Origins: The Boarding Schools' Association was established in 1965 following a conference held in Cambridge to discuss the research into boarding education being carried out by Dr Royston Lambert, then fellow of King's College.
There was felt a need for an Association of all interested in boarding education, and the first full conference of the newly established Association was held at Keble College, Oxford, in June, 1966.
Membership: Membership is open to all schools with boarders which are accredited to the Independent School's Joint Council (ISJC), to schools in membership of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), and also to state maintained boarding schools (which may then also become members of the State Boarding Schools' Information Service - STABIS). Membership also may be offered to boarding schools overseas at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Current membership comprises over 450 schools (fully boarding, weekly boarding, or day schools with boarding provision) which may be independent, maintained, grant-maintained, co-educational or single-sex; preparatory or secondary.
Associate Membership: Associate Membership is open to other individuals and bodies at the discretion of the Executive Committee. They will be entitled to receive the magazine and details of conferences and other Association initiatives. Associate membership is open to former heads of member schools and anyone else interested in the cause of boarding.
Aims: The Association is committed to the view that boarding education, either for the whole or part of a child's school career, is of benefit to many children and is essential to some.
The aims are therefore:
1. To provide information about boarding and boarding schools which are in membership of BSA
2. To promote the boarding provided by all types of boarding schools
3. To initiate training for all categories of boarding staff
4. To conduct and authorise appropriate research
5. To co-operate with other bodies concerned with boarding education
6. To maintain a regular dialogue with appropriate Government Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Local Government Officials
Activities:
1. Residential Conferences to communicate good practice, different ideas and experience. Four conferences are held annually: Housemasters and Housemistresses; Heads and representatives of their member associations; Matrons and medical staff; Deputy heads
2. Publication of the magazine 'Boarding School', occasional papers on all matters of moment, research on boarding issues, articles of interest on boarding education, and an annual 'Directory of Maintained Boarding Schools' (through the State Boarding Information Service)
3. Promotion of the benefits of boarding education
4. Regular meetings with those who influence policy at national level
5. The establishment of accredited training qualifications for all staff working in boarding schools
Organisation: At the Annual General Meeting, held at the Heads' Conference, Officers of the Association are elected together with the Executive Committee, the composition of which reflects the categories of schools in membership. Co-opted members will include representatives of the Independent Schools' Information Service (ISIS) and the agency for service children's education (SCE).
Training and Boarding Promotion Committees include Executive members and co-opted representatives of ISIS and of all the organisations in membership of ISJC.
The Association has a permanent General Secretary and a Conference Organiser. The Honorary Treasurer is usually a Bursar from a member school.
For further information on the Boarding Schools' Association, including STABIS, please contact the General Secretary.
