We asked our top Oxbridge-education mentors the hardest question they were asked in their interviews:

With ADHD being one of the most common neuropsychiatric and behavioural disorders in children and young people, it is essential for us to think about best practices to support pupils both at home and at school.

It has been heartening to see oracy education finally take up more space in the national discourse. Charlotte Harmer, Head of Education here at Oppidan, takes a further look.

After a brilliant launch with one of the Affinitas schools, Xabia International College, in 2024 we expanded our partnership to four schools within the group in Spain.  

Nestled in the Wiltshire countryside, Marlborough College stands as one of the UK’s most prestigious independent schools.

Oppidan are delighted to have launched in Thailand, starting two groundbreaking programmes with Rugby School, Thailand near Pattaya and Wellington College, Bangkok.  

This Impact Report evidences a successful year of delivery from the team, standing as legacy to hard-fought progress, innovation and results for Oppidan’s work in schools. I wanted to share my personal takeaways from a happy year in schools.

Nearly 70% of Gen-Zers are either freelancers or plan to do so in the future, according to freelancing platform Fiverr. For many of you parents mulling that statistic, it really is a remarkable shift in the makeup of the economy you’re used to.

Should children under the age of 15 be banned from using smartphones? When thinking of Eton College, its prestige and academic excellence often come to mind, yet its approach to pastoral care may not be immediately apparent. Therefore, the recent decision by the school to prohibit new students from bringing smartphones and instead provide them with “bricks” marks a significant and positive step in addressing the issue of smartphone use among children in our society.

We surveyed 330 new families that work with us, asking them about their experience with Oppidan and how effective mentoring has been for their children.

On a recent 1:1 mentoring day at a sixth form college in London, everyone got a bit confused.   

In 2024, we are proud to say that nearly nine in 10 of the students we mentored on the 11+ Journey received an offer from their preferred school, including some of the UK’s leading independent schools.

Inspired by an article in the Jersey Evening Post, Pro Mentor Jack Dolbey wrote to cancer sufferer Simon Boas to discuss three key aspects of character.

Griselda Kerr, author and co-founder Walter’s mother, discusses the art of gardening ahead of the summer months and how to get your your children to fall in love with the great outdoors.

Welcome to Cat’s Corner, a series that guides parents through the murky waters of school applications and the 11+ assessment.

We recently onboarded our Spring 2024 cohort of mentees and spent some time sharing the ingredients of mentoring with them.  

Schools and parents always ask us: how do we actually create our mentoring content? 

In January 2024, a cross-party education select committee report called for an end to the single-word judgments used to rate schools in England. These judgments, which are either one or two words, have long been a point of contention. The committee emphasised that schools should not be automatically graded as “inadequate” for minor safeguarding concerns. However, it also recognised the importance of maintaining strong accountability in schools12. 

Every sixth form college leader we meet has slightly different needs, but they might include the following: Looking to motivate students who might be struggling pastorally or academically. Looking to improve student leadership and future pathways opportunities.   

Personalised, human-led mentoring. We want to improve results and affect outcomes, via character. We want to visit every school in-person, with an inspiring team of mentors who will excite students and bring something different.