Earlier this term, our Year 5 boys welcomed the Oppidan mentors for their second session since the beginning of the academic year; taking part in the bespoke 'Communication Day'. These intimate 1:1 sessions are highly popular with our boys, as well as many other students around the country. The importance and benefit of these events are increasingly evident as boys and their families begin to think about life after Arnold House.
In an attempt to ensure our pupils are well prepared for the requirements of the senior school admission processes, we have always tried to give them an element of familiarity when it comes to interviewing. Those of you who conduct these or have experience of going through one yourself understand that it can be quite a daunting experience. There are many things to consider and being able to talk about one's interests and future ambitions comes easier to some more than others.
We often advise boys to try and be themselves, not to pretend to try and be someone they think the interviewer wants to meet and above all else, smile and enjoy the conversation… In most cases, senior staff who carry out the interviews have a good sense of when a boy is being genuine compared to one who is 'over' prepared. They understand that some will be nervous and are very good at making a boy feel at ease.
While conducting practice interviews with AH staff is a good start, we felt that the boys would benefit more from engaging in discussions with people they are not familiar with. Better than that, wouldn't it be great if they were given some tips and learning pointers to be more comfortable when speaking about themselves in an interview? On the whole, we like to think that our boys are personable, sociable and charming at the best of times. Portraying this within a small window of time does take some level of experience. We know some boys have many opportunities to discuss their favourite books, their interests as well as current events with various adults outside of school, however, this does not apply to all.
Meeting Henry Faber, a co-founder of Oppidan Education, in the spring of 2024 allowed us to trial this relatively new mentoring group for the first time last term. The feedback from our current Year 5 and Year 6 boys has been overwhelmingly positive, and, on the flip side, the mentors have thoroughly enjoyed coming in to meet and discuss various topics with our boys.
"Working with the Arnold House team has been nothing short of a pleasure. Our mentors always comment on how polite, interesting, and curious the boys are. We are so looking forward to continuing to work with them." - Henry Faber
Oppidan’s focus on helping children build on their self-confidence, their character and personal development is a step above other companies who tend to offer less. They boast a large number of mentors from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are partnered with over 100 schools and run programs for Key Stages 2-5. They have also worked with thousands of families, offering 1:1 mentoring programs.
The Oppidan Prep Journey that we are now involved with is a two year personal development programme which is designed to help AH boys learn essential skills for senior school assessments and interviews. Boys begin in Year 5 and are timetabled to see a different mentor for a 30 minute discussion once a term. This then moves into the first term of Year 6 and culminates in a graduation day where boys are able to reflect and confidently plan for what lies ahead. Parents receive insightful reports from the mentors and AH staff are able to glean through the feedback to help facilitate boys who need extra support.
I have had the opportunity to meet and discuss various elements with the Oppidan mentors who have visited and all my dealings with their senior staff solidifies my confidence that we are on to a good thing.
Click on the link to find out more: https://www.oppidaneducation.com/our-story
Dayne Matthews
Director of Senior School Transfer
Head of Assessment and Pupil Progress
Head of Years 5&6