Annual Conference for Heads
🏷️ Included in 2025/26 membership for UK full members; £750 for international full members; £1,125 for affiliates and day schools; £1,500 for non-members
🏠 Accommodation not included
🎧 Heads
📍 Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon
Headline sponsors:
“As a boarding head you can’t afford not to be there.”
We look forward to welcoming Heads from our member schools to the Annual Conference for Heads, taking place May 5–6, 2026. This year’s theme is ‘Much ado about boarding: as you lead it’.
All UK full member schools receive one complimentary delegate place; however, an RSVP is essential to confirm your booking.
This two-day event will bring together Heads to learn, share, and debate all things boarding, exploring the latest challenges and opportunities for leaders in our sector.
The conference will also feature the BSA Annual Awards and Conference Dinner, which will be held on May 5, 2026.
Sessions will include:
- A new era with Henry Price, BSA Chair 2026 and Head, Oakham School
- The rationale & joy of boarding with Sir Nicholas Coleridge CBE DL, Provost, Eton College
- The Big Bold Mindset with Casper Craven, Bestselling Author & Leadership Consultant
- Neurodiversity with Ayo Sokale, Founder & CEO, Tessellated Future Technology
- Educating in a time of increasing complexity with Naheed Bardai, Principal, UWC Atlantic
- Next-generation governance with Richard Harman, CEO, AGBIS
- Mergers & acquisitions with Neil Mahapatra, Chair, BSA Group; Julie Robinson, CEO, ISC; Sian Champkin, Partner, VWV
- The global outlook for boarding with Richard Stokes, CEO, Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA)
- The AI leadership tools in the toolbox with Heidi Reid, CEO, i-Dat
- Key safeguarding and compliance trends with Dale Wilkins FTIOB, Executive Director, Compliance, BSA Group
- Child Student visas & UKVI compliance in 2026 with Kate Hollyer MTIOB, Partner and Director, BSA Legal
- Getting the most from your BSA membership with Robin Fletcher MTIOB, CEO, BSA Group
- Rethinking international student travel with David Williams, CEO, I-GTM
- Travel records that open doors with Michael Barcroft, CTO & Andrew Steven, School Liaison, I-GTM
- School transport with Alex Taggett, Global Director Growth & Dominic Kalantary, Founder, Vectare
- Performances from #BoardingRocks students, supported by The Band Project, including Bromsgrove and Sidcot
It’s always stimulating and thought-provoking to meet colleagues and to hear from speakers with a range of different experiences.
Exhibiting and sponsorship: We are delighted to be able to offer sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at this event. For full details please reach out to Neil Rust, Head of Commercial neil.rust@bsagroup.org.uk or Laura Brain, Senior Commercial Consultant, laura.brain@bsagroup.org.uk or call on +44 (0)207 798 1580.
Really good opportunity to step away from the hubbub of school life for a couple of days, do some free thinking and come away with new ideas.
Conference chair:
Henry Price, BSA Chair 2026 and Head, Oakham School
Henry has been Headmaster of Oakham School since September 2019. A Classics graduate of Oxford University, he brings over 30 years of experience in the boarding sector. A boarder himself and former Housemaster, Henry has worked at Sherborne, Rugby, Wellington School and Oakham. Henry is a strong advocate of the value of boarding and its benefits to pupils and families, and deeply committed to all the staff who support and enrich these precious communities.
Speakers:
Sir Nicholas Coleridge CBE DL, Provost, Eton College
Nicholas is the Provost of Eton College and Chairman of Historic Royal Palaces.
He is a former Chairman of HM The King’s Campaign for Wool, as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Fashion Council.
He was Co-Chair of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
For thirty years, he was successively Editorial Director, Managing Director, President and then Chairman of the Conde Nast Publishing Group.
He is the author of 14 books and commissioned a folly in Worcestershire by the architect Quinlan Terry.
