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…

  • #iloveboarding campaign: tell us what boarding means to you. Share your ‘#iloveboarding because’ videos and quotes with us as we spread boarding positivity far and wide
  • International Boarding Day 2025: we’re spotlighting ‘Unique Identities’ this October through international boarding history, heritage and people and what this means to our international membership.
  • #BoardingArchives campaign: send us your archive photos for a dose of 60’s nostalgia as we look back at how the boarding experience has changed over the years
  • BSA Bear: follow Bear on a tour of BSA’s prep schools to meet boarders and take part in everything boarding life has to offer!
  • Boarding Book of Remembrance (BOBOR): BOBOR is an online record to commemorate boarders who lost their lives in war and and live from September 19.

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 email us suggestions. We will be sharing a range of submissions throughout the year. 

#BoardingArchive

  • About: We’re diving into member school archives to bring boarding memories from the 60’s 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 #BoardingArchive images from the 60’s on social media tagging BSA.

#InternationalBoardingDay

  • About: BSA International Boarding Day takes place annually in October each year. The celebration recognises the individual experiences within boarding communities worldwide. Join us for this year’s International Boarding Day celebration with a 60th anniversary twist! The theme for 2025 is ‘Unique Identities’.
  • When: October 4, 2025
  • How to get involved: Find out more and download a poster for your boarding houses here.

🐻 BSA Bear

Host BSA Bear at your school

  • 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.​
  • When: Bear’s boarding school tour begins at Millfield Prep School on October 7, 2025.
  • How to get involved: Participating schools will receive BSA Bear in the post, and after a fun-filled week, it’s time to send bear on to the next stop. Don’t forget to share your adventures with Bear using the hashtag #BSABear so we can all follow along.​ To request to host Bear, please complete the form below.
Host BSA Bear

🕊 Boarding Book of Remembrance

BOBOR

  • About: The Boarding Book of Remembrance (BOBOR) commemorates boarders who have lost their lives at war. An online record of the fallen will be launched in September in line with BSA’s 60th anniversary and shortly after the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
  • When: From September 19
  • 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.