Best Of British

Panoba are leading global education and lifestyle management consultants who work with international families, to place their children in elite UK boarding schools. Natalie Flaum spoke to co-founder Debbie Gispan to find out more

What inspired you to set up Panoba?

I set up the business in 2014 with my friend Nicky Sakpoba, whom I’ve known since our children were toddlers. As two passionate mums, we knew we could offer a dedicated, high-end service to overseas parents, having been on the same journey with our own children. I was living in West Africa at the time, researching UK boarding schools for my eldest child, when I realised people were asking my advice on schooling. This is when I noticed that parents weren’t really being correctly advised and that everyone was being pushed towards the same schools. Each and every child is different and there are lots of aspects to think about and that’s where the idea sparked. From it’s origins in West Africa, where the majority of our work continues to flourish, we’ve looked after families from the Caribbean, Middle East, Thailand, India, East Africa and Angola. We’ve allowed the business to grow slowly and organically. We assist families from any country who needs our expertise and guidance.

Tell us more about your client base

We predominantly offer UK pathway solutions in education for overseas families and if needs be, we can also introduce them to specialists in America, Canada and Europe. Our clients tend to be high-net-worth-individuals, businesspeople, celebrities, politicians, generally private individuals who engage us to act on their behalf, to ensure their children receive the best education. Due to the demanding schedules and busy lifestyles of many of our clients, we can offer a highly tailored approach. Although the majority of our clients are wealthy individuals, we’ve found a growing demand from aspirational middle-class families looking for affordable boarding options in the UK, of which there are plenty, without compromising on the quality of the education they receive.

How do you manage the process of matching students to boarding schools?

We ask parents to tell us what they are looking for and to view a copy of their child’s school report and credentials. We then meet with the child, either in person or on a Zoom call. This is where we get to know the child, especially if they are over the age of 10, to hear about what they are looking forward to about living in the UK, what they are passionate about and to get a feel for the type of upbringing and background they have come from, which in West Africa can be quite varied. After the interview, I ask them to write a short personal statement. From this, we build a picture and put a package together to see what schools would be the best fit. There are over 450 boarding schools in the UK of which only a handful might be suitable. We try not to place students in a school we have not yet visited, but if one comes up, we will do our best to find out the specifics. We take steps to ensure the child will fit in to their new school environment, in terms of cultural diversity. From the moment a family engages us, we recommend a list of boarding schools and begin the registration process together. We work carefully with parents and guardians, considering all options from location through to subject choices, considering sixth form options, such as whether they might want BTECs or an option for an International Baccalaureate. We need to be precise and fine-tuned to ensure the final fit is the right one.

What services do you offer to international families?

In addition to boarding school placements, we also offer an Academic Progress Service (APS) to stay in touch with the children we place in boarding schools to ensure that we’re supporting their academic progress. The child’s family live overseas in 99% of our school placements. We grew this service from parental needs, whether it’s to attend school meetings or parents evening on their behalf, parents therefore engage us to act on their behalf. We can be kept on the school system whether there is an academic or pastoral issue. We’ve recently recruited a local Panoba representative who is based in Saudi Arabia, which is really exciting. We already work with families based in the Gulf, and therefore, having a representative in this region will make a massive difference. I am based in Abuja in Nigeria’s capital and Nicky is based in London, so across all three regions we can offer a real ‘hand-holding’ process. When the parents come over to the UK to do school visits, Nicky is on hand to meet and greet them. We also have a small number of companies that reach out to us every summer to help relocate their senior management to the UK. This has led to a regular seasonal package being offered to those relocating families who require a home, a school and a soft-landing service. On top of APS and relocation, we also offer advice on university placements, one year foundation courses, and an abundance of summer programme options, which are very popular with the overseas market.

How long does the process usually take from start to finish?

As we form close relationships with families, we prefer to limit and work with a select number of parents at any onetime per year, due to the personal nature of the level of service we supply. Relocations from enquiry to completion can take anywhere from 4-6 months. An average boarding school placement for most families will be 18 months-2years, but we have been known to turn a school placement around in a month, from the ‘not-so unusual’ enquiries from overseas, who reach out in July and August, just before the beginning of the academic year. For some of the more academic or elite schools, names would normally have to be registered 2-3 years prior. Many of our overseas families need student visas, which we can guide and advise on.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Traditionally, most overseas parents we look after, aspire to send their children to the UK, where British education is viewed, as the best in the world. Two of my three children are at boarding school and I can say from experience, that nothing gives me greater joy than watching my children happy to go back to school. I miss them greatly but knowing how happy they are and that they are receiving the best education possible, gives me peace of mind. The memories that children will have from these school experiences will last a lifetime. If I don’t see my own child being a good fit for a school for whatever reason, I wouldn’t send a client’s child there. At the heart of this business, we are two mums who care for all the children we place as though they were our own.

What are your top tips for a stress-free boarding school admission?

• Preparation is key, as is starting the process as early as possible.
• Try to have all medical records and documents to hand so you can go through the school application process smoothly.
• Don’t discount any school, whether it’s co-ed or single sex. Try to keep an open mind.
• If you can manage to fly in and visit the school with the child first - some schools offer tasters which can be tied into exams rather than online.
• Most visas can be applied for through UKVI. It can be a minefield getting started but once up and running usually within 3-months, things quickly fall into place.

www.panoba.co.uk