Casper Craven, Bestselling Author & Leadership Consultant
Caspar Craven is a leading authority on the Mindset needed to achieve Big Bold Goals through Effective Leadership and Teamwork. A serial entrepreneur, he has built and sold a tech business for a 7 figure sum, worked as a CFO and at KPMG. He has twice sailed round the world – the first time as a team leader on a trophy winning racing yacht in the BT Global Challenge in 2000/1 and the second time as captain and team leader of his family team in 2014/16 with his wife and three young children under 10 years of age.
Ayo Sokale, Founder & CEO, Tessellated Future Technology
Ayo Sokale is a Chartered Civil Engineer, BBC presenter and Labour councillor, combining expertise in engineering, media and public service. She works as a Project Manager and BIM lead for the Environment Agency in Eastern England, achieving CEng within three years. Recognised as one of ICE President Robert Mair’s Future Leaders and an ICE Water Superhero, she promotes sustainability and STEM careers as a mentor and ambassador. Ayo is also a public speaker and BBC Reel presenter, and has supported charities through pageantry platforms. She was nominated for Top 50 Women in Engineering under 35 initiative recognising outstanding early-career professionals.
Naheed Bardai, Principal, UWC Atlantic
Naheed became Head of UWC Atlantic in August 2021. His leadership is rooted in the belief that education is a moral endeavour grounded in pluralism, integrity, generosity, and trust. He previously served as Head of Upper School at Upper Canada College in Toronto and as Dean of Students and Principal of the Senior School at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. He holds degrees from Western University, UBC, UCL’s Institute of Education, and Teachers College, Columbia University. Naheed is committed to educational innovation, leading the development of the Systems Transformation Pathway to prepare young people for complex global challenges through agency, ethical judgement, and systems thinking.
Richard Harman, CEO, AGBIS
Richard Harman was educated at The King’s School, Worcester, followed by Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read English. Having spent two years working for an academic publisher, he decided his real vocation was in teaching. After five years at Marlborough College teaching English and Drama, during which time he also completed his PGCE at Exeter University, he spent 12 years at Eastbourne College. Progressing from Head of English to Housemaster of a Sixth Form girls’ house to member of the Senior Management Team, he then became Headmaster of Aldenham in September 2000 and thence to Uppingham in 2006. After a decade leading Uppingham and 32 years overall in teaching, he embarked on a third career as Chief Executive of AGBIS. Richard is much enjoying the challenges at AGBIS, having been Chairman of the Boarding Schools’ Association for 2011-12 and Chairman of HMC for 2014-15.
Neil Mahapatra, Chair, BSA Group
Neil is the founder / CEO of EV Charging Business Zapgo, and a founder / Partner at Kingsley Capital Partners in London, which creates new businesses in growing markets.
A former music scholar and house captain at Eton College, Neil has served as President of the Oxford Union and was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Business School. He has also been Chair of Governors at Michaela Community School in Wembley and for over a decade, was Chair of Trustees of the MASS Design Group, a leading architecture firm that designs & builds projects promoting health, social justice and human dignity.
Julie Robinson, CEO, ISC
Julie was head of Ardingly College Junior School and then Vinehall Prep School in Sussex before becoming education and training director for the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS). At IAPS, she served on the Standing Group of Teachers Associations and the Independent Schools Examination Board. Julie also chaired the Independent Schools Council’s Cross Association Leadership Group. In 2015, Julie became General Secretary of the ISC, representing schools across the independent education sector. She serves on the School Partnerships Oversight Board for the Department for Education promoting independent-state school partnership work. Julie liaises with influencers in education across schools, government and the media, serving the interests of ISC constituent associations and member schools.
