Staff and Members - FAQs

HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD A HOUSEMASTER/HOUSEMISTRESS WORK?
Most of our member schools are independent, with their own terms and conditions for staff. Reputable boarding schools will have contracts of employment, as advised by their professional associations, but possibly varying according to the type and circumstances of the school - do housestaff also teach? Are there House tutors as well as houseparents etc?

Everyone is aware that the role of a houseparent is very demanding, but it is also considered one of the most fulfilling and deeply satisfying of all the roles a member of staff in a boarding school could have.
Advice on this topic is available to Bursars on the website of the ISBA.
BSA does not intervene in matters of dispute between Heads and staff. Should a member of staff feel he or she has cause for concern, our advice is always to talk directly to the Head, who may be unaware that there is a difficulty and may be able to resolve it quickly.

HOW HAVE BOARDING INSPECTIONS CHANGED?
ISI will assume responsibility for the inspection of boarding welfare in  independent boarding schools fropm September 2011, although such inspections are unlikley to occur before January 2012 as the inspection teams are trained and the framework developed.

Details of the new NMS (20 of them) were published in July 2011 and the new inspection framework is expected in the Autumn term. Watch this space and the BSA news pages for further details.