2026 IBSC Annual Conference

Rising Differently: Empowering Neurodiverse Boys to Learn, Lead, and Thrive
Explore evidence-based, practical strategies that support neurodiverse boys in boys’ schools. Gain scalable tools for executive functioning, self-advocacy, and classroom engagement while shifting learning support from a deficit mindset to a strengths-based model that develops agency and belonging.
Presenter: Magdeline Tsolo, St. Stithians Boys' College (South Africa)
Appeal: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Advanced
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 48

Sharing a New Education Model to Inspire and Build Access and Excellence for Boys
Listen to a new education story of hope building social justice and equity, a journey to belief and unity across communities, of opening doors to a school of access and excellence. Consider our one-school, two-campus model in your context, including funding, difficulties, and successes. Find renewed purpose to step beyond your comfort zone and learn how to take others with you on the journey!
Presenters: Mike Thiel, Lewis Manthata, and Lara Klement, St. David's Marist Inanda (South Africa)
Appeal: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Life Sciences 1

Advisory Redesign: Executive Functioning, Mentorship, and Leadership
Our redesigned advisory program builds boys’ executive functioning skills through practical tools, strategies, and goal setting. Structured mentorship pairs older and younger boys to strengthen organization, academic habits, and connection while increasing collaboration with faculty to build strong interpersonal and communication skills that endure beyond the classroom.
Presenters: Katie Anderson and Sarah Allison, The Regis School of the Sacred Heart (United States)
Appeal: Middle School (Ages 12-15)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 47

Brave Hearts, Bold Minds: How Vision Shaped Rugby Performance and School Culture
Discover how The Scots College’s vision—Brave Hearts, Bold Minds—shaped a high-performance rugby program for boys whose distinctive style of play, alignment with the college’s values, and use of data delivered winning outcomes and strengthened culture across the college. It demonstrates how one school program can catalyze school-wide transformation.
Presenters: Marcus Blackburn and Ian Lambert, The Scots College (Australia)
Appeal: Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 62

Building Belonging Through Our School Values
Learn how a K–12 school uses school values, research, and appreciative inquiry to design a whole-school well-being and pluralism (Canada's version of Ubuntu!) strategy to create a mandate to build school belonging. Hear how we create dynamic action plans get examples from our well-being and pluralism programming at the whole-school, cohort, and classroom levels.
Presenters: Tina Jagdeo and Sam McKinney, Upper Canada College (Canada)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 57

Courage, Connection, and Culture: Building Belonging Before Day One
Explore how induction camps build belonging, confidence, and school culture from day one. Using Westlake Boys High School as a case study, see how shared experiences and student leadership foster connection and set up boys up for a successful transition.
Presenters: Casey de Wit and Paul Fordham, Westlake Boys High School (New Zealand)
Appeal: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 56

Developing Agency in Boys: Connecting Brain Science, Character, and Daily Habits
How can we help boys turn executive function skills into habits of character that lead to success? Learn about a research-informed executive function scaffolding tool grounded in brain science to help build self-management skills for setting and achieving goals. Discover design insights, strategies for implementation, outcome data, and next steps.
Presenters: Eliza Rosenbloom and Gabby Reed, St. Mark's School of Texas (United States)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 58

Grade 8 Expectations: Exploring the Move From Preparatory to High School
The move from preparatory to high school marks a crucial time in boys’ lives. Explore collaborative research delving into the experiences of boys from St. John’s internal preparatory compared to boys from The Ridge (a feeder preparatory school) in their move to the college in Grade 8. Learn about practices at both schools to facilitate this time of change.
Presenters: Kathryn McLachlan and Nick Diana, St. John's College (South Africa); Daniel McLachlan, The Ridge School (South Africa)
Appeal: Lower/Primary School (Ages 5-12), Middle School (Ages 12-15)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Boys’ Preparatory 51

Teaching Controversial Issues in Boys' Schools
Teaching controversial issues is essential for preparing boys as democratic citizens. Leverage doctoral research and pupil experience to examine pedagogical approaches in boys' schools. Engage in small-group work to apply a practical framework to authentic scenarios—from classrooms to sports fields—to develop and take away tested strategies.
Presenter: Callan Moore, St. Alban's College (South Africa)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Life Sciences 5

