60 Years of Boarding Excellence

2025-26 proudly marks BSA’s 60th anniversary – six decades of championing the boarding sector since our founding in 1965. To honour this milestone, we’re launching a year-long celebration filled with special events, stories, and initiatives designed to unite the global boarding community and showcase the sector.

Much has changed over the years, but our mission to be the voice of boarding remains. Today, we are proud to represent over 4,500 schools, organisations, and individuals across more than 40 countries.

We’re inviting members to join our celebrations throughout the year and there’s plenty to get involved with…

  • #BoardingsBestGamers: 4-week esports tournament, launching November 7, 2025
  • #BSABear: follow Bear on a tour of BSA’s schools to meet boarders and take part in everything boarding life has to offer!
  • Boarding School Book of Remembrance (BOBOR): online record to commemorate boarders who lost their lives or served
  • #iloveboarding: share your ‘#iloveboarding because’ videos and quotes as we spread boarding positivity far and wide
  • #BoardingArchives: send us your archive photos for a dose of ’60s nostalgia as we look back at how the boarding experience has changed over the years

And so much more to be announced…

💌 Help us spread boarding positivity

#iloveboarding

About: Help us in our mission to spread boarding positivity by: 

  1. Posting on social media using #iloveboarding 
  2. Emailing a 20-30 second ‘#iloveboarding because’ video
  3. Emailing a 20-30 word quote about boarding and a photo  

BSA works with schools in more than 40 countries, welcoming students from around the world. We are therefore keen to source translations of ‘I love boarding’ for as many languages as possible, so schools can be inclusive with their messaging. So far we have: 

Afrikaans: Ek is lief vir koshuislewe 
Dutch: Ik hou van het internaat  
French: J’adore l’internat  
Spanish: Me encanta ser interno 
Welsh: Rwyn caru preswylio  

When: 2025-26 and beyond

How to get involved: Please post on social media or email us suggestions. We will be sharing a range of submissions throughout the year. 

You may also be interested in: On October 4, 2025, BSA member schools celebrated international students using #InternationalBoardingDay.

#BoardingArchives

About: We’re diving into member school archives to bring boarding memories from the ’60s back to life! How has boarding life and boarding provision transformed in your school over the years?

When: 2025-26

How to get involved: Send your archive photos to bsa@boarding.org.uk for consideration or share your own #BoardingArchives images from the ’60s on social media tagging BSA.

🐻 BSA Bear

Follow Biscuit BSA Bear

About: BSA Bear is off on a big 60th anniversary adventure, visiting BSA member prep schools across the country. ​Spending a week with your boarders, joining in lessons, heading out on trips, and getting stuck in to all your favourite house activities. BSA Bear loves making new friends and learning all about boarding life.​ Bear’s boarding school tour began at Millfield Prep School on October 7, 2025.

Thank you to everyone who signed up to host BSA Bear – we’ve had an amazing response and the tour is now fully booked! You can still follow Bear’s adventures across the country by keeping an eye on the hashtag #BSABear and our updates on social media.

Current miles travelled: 63.2 miles

🐻 You can also track Biscuit’s journey below to see which schools he’ll be visiting next…

  1. Millfield Prep
  2. Embley School 
  3. Twyford School
  4. Peter Symonds College
  5. Prior’s Field school
  6. Bede’s
  7. Holmewood House School
  8. Earlscliffe
  9. Brighton College Prep Handcross
  10. Papplewick school
  11. Leighton Park School
  12. St George’s school
  13. MPW
  14. Westminster Abbey Choir School
  15. Bishops Stortford College
  16. Oxford International College
  17. Tudor Hall School
  18. Bromsgrove School
  19. Malvern St James School
  20. The Elms School
  21. Sherborne Girls
  22. Taunton Prep School
  23. Hazlegrove
  24. Bryanston Prep School
  25. Saint Felix School
  26. Repton Prep
  27. Tettenhall College
  28. Moreton Hall School
  29. St Leonards

🕊 Boarding School Book of Remembrance

BOBOR

About: The Boarding School Book of Remembrance (BOBOR) commemorates boarders who have lost their lives at war, or contributed or served in other ways. An online record was launched in September 2025 in line with BSA’s 60th anniversary and shortly after the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Where: bobor.org.uk

How to get involved: School archivists are invited to submit data to be added to the online record. View the latest BOBOR newsletter here for more information.

🎮 Boarding's Best Gamers

Compete against BSA schools worldwide

About: We’re launching a Friday-night esports tournament to unite your boarding house. Assemble your best team – or teams – and compete against other BSA member schools to see if your house has what it takes to claim victory (and gaming prizes).

When: Over four Fridays from 6pm, starting November 7, 2025.

Where: Online

Open to: All BSA member schools, including affiliate members and international schools

Available games: Choose between Rocket League and 6-Minute Chess (or submit teams for both)

Team size: Three players per team, with multiple teams welcome.

Cost: £90/team.

FAQs: More information, including technical requirements, is available here.

How to get involved: Complete the registration form by October 31, 2025.