ISBA BURSARCAST // Phones, Allergies, Scams & Budgets: This Week in ISBA (6th February 2026)
A fast roundup of the latest operational updates for independent schools.
ISBA BURSARCAST · ISBA
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Show Notes
This week’s ISBA Bursarcast brings you a rapid newsbeat on the latest operational and regulatory developments affecting independent schools—focused on what bursars and senior leaders need to know now.
We cover tightened expectations on mobile phone policies, forthcoming statutory allergy guidance, continued cyber-fraud risks, budget planning pressures for catering, and key ISBA deadlines and events, including the Annual Conference.
This episode is designed for time-poor professionals who want clarity, context and practical next steps—without wading through long documents.
What You’ll Learn
- What the updated Department for Education guidance on mobile phones means in practice from April 2026
- How Ofsted will factor phone policies into behaviour judgements
- What’s coming in new statutory allergy guidance—and how schools should prepare now
- The scale of fee-payment scams highlighted by IRIS Education research
- Why catering budgets for 2026–27 need to plan for sustained inflation, based on Independent Schools Catering Consultancy benchmarks
- Why participation in ISBA’s Data Navigator benchmarking with Barnett Waddingham matters
- Key February and spring-term dates bursars shouldn’t miss
Resources mentioned
- DfE: Mobile phones in schools — updated guidance
- ISBA allergy policy template and webinar (4 March)
- IRIS Education: Protect your school – a practical approach to cybersecurity
- ISCC catering budget benchmarks for 2026–27
- ISBA Data Navigator (data entry deadline: 12 February 2026)
- ISBA Annual Conference 2026 — bookings open with early-bird rates
- Regional Group meetings and Newly Appointed Bursars programme
(Full links available via the ISBA Weekly Bulletin and member resources.)
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