Walking Together: How Vocational Training for Boys Can Help Build Meaning
Boys who do not experience traditional notions of success at school risk feelings of low self-worth and disengage from learning. While creating a sense of connection is vital, so too is a sense of purpose. Explore how, using vocational engagement, we connect lower decile boys to programs to develop their relationships to learn, resulting in higher levels of motivation and connection.
Presenter: Biddy Duckham, Brighton Grammar School (Australia)
Appeal: Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Life Sciences 4

Beyond Readiness: Using Early Assessment to Predict Long-Term Success in Boys
Early childhood admission assessments can offer powerful insight into boys’ long-term development when viewed through a longitudinal lens. Examine how early learning behaviors, including attention, task persistence, flexibility, motivation, self-regulation, and response to challenge, predict later engagement, academic independence, and success.
Presenters: Heidi Gore, Faith Hunter, and Maryalice Aymong, The Buckley School (United States)
Appeal: Lower/Primary School (Ages 5-12)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Environmental Centre 3

Does Your Onboarding Pass the Values Match Test?
Does your onboarding program communicate your values through words and design? How do you balance sharing infinite information in a finite time? Gain an understanding of the design connection between onboarding activities and your school's values, learn strategies that utilize participant-centric methodologies, and connect onboarding to long-term retention efforts.
Presenters: Corbett Simons and Jennifer Liu, Town School for Boys (United States)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Environmental Centre 2

How School Leaders Can Create Strategy That Truly Guides Meaningful Progress
Many school strategies express broad intentions but lack the clarity to guide decisions. Explore strategy as a set of deliberate choices about a school’s future. When these choices are clear and well expressed, leaders gain focus and can move beyond incremental improvement toward meaningful progress.
Presenters: Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe, imageseven; Chris Post, The Boys' Latin School of Maryland (United States)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Environmental Centre 5

Transforming Teacher Practice Through Action Research
Since 2005, the IBSC Action Research Program has impacted the work of more than 500 educators in member schools around the globe. Join us to learn about action research and the IBSC Action Research Program structure. Hear from the leadership team and past researchers about their experiences and the positive change action research has made to their practice.
Presenters: Di Laycock, IBSC Action Researcher and Coordinator (Australia); Kori Brown, The Haverford School (United States); Bryan Dunn, The Roxbury Latin School (United States); Erna Goodier, St. Stithians Boys' College (South Africa), Polly Higgins, Longridge Towers School (United Kingdom)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Henning Block Lecture Theatre

When Legacy Takes Flight
Explore the organizational excellence behind Mayo College's 150th Founders Day celebration attended by close to 10,000 people. Examine how strategic foresight, competency-based task allocation, and stakeholder cohesion enabled the seamless execution of a large-scale institutional event, offering valuable insights into various facets of educational leadership.
Presenters: Saurav Sinha and Anjali Pankaj Narayan, Mayo College (India)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Life Sciences 2

From Tools to Transformation: Building Digital Learning Ecologies
AI is reshaping how we live and learn. Schools must maintain a future-focused vision and find a balance that places pedagogy before technology while celebrating the power of AI. Learn techniques to ensure students develop critical-thinking skills. Gain an ethical understanding and practical ways for teachers to embrace cutting-edge tools and technologies to create a challenging curriculum.
Presenters: Joanne Wheeler, Vinko Shain, and Alan Jones, Christ Church Grammar School (Australia)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Environmental Centre 4

School-Wide Approach to Delaying Student Ownership of Personal Smart Devices
After the Australian government announced a ban on social media for under 16s, Hale School introduced a delay to personal smart device ownership. In 2025, Hale School stated that all primary school and early secondary school students are not to own smart phones or watches. Hear about the change management process used and some of the benefits and challenges of this initiative.
Presenter: Dean Dell'Oro, Hale School (Australia)
Appeal: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Life Sciences 3