Patrick M
1500+ hours of mentoring with Oppidan; seven years of experience; professional writer/perfomer; Australia cricket fan.
Education
University College London - English
London Film School - Masters in Screenwriting
Bio
Originally from West Australia, I come from a family of teachers and secondary school headteachers. You could certainly say that education is in our blood!
Aside from mentoring, I am a professional writer/actor. My career has so far been rooted in being a comedy and theatre writer, having sold out over seventy professional shows and venues in the last three years, including at the Edinburgh Fringe. I'm represented by international writing agency Curtis Brown and am developing multiple TV and film ideas with production companies. Outside of writing, I am also an avid sports player and fan, especially rugby and cricket. In my spare time I play semi-professional rugby, and also enjoy playing guitar, song-writing, watching theatre and reading.
Approach
I have completed over 1500 hours of individual mentoring for Oppidan. Whilst I studied English at university, I am also a highly-qualified and experienced mentor of the 11+, Maths, History and Religious Studies across all age levels. In addition, I have done a great deal of work on entrance exams, including interview prep and pre-tests for the top schools in the country.
Since I began tutoring and mentoring in 2015, I have always stressed the importance of co-ordinated, multi-faceted teaching, where the pupil and the mentor are involved in a relaxed, progressive and communicative relationship. I firmly believe that academic success is best achieved when the child is approached as an individual with multiple areas of interest and potential, be that sport, music, drama or others. Thus, I am particularly vocal about my support for Oppidan's mentoring outlook, focussing on helping every aspect of the individual's development.
What parents say
"My son has enjoyed and learnt a lot with Patrick and hopefully will do all this learning justice at the exams. As a mentor he has always admired and enjoyed Patrick's company." Father of Y6-boy, June 2023
"Patrick has been great and thanks to his help my son is reaching new academic heights'. Parent of Yr 7 boy Jan 2023
“Awesome, don’t lose Patrick.” Parent of Year 7 student, August 2022
"Patrick has been amazing with our son. He has flourished in terms of his confidence as well as I’m terms of his academic ability and general knowledge. His attitude has transformed entirely in just a few months since he’s been mentored by Patrick. We were so hugely fortunate to meet Patrick and he immediately clicked with our son. Patrick’s sessions were relaxed but brilliantly coordinated and highly effective. Our son hugely enjoyed seeing him every week. Thanks to Patrick our son was able to resit for eton and he was over the moon to be offered a place immediately. He’s honestly been beyond amazing and such an exceptional mentor in every way!" - Suha, mother of Taymour, Eton applicant, 2022
“We are still reeling with the joy of having had Patrick and we are all absolutely delighted how well it all went. Thank you so, SO much for recommending him and for arranging his residency with us. Patrick is a charming, commanding and charismatic individual who the boys were captivated by and now utterly adore. He is a perfect choice for our family and we are so grateful that he is happy to continue teaching the boys.” Mother of Year 4 Students, April 2022
“Patrick has been excellent with our son who enjoys working with him and has progressed as a result.” Father of Year 6 student, November 2021.
“Patrick is extremely professional and built a great rapport with our son.” Mother of Year 6 student, November 2021
“Patrick is a very patient, knowledgeable and helpful teacher.” Mother of Year 6 Student, April 2021
“He is very engaged and interesting. He is a natural performer and therefore the children are immediately drawn in to work with him. He has great energy levels and pace.” Mother of Year 5 Student, April 2021
“Patrick is helping my son use PEE. He seems to engage my son which is wonderful as he is a reluctant tutee!” Mother of Year 6 Student, March 2021
“Patrick has been a hugely positive role model to my son. He has reinforced the skills he’ll need for a good interview and exam. Plus he’s also made the sessions enjoyable with lots of encouragement and positive reinforcement. He’s been brilliant!” Mother of Year 7 Student, March 2021
“Patrick is extremely engaging and has the ability to make my son listen and take part even on days when he would much rather be playing games.” Mother of Year 6 Student, January 2021
“Patrick is amazing. One of my sons is so happy when Patrick arrives and afterwards explains it is really helping him at school. The kids actually look forward to seeing him. If I try to work with them, they procrastinate and battle with me. He has the personality to engage them and they want to please him.” Parent of Year 5 and Year 8 boys, September 2020
“Patrick related brilliantly to the boys and puts them completely at ease which is key to everything. The whole setup has been brilliantly managed and successfully fulfilled.” Mother of Primary-Aged Children, August 2020
"Patrick had an infectious love for English and it really rubbed off on my son." Mother of GCSE student, May 2020
"Patrick worked very hard and was excellent teaching and having fun with the students." Teacher at Peruvian school, August, 2019
"Patrick was a diligent and hard-working teacher." Mother of 8+ student, June, 2019
"Patrick was enthusiastic and inspiring…his interactive lessons were always well thought out and his energy in the classroom was a real credit." Teacher at an English summer school, 2018