Summer holidays are long, and by mid-August the days start to blur. This is a good moment for the kind of English work that rarely fits into term time - writing something for the fun of it, sitting with a poem long enough to actually enjoy it.

Last December, a school in Hackney became the first in England to be the subject of a safeguarding review triggered by complaints about its behaviour policy. 

Since landing in New York, we’ve spent a year sitting in classrooms, running school days, and getting to know families across the city.

Oppidan has landed in the US, and with it, a new crew of mentors bringing the same energy, warmth, and expertise our families in the UK have come to know.

With the UK government’s recent announcement that under-16s will be banned from social media next year, 16-year-old student Jasper Varley-Johnson discusses why the ban doesn’t go far enough and some potential solutions for parents.

Oppidan's handpicked guide to summer 2026: creative projects, ideas and London events to keep curious children thinking, making and exploring all season.

In an increasingly competitive academic landscape, many families are familiar with tutoring. Extra support to improve grades, prepare for exams or strengthen subject knowledge has become a normal part of education. But there is a growing recognition that academic ability alone is not enough. Confidence, resilience, organisation and self-awareness all play a crucial role in a young person’s success, both in school and beyond. 

For families preparing for grammar school and selective independent school applications, the 11+ process can often feel like a moving target.

Choosing a university is one of the first major decisions a young person makes about their future. 

Take a look inside the 2026/27 edition of our top independent schools guide. Our Schools Advisor, Cat Sutherland-Hawes, shares her honest take on the UK's leading senior schools, from academic powerhouses and boarding gems to standout choices for sport, music and the arts. Available as a free download.

The UK is home to some of the world’s most widely respected, academically rigorous and established schools. 

We've designed a new journey: the Communication Journey. Here’s what your child will get from it and why it matters now more than ever.

With four teenagers currently moving through the GCSE and A Level years in our household, we have become mildly obsessed with the idea of the ‘incremental gain’.

A decade on from Oppidan’s very first mentoring sessions, Walter sat down with one of the young people who was there at the start. This is the Class of 2016.

Exam periods can be a challenging time for the whole family. For teenagers, they often bring a mix of pressure, uncertainty and high expectations. For parents, it can be difficult to know how best to help. You may want to support your child, but worry about saying the wrong thing, adding to the pressure or not doing enough. 

For many families, the cost of independent education can feel like one of the biggest barriers to applying. Fees are substantial, and for some parents the assumption is that if paying in full is not realistic, the option is simply out of reach. 

A major education white paper has just come out from the government. If you have a child in school, or even if you don’t, it is worth having a look here to see what it might mean for you.  

With school open evenings, subject choices and opinions coming from every direction, few decisions feel quite as weighty as the choice between A Levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB). Both are rigorous and are globally respected.

In the downpour of February, we were delighted to host an event at the Royal Academy bringing together Thomasina Miers (Co-Founder of Wahaca), Walter Kerr (Co-founder of Oppidan Education) and Tom Barber (Co-Founder of Original Travel) for a practical and frank conversation about taking a sabbatical with your children. 

It’s the question parents ask me most. In any talk I give, it’s the time parents get out their notebook, jot down ideas on their phones.