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.   

Jodh Dhesi's demeanour defies his lofty position as CEO of King Edward VI Foundation Birmingham. Instead, he shows off his wholesome, empathetic side in our latest instalment of Heads & Tales. From his early days as a budding modern linguist to spearheading an educational juggernaut, Jodh is a voice in this sector that people stop and listen to.

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.  

Anne-Marie Canning MBE's story is a truly inspiring one. From early days at a struggling school in Doncaster to studying and working at leading universities, she is now the CEO of The Brilliant Club, an award-winning charity that supports underserved students to access leading universities. Charismatic and a natural-born raconteur, Anne-Marie's episode is not one to be missed.

Oppidan Education supports more than 100 UK state-funded MATs, UK independent prep and secondary, and international English-speaking schools. In the UK we've built standout partnerships with MATs like David Ross, Greenwood, Unity, E-ACT, Dixons and Education South West. Whatever the demographic or state-of-play for each setting, we've found students to be similar in their engagement with us and their hunger to build skills that will serve their futures.  

Beyond our work in 100+ UK independent and state-funded schools, we've now journeyed to Spain, South Korea, Ghana and Thailand to support schools in very different contexts. Whatever the demographic or state-of-play for each region, we've found students to be similar in their engagement with us and their hunger to build skills that will serve their futures.

Oppidan Education mentors are young people in their 20s and 30s, driven by social impact but with the flexibility to work freelance in schools around the world.  

Whether in small groups of 1:8 or in personalised 1:1 sessions, Oppidan's mentoring content hooks onto our core outcomes of readiness, oracy and character.

After measuring impact with our school partners for years, we’ve settled on the key outcomes that provide the framework for our programmes in schools.

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

Long a hero of Oppidan Education's co-founder Walter Kerr, our latest guest on Heads & Tales is the incomparable David Hieatt. David is the founder of Hiut Denim Co and The DO Lectures, and a devout loyalist of the timeless art of writing and storytelling.

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

In the latest episode of Heads & Tales, we were delighted to be joined by Cherie White, a great friend of Oppidan Education and CEO of Think for the Future, a social enterprise dedicated to mentoring students across the UK.

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 latest instalment of Heads & Tales, we were joined by Ali Henderson, the CEO of Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation. Ali's journey from 10 Downing Street to leading impactful initiatives in the charity sector is truly incredible and especially pertinent to those in the independent sector.