Supporting senior boarders

• Date: May 17, 2024
• Time: 10:30 – 15:30
• Cost: BSA Full Member – £155, BSA Affiliate Member – £230, Non-member – £310
• Audience: Boarding staff, Head of Boarding, Deputy Head, mental health leads working with senior boarders (16+)
• Platform: Zoom (online) – Day Seminar

Course outline

This day seminar will highlight the common issues that older teenagers face and look at how to support them as they progress towards leaving school. Managing the increase in choices that boarders will have to make as they approach the significant transition towards life after school, they may find themselves under increasing pressure and in need of support from those around them. This course is designed to help boarding staff to grow in confidence in their role and promote the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs of senior boarders.

Older teenagers face an increasingly diverse set of pressures and many of them need additional support in coping with them. Certainly, they need to feel that they are in a safe environment where they can discuss the concerns that they have and build their resilience and independence. Boarding staff have a role in helping young people to make good choices around the risks they face and, therefore, they need to have an understanding of the issues that teenagers may encounter.

Training topics will include:

• Common issues for the older teen – academic/professional (parental and peer pressure, success, managing transition to adulthood, preparing for life after school)
• Common issues for the older teen – personal/social (relationships, social media and online safety, drugs/alcohol, risk taking and dangerous behaviours)
• Supporting teenagers – promoting resilience, self-worth and making good choices
• Case studies and group discussion.

Learning outcomes:

• Improved understanding of the common issues for older teens
• Increased confidence in supporting older teens.

BOOK NOW

Speaker: 

Tom Hadcroft, Headteacher, Berkhamsted Boys School

Tom Hadcroft joined Berkhamsted Boys School in January 2022 as Headteacher from DLD College London, where he was Senior Deputy Head, overseeing on the Pastoral and Boarding sides of the school for five years. During this time DLD College London were recognised with six national awards, including Boarding School of the Year and innovation awards in Mental Health, Wellbeing and Student voice. Previously, he had school leadership roles at Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland and St John’s School Leatherhead. Before his teaching career he worked in the finance sector and has recently completed a Masters in Educational Leadership, with a focus on coaching in education.

Tom is a Council of International School Accreditation Team member and has a keen interest in international education and international boarding. He has recruited in China, Croatia, Thailand and Kazakhstan and has been a BSA Tutor on the Advanced Certificate course since 2017.