BSA European Boarding Conference
🏷️ From £295
🎧 Heads, Deputies, Bursars, all boarding staff, EAL staff, Admissions and Marketing.
📍 Beau Soleil, Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, Route du Village 1, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
Sponsored by:
Join us at the upcoming BSA European Conference, hosted in person at Beau Soleil, where schools from across the region will come together to connect, collaborate, and share expertise. This year’s programme features a rich mix of research-informed and future-focused sessions, including research-informed boarding spaces, using data to drive boarder recruitment, emerging contextual safeguarding trends, and international boarding developments. Delegates will also benefit from a best-practice panel session and dynamic group discussions exploring the concept of the global village, ensuring a varied and thought-provoking experience for all attendees.
Programme will include:
- Research informed boarding spaces
- Using data to drive boarder recruitment
- Contextual boarding safeguarding trends
- International boarding trends
- Key inclusion issues and trends in Europe
- Panel session – sharing best practice
- Group discussions – global village
Programme:
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2026
11:00 – 11:15 Welcome
11:15 – 11:45 International boarding trends
Analysing global developments influencing international boarding provision, demand, and student experience.
- Speaker: David Walker FTIOB, Executive Director, Boarding and Director, BSA/TIOB
11:45 – 12:30 SESSION 2
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch and networking
13:30 – 14:15 Research informed boarding spaces
Exploring how current research and evidence can shape the design and operation of boarding environments to improve student wellbeing and outcomes.
- Speaker: Noble + Eaton
14:15 – 15:30 Key inclusion issues and trends in Europe
Identifying current inclusion challenges and best practice across European boarding schools, with a focus on equity and belonging.
- Speaker: Gaelle Sullivan, Director of Research, Inclusion and IELA
15:30 – 16:15 Refreshments and networking
16:15 – 17:00 Panel session – sharing best practice
A collaborative discussion bringing together sector experts to share practical insights, lessons learned, and effective approaches.
17:00 Day 1 conference close
THURSDAY 12 MARCH 2026
09:30 – 10:15 Contextual boarding safeguarding trends
Understanding emerging safeguarding risks and protective factors within the wider social, cultural, and digital contexts of boarding life.
- Speaker: Dale Wilkins, Executive Director Accreditation/Compliance, BSA Group
10:15 – 11:00 Using data to drive boarder recruitment
Examining how data insights can inform targeted, ethical, and effective strategies for recruiting boarders in a competitive market.
- Speaker: IGTM
11:00 – 11:30 Refreshments and networking
11:30 – 12:30 Group discussions – global village
Facilitated small-group conversations encouraging diverse perspectives and shared learning across international boarding communities.
12;30 Lunch and conference close
Speakers:
Dale Wilkins, Executive Director, Scotland/Wales and Accredited/Compliance
Dale joined the BSA in 2017 to lead safeguarding, inspection, and compliance across the UK, building on his experience as a course tutor since 1998. He works closely with ISI, Ofsted, and DfE, and oversees the Group’s work in Scotland and Wales. A trainer and consultant for BSA and SACPA, Dale is Vice Chair of SAFCAB. Previously, he was a boarding practitioner for 31 years, including Housemaster and Deputy Head at Old Swinford Hospital. He also trains for the Methodist Church, is a trustee of the National Youth String Orchestra, chairs a performing arts charity, and volunteers in sport and Scouting.
David Walker FTIOB, Executive Director, Boarding and Director, BSA/TIOB
David Walker has over 20 years’ experience in boarding education, having worked in a variety of schools across the UK and Africa. His career includes leadership roles in both senior and prep school settings, complemented by service as a prep school governor and trustee of a multi-academy trust. Before joining the BSA, David was Deputy Head Pastoral at a large co-educational independent school in the South-East, where he oversaw student welfare and pastoral care. His extensive background in safeguarding, boarding leadership, and governance gives him a broad perspective on the sector, enabling him to support schools in delivering outstanding pastoral provision.
Gaelle Sullivan, Director of Research, Inclusion and IELA
Gaelle is Director of Research, Inclusion and IELA and joined the BSA in January 2023. She is an experienced senior leader and has worked in a range of state and independent schools. She is a qualified SENCO and holds a Masters Degree in Inclusive Education. Prior to joining the BSA, Gaelle was Deputy Head Pastoral, DSL and Head of Boarding at an all-girls independent school in the South-East.
