His specialisms are marketing strategy, school turnaround and boarding recruitment. He has advised heads and governors at major IAPS, HMC and GSA schools in the UK and overseas. Mark has worked with the British Council, and leading schools such as Roedean, Junior King’s Canterbury, Wycliffe College, Dulwich College and over 100 others. He is a regular conference speaker (IPSEF, AGBIS, British Council, AMDIS, BBSW, and APEN). His Masters in Business Administration (MBA) focused on school strategy and marketing, his final year was sponsored by the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Mark visits at least two independent schools a week and runs marketing initiatives overseas.

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Matt Albrighton, Headmaster, Burford School 

Before working in boarding Matthew worked in the Boys day Sector at KES Edgbaston and Warwick school. Alongside his role as Head of Geography at Wellington College, Matthew coordinated the introduction of the IB Middle Years Programme for students in years 9-11. Carrying principles from the IB forward to St Edward’s he developed an alternative series of qualifications to sit within a middle school suite alongside GCSE.  This involved working with the support of Buckingham University to create a rigorous moderation and authentication process.

Matthew has an almost fervent belief in the value of a broad curriculum in supporting the development of a young person. He is an advocate of the maintenance of sport and the Arts alongside more stereotypical classroom learning all the way through to 18. With this in mind he advocates curriculums such as the IB diploma and perhaps a little overzealous about the Theory of Knowledge course.

Matthew has held a post on senior leadership for 12 years, 9 years at St Edwards as Deputy Head Academic and then latterly as Headteacher at Burford School, an academy of 1500 students in the Cotswolds with Boarding House attached. Throughout Matthew has had oversight of the appraisal process and recognises the importance of defining an overarching educational philosophy to provide guard rails for staff motivation.

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Steve Gardner, Deputy Head, Holyport

Steve is the Deputy Head Master at Holyport College, where he leads on behaviour and boarding. He has worked in boarding schools for 18 years as a teacher of Drama and Theatre Studies, alongside boarding roles that include House Tutor, Housemaster and Director of Boarding. Steve led Holyport through a significant pastoral restructure in 2021 that not only gained an upgrade of Ofsted’s judgements but also instigated an increased commitment to staff wellbeing.

 

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Helen Cullen, Head, Sexeys

Helen is Headteacher of Sexey’s School, an 11-18 years Church of England SBS. Having previously been a Pastoral middle and senior leader well being of staff and students is something Helen is passionate about and during the schools improvement journey has been a key priority. Helen considers herself very fortunate to have the team of staff at Sexey’s that she does and so is always committed to considering and exploring further strategies to support staff well being and in turn recruitment and retention.

 

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Mark Heywood, Principal, Royal Wolverhampton 

Currently Principal/CEO of The Royal School, Wolverhampton an all-through, co-ed, non-selective day and state boarding school of some 1500 pupils in the West Midlands.  Has been in post since 2011, converting from independent school to State Free School/Academy in 2016.  Over past 40 years he has worked in state and independent schools, boarding and day settings in London, Cumbria, Tyneside and now West Midlands.

The Royal School has developed experience in working with Looked After Children (LAC) and UASC for a number of years, the work of which featured in the Independent Review into Children’s Social Care report of 2022 and works closely with the RNSCF Springboard Trust on their Expert Advisory Group to the Government on the potential benefits of boarding in working with vulnerable children.

Mark has taught geography, geology, PE and Games and has a passion for outdoor education and international expeditions.

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Jonathan Webb, Head, Ripon Grammar

Jonathan has been head at Ripon Grammar for nearly 7 years. He was previously Deputy Head at Durham school, having been a Head of Department at Pocklington School. Jonathan began his career at Giggleswick and Manchester Grammar School.

 

 

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Railton Blyth, Director of Safeguarding at The Circle Trust

Member of the Education & Welfare Committee. Lead Governor for: Safeguarding

Railton is the Director of Safeguarding for The Circle Trust as well as Senior Deputy Headteacher at St Crispin’s School. He was previously a PiXL (Partners in Excellence) associate, managed and chaired the local Designated Safeguarding leads network and Secondary Behaviour Leads group as well as chairing the Wokingham Primary/Secondary liaison group. He is currently a Trustee for a local charity that seeks to support young people in navigating their teenage years.

A Historian by training, Railton’s passion lays in Inclusion and Outdoor Education. He is a qualified Forest School leader and he has created bespoke courses to ensure our young people are able to connect with nature and embrace risk away from screens. In 2017, Railton’s work was recognised for his contribution to working with children with Special Educational Needs by being named as Building for the Future’s Teacher of the Year 2017.

Outside of school, Railton’s life is dedicated to his wife and two children (as well as Sooty the dog) as he seeks adventure to create special memories for them. Being a boy from Kent originally, Railton is at one with the sea and as a family, they have a deep love of North Cornwall and the RNLI.