Sian Champkin, Partner, VWV
Siân is a Partner in the corporate education transactions team, specialising almost exclusively in the education sector and leading complex, high-profile deals. She combines strong commercial experience with expertise in bridging charitable and commercial interests. She advises independent schools from early strategy, including mergers, through to completion and post-merger integration. Siân supports leading schools and education groups on acquisitions and transaction structuring. Clients value her commercial, knowledgeable, and approachable style. She serves on the Governing Board at Ardingly College, writes “Merger Watch” for Independent School Management, and regularly speaks at sector events, sharing insights on trends and policy impacts.
Richard Stokes, CEO, Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA)
Richard Stokes is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA). He began his career in boarding in 1980 at Immanuel College, Adelaide, before moving to Brisbane in 1982 to St Peters Lutheran College, where he served as Assistant Senior Boarding Master and later Coordinator of Boarding. In 1996, Richard became Dean of Residential Care at St Joseph’s Nudgee College, overseeing a boarding program of nearly 600 boys until 2005. Involved with ABSA since 1985, he has held numerous leadership roles and became its first Executive Director in 2007. He achieved Certified Association Executive (CAE) status in June 2024.
David Williams, CEO, I-GTM
David is the co-founder of I-GTM, the leading provider of a travel record-keeping and management solution designed specifically for UK boarding schools. His mission is to ensure that schools receive precisely what they need from I-GTM — capturing accurate records of the boarder roll and streamlining travel planning while enhancing safeguarding, efficiency, and compliance. I-GTM’s technology addresses the challenges of student travel, offering a centralised platform that empowers schools to oversee, monitor, and manage travel records with confidence.
Rob Eastment, Head of Marketing (EMEA), Veracross
Rob Eastment is Head of Marketing (EMEA) at Veracross, having worked in education since 1998. Rob taught in a range of different schools, where as Head of IT and then as a Deputy Head, one of his roles has been responsibility for digital strategy and staff development. Rob is an advocate of Growth Mindset and has worked extensively with the Flipped Learning model, both as a teacher and in helping others implement it in the classroom.
Michael Barcroft, CTO & Andrew Steven, School Liaison, I-GTM
Alex Taggett, Global Director Growth, Vectare
Dominic Kalantary, Founder, Vectare
Heidi Reid, CEO, i-Dat
Speakers from the BSA team:
David Walker, Executive Director, Boarding & Education and Director, BSA/TIOB
David is the Executive Director, Boarding and Director BSA/TIOB and joined the BSA group in August 2023. He has over 20 years’ experience in boarding schools and has worked in a range of schools in the UK and Africa, alongside being a prep school governor and a trustee of a MAT. Before taking up his post at the BSA, David was Deputy Head Pastoral at a large co-ed independent school in the South-East.
Robin Fletcher MTIOB, CEO
Robin Fletcher is CEO of BSA Group, comprising BAISIS (British Association of Independent Schools with International Students), BSA (Boarding Schools’ Association), BSA Legal, HIEDA (Health in Education Association) SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association) and TIOB (The Institute of Boarding). A former journalist, editor and communications director, Robin is a non-executive director of the manufacturers’ trade body Make UK, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University.
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.
Kate Hollyer, Partner and Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
A qualified solicitor with over 14 years’ experience in UK immigration law, Kate advises and supports members on a full range of immigration matters. Before joining BSA in 2022, Kate was Partner and Head of Department at a leading UK law firm, where she built extensive expertise in complex immigration cases. Since 2014, Kate has lived in boarding houses alongside her Housemaster husband, giving her a unique, first-hand perspective on the challenges and opportunities of boarding life.
Mark Mortimer, Director of Defence and Military Services, BSA Group
Mark spent eight years as an infantry officer in the British Army, was briefly a management consultant, and then spent 25 years working in boarding schools; he was the Head of three BSA and HMC schools in both England and Scotland and was also the HMC Representative to the CCF Association and to the Armed Forces. He spent ten years on the HMC Professional Development Committee, was an ISI inspector, and a board member of the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS). He has twice rowed across the Atlantic, completed the Marathon des Sables and cycled through the Arctic Circle.
