Oppidan co-founder Henry Faber talks with our schools expert Catriona Sutherland-Hawes about the challenges and pitfalls of the British education system.

The first of three articles written by Catriona Fraser about the wider impact of our work in schools on pupil development.

A work experience networking programme for talented students across schools in the UK to learn about future careers and the world of business.

Our co-founder Henry Faber recently hosted three amazing speakers in our ‘Preparing for University’ webinar. What secrets did they share?

The labour market is shifting, and the demand for skills shifts with it. Technological development, the green industrial revolution, and an aging population will lead to a growth in demand for digital and technical skills, but also human skills.

Although it’s been over 10 years since Walter and Henry applied to university, they still remember the process’s idiosyncratic and previously unconfronted challenges. Their top tip: start preparing early.

We have been working with secondary schools across the country to deliver peer mentor training journeys. In its simplest terms, this means equipping a group of older pupils with the skills and knowledge required to peer-mentor younger pupils in their school. How does this work on the ground?

It’s half-term and offers are out. Hopefully the offers your child wants have landed in the inbox and you are now faced with a decision.  You may already know what the answer is and it’s a simple, quick one.

Conversations that dare to examine the purpose of education will generally draw two brushstroke distinctions between historically rival categories: the acquisition of knowledge and the pursuit of new skills.

It’s mid-February and offers are out. Hopefully the outcomes are good and your child has at least one offer they are happy with.

As AI technology, such as ChatGPT, becomes more advanced, it is being increasingly integrated into the education and mentoring industries.

Just half of all 16 to 19-year-olds study maths. Rishi Sunak’s idea to make maths compulsory to 18 has attracted considerable debate in the past few days.

The first thing I think it’s really important to remember is that an interview is a two-way conversation. Yes, they are asking you questions and trying to determine if you are the right fit for them.

The Orwellian journey starts at reception. “No first names please, just your surname and title.” Do your duty placards line the entrance to the school, after which you pass a cartoon drawing of the headteacher Katherine Birbalsingh sitting alongside Nelson Mandela, Boris Johnson and the Queen.

The Eton List Test remains somewhat of a mystery to many families who contact Oppidan, but the reality is that the test itself hasn’t changed a great deal since Walter and Henry took it as 11-year-olds in early 2003.

We are delighted to announce Oppidan's new partnership with assessment experts ISEB.

We’ve had Halloween, the clock has changed, we’re back for the second half of this longest of terms and Assessment Season is upon us. Lots of you will be preparing for these and thinking of little else.

Throughout my career, I’ve kept this quote scribbled on a post-it, stuck on my office pinboard, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” accredited to Aristotle.

Having spent the last sixteen years in admissions I have two golden rules. The first is quite simple – there’s a right place for everyone.

A group of school pastoral leaders joined us for the second Oppidan Schools Lunch in Hammersmith as term was winding to a close in July - here is what we shared together.