From Placement to Profession: Brentwood Students Succeed with Brightstar Group

Students from Brentwood School have continued to benefit from a strong and growing partnership with Brightstar Group, with approximately 40 Brentwood students completing placements with the Group over the past five years.

During this time, students have worked across the Group's businesses - Brightstar (a mortgage intermediary business), Sirius (a high-net-worth London mortgage brokerage), Solstar (an insurance business) and The School Fees Company (supporting parents with school fees planning). Placements have spanned a wide range of departments, including Sales Support and Case Mangement, Finance, Operations, Compliance, Marketing & Design, and People Development.

A Proven Pathway into Employment

The partnership has delivered meaningful long-term outcomes. As a direct result of the relationship with the School, Brightstar Group has recruited eight former Brentwood students as team members - five of whom had previously completed work experience placements with the company.

Impressively, those eight recruits have since referred a further four individuals who have also joined the business - a true testament to the strength of the professional foundation developed during their time at Brentwood.

Among the success stories:

• Emma Burgess joined the Group in September 2025 as its first degree apprentice, undertaking a four-year Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with the University of Kent.
• Christie Howard and Thomas Altman both completed extended work placements before returning as employees.
• Connor Bartell, Shiv Patel and James Jupp completed placements with the Group whilst at university.
• Tom O'Sullivan, currently studying at the University of York, is being interviewed for a one-year industry placement, having previously completed his BTEC placement with the Group.

The Group also welcomed Ethan Guo on a work placement - its first overseas boarding student from Brentwood - who was praised for the significant growth in confidence and communication skills he demonstrated during his time with the business.

Championing the BTEC Pathway

For the past four years, Brightstar Group has hosted BTEC Business students annually, working closely with the School. Students are consistently described as resilient, confident and proactive, making strong contributions to teams and projects whilst engaging in company initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness Week, International Men's Day and International Women's Day.

Notably, Thomas Altman and Thomas Sullivan both completed BTEC work placements before returning as employees - a strong endorsement of the vocational pathway.

Reflecting on the partnership, Clare Jupp, Chief People Officer commented:

"We really enjoy hosting students from Brentwood School. They always make a strong contribution to whatever we involve them with and engage with enthusiasm and determination to succeed. They connect well with others, have the confidence to undertake new challenges and always demonstrate a positive attitude.

We are delighted to work in partnership with Brentwood School and it is always a pleasure to meet such polite, well-motivated students who I am sure can look forward to fantastic futures."

This thriving partnership reflects Brentwood's commitment to preparing students not only for examinations, but for life beyond School - equipping them with resilience, initiative and the confidence to succeed in the professional world.