Oppidan in Portugal
By Ingrid Hardcastle
General Manager – Oppidan Education, Portugal
I’m delighted to be leading Oppidan Education’s work in Portugal.
I’m an international educator and advisor with experience across UK, French, American and IB systems, as well as bilingual and ESL environments. I’m also a mother of three children who have experienced multiple school systems and educational transitions.
Living and working internationally has given me a deep understanding of the challenges families face — from curriculum changes and exams to confidence, motivation and identity. I’ve always been drawn to education models that focus on the whole child, which is what first attracted me to Oppidan Education.
Why Oppidan Education is such a good fit for Portugal
Oppidan Education is a highly international organisation, now working with families and schools across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its mentoring model is globally relevant yet locally sensitive — a natural fit for Portugal’s diverse and internationally minded education landscape.
Oppidan offers one-to-one mentoring that goes beyond traditional tutoring. Mentors help students develop organisation, confidence, resilience and clarity of direction — alongside core executive function skills such as planning, time management, prioritisation and self-regulation.
In addition to working with families, Oppidan also partners with schools worldwide to deliver structured mentoring programmes focused on executive function skills, character development, leadership and oracy training.
Why mentorship matters so much here
Portugal’s education landscape is largely made up of international schools, bilingual programmes and globally mobile families. Many students are capable and motivated, but can feel overwhelmed — juggling languages, expectations and pressure to perform.
In my experience, students don’t just need academic input. They need an independent mentor who can help them reflect, build confidence, set goals and take ownership of their learning. That’s exactly what Oppidan does best.
A common parent dilemma in Portugal: IB or A-levels?
One of the most frequent questions I hear from parents in Portugal is whether their child should choose the IB Diploma Programme or A-levels.
Both pathways are academically rigorous and widely recognised, but they suit different types of learners. The right choice depends less on reputation and more on the individual student — their learning style, strengths, confidence and long-term goals.
Mentoring can be invaluable at this stage, helping students and families approach these decisions with clarity rather than pressure.
What parents say about Oppidan:
“As busy professionals living in London, we often came home late and found that our two children were simply too tired to tackle their homework. We decided to reach out to Oppidan, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made for our family.
We were matched with a young, passionate English tutor, who not only helped our children complete their homework but also built their confidence and genuinely inspired a love of reading. It took a huge amount of pressure off us as parents and made learning something our children actually enjoyed.
When we later moved to Copenhagen and transitioned from the British system to the IB curriculum, we once again turned to Oppidan. They provided a tutor, who helped our children adapt smoothly to the new curriculum and supported them with online learning during COVID, something that made a challenging period far more manageable for all of us.
After moving to Lisbon, as our children grew older and their subjects became more demanding, Oppidan continued to deliver. We found an excellent maths tutor, who acted not just as a subject teacher but as a true coach. He was experienced enough to guide our children academically, yet young enough to connect with them.
What we value most is that Oppidan tutors go beyond teaching the syllabus. They teach children how to study effectively, how to perform well in exam environments, how to ask better questions, and how to be curious and confident learners.
We would highly recommend Oppidan to any parent looking for more than just tutoring, but for a supportive, inspiring coach.”
– Oleysa, Portugal-based parent of two children
Supporting older students and university transitions:
“Oppidan’s mentoring supports students at key stages, particularly those preparing for GCSEs, navigating IBDP or A-levels, and applying to university internationally.
Mentors help students build strong study habits, manage workload and pressure, make informed subject and pathway choices, and approach transitions with confidence.
A contact referred Oppidan Education to me while I was searching for a reliable school success coach in Portugal for my son, since the one his school used to partner with didn't even respect the time for our first meeting. My experience is amazing! From our first contact until now, I am beyond satisfied with the results we achieved over a so short period of time!
Being an expat student who is transitioning from a school system to a completely different one comes with its own set of challenges. This is why the international and diverse background of the Oppidan Education team was key to my Y13 son's success. Not only he could choose the mentor that suits him best from a set of profiles, but he could also progressively develop the right approach to elect the university courses that best suits his interests, applying to UCAS and receiving offers.
Conall, the mentor who works with him, is one of the best professional we've ever met! In our experience., his knows-how and patience, combined with firmness and participative leadership, was the winning strategy that took my son from a completely clueless university applicant to a confident young adult who not only discovered his strengths, but learned how to play them and sell his unique talents as an asset to any university.
I strongly recommend Oppidan Education to any parent for whom superior quality, good internal organization and timely results are top criteria for their children.”
– Véronique, Portugal-based mother of a High School student
Looking ahead
I’m excited to be building Oppidan Education in Portugal and supporting families and schools through key educational moments — from exams and transitions to bigger decisions about future pathways.
If you’d like to explore how mentoring could support your child, or to join an upcoming parent conversation or webinar, we’d love to hear from you.
More from Oppidan in Portugal
We were delighted to recently feature Robert Tomalin from Oeiras International School on our podcast.