Disconnected? Tech and wellbeing in boarding
🏷️ From £99
🎧 Heads, Deputy and Assistant Headteachers, Boarding staff, Pastoral staff, senior leaders, School nurses, matrons
đź“Ť Royal Russell School, Croydon
Course content:
Disconnected? Tech and Wellbeing in Boarding explores the complex relationship between young people, technology, and wellbeing in modern boarding environments. Bringing together expert insights, current research, and student perspectives, the conference will examine how digital life is shaping adolescent development, relationships, and mental health.
From understanding the evolving digital landscape and the rise of AI companions, to supporting students in maintaining a healthy balance online, sessions will provide practical strategies for schools to respond effectively. The programme also creates space to hear directly from pupils, offering valuable, real-world insight into their experiences.
This conference aims to equip boarding staff with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to support students in navigating an increasingly connected world while safeguarding their wellbeing
PROGRAMME
10:00 – 10:30
Registration and refreshments
10:30 – 11:30
Session one – The current landscape
Speaker: Amy Lockwood, Childnet
11:30 -12:30
Session two – More Than a Chatbot: Understanding  AI Companions in Teenage LivesÂ
This session explores the latest UK research on how young people are using AI chatbots for friendships, relationships and emotional support. The benefits and risks for adolescent development, and practical steps schools can take ahead of updated ISI expectations in September 2026
Speaker: Alicia Drummond, Founder of Teen Tips Ltd
12:30 – 13:30
Networking Lunch
13:30 – 14:30
Session three – The Digital Balancing Act – Protecting adolescent mental health in an online worldÂ
Kasia will share findings from the DIORA study, part of the UKRI-funded Digital Youth programme. This research looked at how different online activities can affect young people’s mental health, identifying which ones may increase risk and why. She will also explore how aware young people are of the impact of their online experiences on mental health, and what they can do to stay well online, highlighting Digital Balance animations designed to help them better understand and navigate the digital world.
Speaker: Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne, Developmental Psychologist
14:30 – 15:15
Session four – Student Voices: Navigating Technology and Wellbeing in BoardingÂ
Speaker – Pupil Panel
15:15 – 15:30
Refreshments
15:30 – 16:15
Session fiveÂ
Speaker – Tom Wade
16:15
Conference Close
Speakers:
David Walker, FTIOB, 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.
Alicia Drummond, Founder of Teen Tips Ltd
Alicia is passionate about providing evidence-based support to parents, teachers, and those caring for young people, helping them take a proactive approach to mental health and wellbeing. She works directly with young people, empowering them to manage their own wellbeing, and draws on research from psychotherapy, psychology, and neuroscience alongside her experience as an adolescent therapist.
A BACP-accredited therapist, parenting expert, and keynote speaker, Alicia has worked with schools across the UK for over a decade. She is the founder of the award-winning Wellbeing Hub, now supporting over 130,000 pupils across more than 220 schools.
Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne, Developmental Psychologist
Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on risks and opportunities of growing up in a digital world. She researches how online experiences impact children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Her work is defined by strong cross-sector collaborations with academic partners, the NHS, and educators, and by a commitment to co-production and embedding lived experience perspectives from parents and young people throughout the research process. Her research has informed guidance from the British Psychological Society, the Canadian Paediatric Society, and the World Health Organisation, demonstrating her commitment to delivering impactful, policy-relevant research.
