Meet the Oppidan Education Mentoring Awards winners for 2025
The first award championing mentoring in schools.
At Oppidan, we believe that exceptional mentoring helps young people fulfil their potential. The Oppidan Mentoring Awards celebrates schools that excel in mentoring their students. Our award is an opportunity to shine a light on your school’s commitment to building strong, supportive mentoring relationships within your community and fostering student growth.
Gold Winner
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury’s mentoring programme is an outstanding example of a well-established, thoughtfully structured initiative that delivers measurable and meaningful impact. Every Year 9 pupil is paired with a Year 13 mentor, creating a strong, supportive bridge between the most age-separated year groups and fostering a culture of empathy, guidance, and positive role modelling. This was deeply embedded within school with innovative events.
With a clear structure for mentoring sessions and a dedicated programme overseen within the school’s house system, mentors support younger pupils in settling in, building confidence, and developing social skills. Cross-school collaboration and mentor-mentee social events further enrich the experience, ensuring mentoring is integrated into the fabric of school life.
Judges were particularly impressed by the programme’s real breadth, excellent use of feedback and data, and its ability to achieve its core aims.
Gold Winner
Adingdon
Abingdon’s peer support programme is an exceptional and well-established initiative that demonstrates impressive breadth, reach, and impact. Now in its sixth year, the programme brings together 50–70 students from six different schools, fostering meaningful connections across diverse social backgrounds and creating a strong sense of civic responsibility.
The programme stands out for its rigorous selection and training process, drawing on the work of psychotherapist Nick Luxmoore. Students undergo thorough preparation in empathetic listening, safeguarding, and other essential skills, supported by twilight training sessions throughout the year led by experts and mental health professionals. This continued development ensures peer supporters are confident, informed, and effective in their roles.
Judges were particularly impressed by the innovative cross-school collaboration and the blend of robust impact data with powerful qualitative feedback. Participants clearly develop real-world skills in empathy and mental health awareness, and the programme’s thoughtful structure sets it apart from more traditional approaches.
Gold Winners
Pembridge Hall School
Pembridge Hall’s mentoring programme is an exemplary model of innovation and holistic support. Designed to nurture the whole child, it blends academic guidance with pastoral care, ensuring pupils feel supported, empowered, and ready to thrive.
The school employs a wide range of internal and external strategies, from structured mentoring groups and personalised action plans to initiatives like ‘Pembridge Pulse’ and the inspiring ‘Girls of the Future’ virtual series. These forward-thinking interventions reflect a dynamic and thoughtful approach to student development.
Judges praised the breadth and structure of the programme, its deep impact on younger pupils, and its strong engagement with the wider community. It is a well-executed, forward-looking initiative that embodies educational excellence.
Silver Winners
Northwood School
Now in its second year, Northwood Schools’ peer mentoring programme has become a vital part of school life, offering tailored support to students in Years 7–11 through committed Sixth Form mentors. Mentees are eager to attend, often citing mentoring as their reason for coming to school and reporting improved organisation, motivation, and behaviour. The programme is so well-regarded that staff, parents, and students regularly request placements, and many mentor-mentee relationships have lasted over a year with remarkable personal transformations. Sixth Form mentors describe the experience as life-affirming, with many going above and beyond to support their mentees both in and out of sessions.
Edgeborough School
Mentoring is central to school life at Edgeborough, providing each pupil with structured, multi-layered support for both academic and personal development. Year 8 pupils meet regularly in small staff-mentored groups to set goals and reflect on core skills such as leadership, collaboration, and independence. Alongside this, form teachers and newly trained Year 6 and 7 peer mentors work to foster a culture of reflection, kindness, and shared learning across the school. This holistic mentoring framework empowers pupils to take ownership of their growth, building confidence, life skills, and a strong sense of community.
Malvern College
At Malvern College, mentoring is woven into the fabric of school life, with every pupil supported by a dynamic framework that spans peers, staff, alumni, and dedicated leadership roles. The boarding house system forms the heart of this structure, where senior pupils serve as trained peer mentors, buddies, and role models under the guidance of HouseMs. Beyond the houses, bespoke Life Skills workshops, university guidance, and coaching-led learning initiatives foster independence, empathy, and confidence across all year groups.
Durston House
Durston House has built an exemplary, whole-school mentoring programme that supports pupils academically, pastorally, and through co-curricular engagement. Initiatives like Reading and Table Buddies, Learning Clinics, and vertical leadership roles empower older pupils to guide younger peers while developing their own skills in the process. From nurture groups with therapy dog support to confidence-building sessions and student-led activities, the programme is deeply embedded in school life and responsive to individual needs. This structured, inclusive approach creates meaningful connections across year groups and equips all pupils with the tools to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.
Trinity School, Croydon
At Trinity School, mentoring is a well-established and thriving tradition, with over 130 trained Sixth Form mentors supporting students from Year 6 to Year 11. Whether working with form groups or in one-to-one pairings, mentors provide academic guidance, pastoral care, and a reassuring presence for younger pupils. Each year, Year 12 students apply and train for the role, gaining skills in safeguarding, coaching, and leadership before stepping into mentoring positions by January. With hundreds of students involved weekly, Trinity’s mentoring culture builds community, supports wellbeing, and empowers Sixth Formers to lead with empathy and purpose.
Wellington School
Wellington School takes a holistic and collaborative approach to mentoring, combining internal expertise with external partnerships to enhance the experience for all students. Scenario-based workshops led by Heads of House allow pupils to explore real-life mentoring situations through role-play, case studies, and discussion, building empathy, trust, and problem-solving skills. Weekly tutor check-ins and regular feedback from both mentors and mentees ensure that the programme remains responsive and impactful, creating a strong culture of support across the school community.
Bronze Winners
Rugby School, Thailand
The Oldham Academy
Monkton Combe
Chelsea Academy
Missed out this year?
Don’t worry - we’ll be back in 2026!
Stay tuned and keep an eye out for next year’s application window.