BSA virtual day seminar: Leading a Boarding Team

• Date: June 29, 2022
• Time: 10:30 – 15:30
• Cost: Full Member – £135, Affiliate Member – £205, Non-member – £270
• Audience: Boarding staff, Head of Boarding, Deputy Head.
• Platform: Zoom (online)

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 day to day 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 make up 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 outcomes for students
• 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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Speaker: Dale Wilkins, Director of Safeguarding, Professional Development and Accreditation 

Dale joined the BSA during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s accredited training programme. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter, the Annual Safeguarding conference, and the Safeguarding Forum. He has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our overseas members.

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 and has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding since 2002. Dale had previously been a BSA course tutor since 1998 and developed the BSA Self-Assessment Toolkit.

Speaker: Ammy Davies-Potter, Director of Inclusion and Guardianship

Ammy joined the BSA Group as Director of Guardianship and Inclusion in 2020. She qualified as a teacher in 1991 and then spent her career in boarding school roles. Prior to that, she was educated at Downend School, Bristol. Gaining a First-Class degree in Human Biology and Geology from Hertfordshire University, she then went on to study for a PGCE at the University of Oxford. She holds an MEd from the University of Bristol and is working towards her MA in Inclusive Education at Bath Spa University. She initially taught at Bromsgrove School and then at St John’s College School Cambridge, before moving in 1995 to become a Housemistress at Westonbirt School. In 2010 she joined St Mary’s Calne, initially as a Housemistress and subsequently joining the SLT as Senior Mistress and DSL and finally as Deputy Head (Pastoral).

Prior to moving on to post-graduate study, she spent a year working for the NHS in the field of genetics. She completed her NPQH in 2000 as well as her AMBDA and APC in 2019. When she isn’t working, Ammy can be found spending time with her family, exploring parts of the UK and abroad or walking the Pembrokeshire coastal path with her Labrador Odin.