Taking on a new Boarding House
🏷️ From £175
🎧 Boarding staff, Head of Boarding, staff moving to a new house or team
📍 Online
Course outline:
Taking on a new boarding house can be daunting, especially alongside all the other duties in a busy school life. This seminar aims to help prospective houseparents get ahead of the game and make the first few weeks in post less stressful and more productive.
Boarding students need continuity of care and a consistent approach to school processes. Schools need boarding staff who are happy and will stay in post. A positive start for a houseparent encourages long service and gives confidence to students and parents.
This seminar will explore the many factors and issues associated with taking on a new boarding house. Promotion to houseparent and additional responsibility for running a house is exciting, but it can also be stressful. The training day will provide an opportunity for delegates to think about the ethos for their new house, review and consider key issues for students, staff, policies and procedures and the demands of managing the physical building. The day will finish by looking at the elusive work-life balance and ways in which this can be achieved during a hectic life in a busy boarding school.
In advance of this session, it would be helpful for delegates to have an overview of their school’s policies and procedures, and those of the boarding house they are moving into. Delegates are recommended to reflect in advance on what values they want particularly to promote to their boarders.
Training topics will include:
- The ethos of your new boarding house - this session will explore how to develop an individual identity for your new boarding house that fits within the overall ethos of the school
- The perfect house, team and boarder - in this session the group will focus on ways to develop all aspects of a boarding house to achieve the best possible results for students and house team
- Managing the team – in this session the group will look at effective ways to manage various stakeholders within and alongside a boarding house
- Developing a good work-life balance - some hints and tips on keeping yourself healthy, safe and enjoying your new role!
Learning outcomes:
- Time to reflect on the ethos and character of your new house
- Ideas to strengthen the identity of your house and its community
- Recommendations on managing a small team
- Recommendations on developing a work-life balance that benefits you and the boarding community.
Speaker:
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.
