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BSA European Boarding Conference
🏷️ FREE for BSA members, with thanks to our sponsors Noble + Eaton and I-GTM
🎧 Heads, Deputies, Bursars, Houseparents, EAL staff, Admissions and Marketing
📍 Beau Soleil, Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, Route du Village 1, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
🏠Accommodation not included
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
10:30 – 11:00 Registration
11:00 – 11:15 Welcome
- Speaker: Benjamin Turner, Principal, Beau Soleil
11:15 – 11:45 Keynote Talk – The Stories That Shape Us: Belonging, Boarding, and Shared Purpose
- Speaker: David Walker FTIOB, Executive Director, Boarding and Director, BSA/TIOB
11:45 – 12:30 Panel session – sharing best practice
A collaborative discussion bringing together sector experts to share practical insights, lessons learned, and effective approaches.
Panel:
- Jane White, Vice Principal, Beau Soleil
- Eric Turner, Director of Residential Life, Leysin American School, Switzerland
- Joss Bagnall, Assistant Head (IBDP Coordinator), Aiglon
- Gaelle Sullivan, Director of Research, Inclusion and IELA
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: Dr Joanne Ladds, Associate Education Consultant, Noble + Eaton
14:15 – 15:15 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
15:15 – 16:00 Refreshments and networking
16:00 – 16:30Â Â 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
16:30 Tour of boarding/campus
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:Â Dale Wilkins, Executive Director Accreditation/Compliance, BSA Group
10:15 – 11:00 Beyond the school gates: How the journey shapes the boarding experience
Welcoming and supporting students before they even arrive.
- Speaker: David Williams, CEO, 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:
Benjamin Turner, Principal, Beau Soleil
Ben Turner began his teaching career in the United Kingdom and has spent the past twenty years working in international education across three continents. His career has taken him to schools in Mexico, Vietnam, and Budapest, where he has held a range of senior leadership roles, including Head of Department, Assistant Head, Deputy Head, Head of Secondary, and Principal.
Throughout his career, Ben has led initiatives and departments spanning mathematics, curriculum and learning, pedagogy, pastoral care, sustainability, student leadership, and service learning.
He is passionate about creating a holistic educational experience in which intellectual growth is complemented by character development, ensuring that students benefit from a school environment rich in opportunity and meaningful experiences.
Ben Joined Beau Soleil in August 2025
Jane White, Vice Principal, Beau Soleil
Jane White is Vice Principal at Beau Soleil. In a long and happy career spanning three countries and six (very) different boarding schools, she has held a variety of leadership roles across every aspect of school life. Her six years as Housemistress of a large and lively girls boarding house in the south of England remains a highlight, and opened her eyes to quite how much students can learn and grow, in so many different ways, with the benefit of a boarding education. In her ten years at Beau Soleil, Jane has first driven, then supported the development of an extraordinary full time boarding community, starting with a classic British boarding structure and stretching it to include every possible piece of fun, collaboration, competition and the wholehearted pastoral support and guidance that allow all these things to happen.
Joss Bagnall, Assistant Head (IBDP Coordinator), Aiglon
Joss Bagnall began her career at Ryde School with Upper Chine on the Isle of Wight, serving as Teacher and then Head of Geography alongside Round Square Coordinator. A passionate educator and IB examiner, she resided in a boarding house while her husband served as Housemaster. Joss later moved to Portugal to lead the authorisation and implementation of the IB Diploma Programme. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives in global exchanges, sustainability as well as outdoor leadership. Joss has recently moved to Aiglon College where she is now Assistant Head (IBDP Coordinator).
Eric Turner, Director of Residential Life, Leysin American School, Switzerland
A 30-year veteran of boarding schools, Eric Turner is the Director of Residential Life at Leysin American School, where he oversees all aspects of residential life, health services, counseling, student leadership, and social-emotional learning. Over the course of his career, he has also served as Dean of Students and Director of Enrollment Management at schools in the United States.
As a boarding school alumnus himself, Eric understands the experience well. He knows how to recruit families and build strong communities, and he also believes residential life is about more than supervision. It’s about creating a true home away from home, where students feel known, supported, and cared for within their residential communities.
Joanne Ladds, Associate Education Consultant, Noble + Eaton
Joanne is an educational consultant and learning space designer with two decades of experience in the education sector. With a lifetime devoted to learning, Joanne’s work shows an unwavering dedication to creating thriving educational spaces. As a consultant, researcher, and speaker, Joanne is a member of the Noble+Eaton team part of the Envoplan Group. Joanne is passionate about educational change and is dedicated to creating strategically designed and inclusive learning spaces. Her approach is deeply rooted in evidence-led and pupil-centric methodologies that foster growth and encourage all students to thrive.
David Williams, CEO, IGTM
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.
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.
