Supporting AQF best practice
Train. Connect. Place pupils with confidence.
Education agents and consultants play a vital role in helping international families make one of their most important decisions: choosing the right school for their child.
The BSA/BAISIS Agent Academy brings together specialist AQF standard training, practical guidance and direct access to the British boarding sector, helping agents give families informed, ethical and child-centred advice.
The Agent Quality Framework (AQF) applies to all UK education providers on the register of licensed Student sponsors who partner with agents. The AQF sets out the standards by which UK education providers are expected to manage their agents.
Through the academy, agents can obtain the BSA/BAISIS Agent Academy AQF Training Certificate; to develop expertise in boarding, international student support, safeguarding, UKVI and immigration.
BSA and BAISIS are the only boarding and international school sector partners (child student route specialists) that co-developed the AQF. The framework promotes high standards, transparency and good practice in international child student and student recruitment.
Working together, BSA and BAISIS provide specialist agent training recognised within AQF. Our training is designed to support agents to understand and apply AQF principles, the National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Education Agents and the requirements of working with international children, under the age of 18, who attend UK schools (day and boarding) and their families.
BSA and BAISIS are not for profit membership organisations specialising in boarding and international education sector support for pupils, parents, schools, agents and partners.
1. BSA/BAISIS Agent Academy AQF Training Certificate
Specialist training and certification for education agents:
- FREE BSA Certified Agents
- £99 non-BSA Certified Agent
Achieve the BSA/BAISIS Agent Academy AQF Training Certificate and build the specialist knowledge you need to work effectively with British boarding schools. The certificate covers:
- the UK boarding-school sector
- supporting international pupils
- choosing the right school for each child
- ethical and professional agent practice
- safeguarding and student welfare
- UKVI and the Child Student route
- building effective, long-term relationships with schools.
The certificate is open to all education agents / consultants and is designed to support good practice in line with the AQF and National Code. This training certifies individuals not organisations and can be shared with schools as evidence of meeting AQF standards.
Start training. Build knowledge. Take the next step.
2. Become a BSA Certified Agent
For agents who want a deeper relationship with the British boarding sector, the AQF-recognised BSA Certified Agent Scheme offers much more than training.
BSA Certified Agents join a professional network connected to more than 640 BSA member schools, meaning increased visibility, direct opportunities to connect with schools, sector intelligence and ongoing professional development.
- Year 1: registration and certification £1,800
- Years 2 & 3: re-registration £250 per year.
Benefits include:
- The BSA/BAISIS Agent Academy AQF Training Certificate. Certification of completion is valid for two years and recognises training undertaken. Via this route all agency team members can be trained and certificates can be shared with schools as evidence of meeting AQF standards (worth £99 per person).
- Two FREE places each year on BSA training days, including relevant safeguarding training (worth over £3,000)
- 50% discounted access to wider BSA or BAISIS conferences, events and CPD, including BAISIS/BSA’s biannual UKVI Immigration Conference
- Dedicated agent newsletter, including UKVI, legislative and sector updates
- Listing on the BSA website and use of the BSA Certified Agent logo
- Introductions and opportunities to connect with BSA’s 650+ member schools
- complimentary ICEF Agency Status (IAS) for three years, subject to ICEF’s applicable eligibility and verification requirements; (worth £200 per event)
- 45 minutes free immigration support per year BSA Legal* (worth over £600 per year for 45 minutes).
- Free attendance at BSA/ISS Agents Connect events (worth £200 per event).
*BSA Legal: specialist immigration support for agents and their clients
BSA Legal is BSA Group’s specialist immigration law firm, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Its team has specialist expertise in immigration matters affecting independent and boarding schools, including the Child Student and Student routes, and supports schools, international students, agents and their families.
BSA Certified Agents can also access specialist immigration support, including 15 minutes of complimentary immigration advice per term and preferential rates for selected immigration services, including CAS and family immigration support, subject to BSA Legal’s applicable terms, scope and fees.
3. Train. Connect. Grow.
Being part of the BSA network is about more than training. It is also about building strong, trusted relationships with schools.
With over 650 schools in 50 countries worldwide, BSA and BAISIS have supported schools as sector experts for more than 60 years, providing the sector with a recognised benchmark of care and safeguarding commitment.
Our school-and-agent networking events are designed around meaningful conversations rather than traditional recruitment-fair encounters, giving agents opportunities to meet schools, share market insight and build long-term relationships with admissions and senior leadership teams.
Upcoming opportunities
- FREE – BSA/BAISIS School-Agent networking event
Headington School, Oxford. November 24, 2026 - £POA – Agents’ Corner: BSA Annual Conference for Heads
(Agent table & conference attendance – meet Heads of BSA’s leading schools)
Hilton Metropole Brighton. April 27-28, 2027 - More regional networking opportunities will be announced soon.
More knowledge. Stronger relationships. Better student outcomes.
