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? 

Pharmaceuticals industry here we come! Well, not quite. Here’s how our April Fool’s campaign came to be.

An ad hoc (or occasional) place happens when a child enters a school outside the traditional year groups for admission.

Much has been made in the news recently about the future for private schools.  

So, what’s happening?  

With exams looming ominously, we asked our team how they mentor students through the process.

Bursary provision is a good thing. Put simply, it means ability to pay fees is not the deciding factor in a child’s education and offers opportunity to all. Bursaries are means-tested on family finances – income and assets.

On the 11th of January, we welcomed the latest additions to the mentoring team for a morning of training.

As students navigate through GCSEs and A levels in the UK, the significance of mock exams in this January period is apparent.

With school interviews on the near horizon, we’ve put together some fun exercises to get your child ready.

As the curtain comes down on 2023, we look back at our top five moments of the year.

We surveyed 250 new families that work with us, asking them about their experience with Oppidan and how effective mentoring has been for their children.

With the curtains closing on 2023, it’s been nearly a year since Jess, our Creative Executive, set about designing the first cover for our monthly broadcast.