New!
Preparing young people to thrive and learn effectively in a rapidly changing society and future opportunity landscape.
Shaping Future Leaders is the new social impact programme from Exam Success Academy, built to give young people the mindset and future-ready skills to not just keep up, but to lead and be part of positive contributions to society. We are widening access to our Exam Success Academy 1:1 academic mentoring and online resources, tailored to the needs of the students who need it the most.
At Exam Success Academy, we have spent years helping students master their minds for academic success, combining academic mentoring with the science of how learning really works.
Shaping Future Leaders is our NEW social impact programme, created to widen access to the same high-quality mentoring, free or at low cost, for young people who would not otherwise be able to reach our support. The world young people are stepping into is changing faster than any before it, and the students who thrive will be the ones who can think, adapt and lead through that rapid change.
Over nine years we have helped thousands of students, one to one, both online and in schools, learn how to master their own minds and tackle exams and learning milestones with confidence.
Our goal is now to put that same expertise into supporting the development of the young people who need it most, and who have the potential to positively shape our society’s future.
Our one-to-one mentoring programme is a structured 2-month programme which is offered free of charge to students or families facing significant financial barriers, and at a much reduced cost to others. Our first pilot mentoring cohort begins in January 2027, with recruitment opening ahead of it.
Places are very limited, so we encourage early applications.
Here is what taking part looks like:
You tell us a little about yourself and your circumstances through a short, simple application explaining your ambitions, any difficulties or barriers, and current areas where our support would help you achieve your academic goals.
We pair you with a trained academic mentor who gets to know you, your goals and your challenges, and takes you through each week of the semi-structured programme: aimed at giving you weekly accountability and effective skills and performance techniques you use immediately.
You meet your mentor for regular sessions with weekly support and helpful accountability for your studies: practical strategies, wellbeing check-ins, and a learning strategy that is built around your unique aspirations.
Between and after your mentoring sessions you will get access to our online resources, and we will help you build the habits, confidence and future-focused skills that will stay with you long after the programme ends.
Shaping Future Leaders exists to reach young people who are capable and motivated, but who face barriers to the support they deserve. Our 1:1 mentoring programme is open to students who meet one or more of the eligibility criteria below:
You attend a state school or college (or recently graduated and are retaking exams for university.)
You would be the first in your immediate family to go to university or complete a degree apprenticeship.
You live in an area with low progression to higher education, or high levels of deprivation.
Your household is on a low income.
You face another significant barrier to educational support.
Including students who are neurodivergent, students from international backgrounds living in the UK, and students living with a disability or chronic illness. (We do not ask you to disclose any of this to apply; it simply tells you that this programme is for you, and that you are warmly welcome here.)
Registering your interest now means you will be among the first we contact when applications open up in December for the SFL programme which will begin in the New Year, in the lead up to the summer exam period.
The world students are growing into is being radically reshaped by technology, AI and global challenges from climate change to economic insecurity. Our mentoring programme offers foundational training in time management, focus and motivation techniques, as well as tools to cope with stress and enhance resilience during exam periods. It is also designed around eight core skills of the future, the capabilities that will support you or your child to thrive amidst this changing context: