About us

An education consultancy built around the student, not the brochure

Panoba has advised international families on British education since 2014, with teams in London, Nigeria and the Gulf. Panoba EU carries that practice across Europe.

International students walking together across a sunlit school campus

How we work

Most families come to us after a shortlist someone else produced left them uneasy. We start again from the student: how they learn, what they love, how far from home they are ready to be and what the family can sustain for five years rather than one.

Then we do the unglamorous work: testing, references, interviews, visas, guardianship and termly reports, so the school place still works long after the first day of term.

2,400+: Families guided
27: Countries served
13: Years advising
94%: First-choice offers

British education consultants

Debbie Gispan & Nicky Sakpoba

Our co-founders recognise that each child is unique, and make sure the final choice of school is built around an understanding of the student and what will genuinely suit them. Panoba is a certified agent of the Boarding Schools Association.

Nicky Sakpoba

Co-founder & Director

Educated at an independent girls' school in West London and a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London. After twenty years in five-star hospitality and commercial property, Nicky co-founded Panoba in 2014 to guide families through UK education.

Nicky works directly with families on school and university placements, oversees Panoba's consultants and manages relationships with UK schools. As a mother of two young adults she has navigated the British system herself, from early years to university entry, and particularly enjoys finding routes that suit students who fall outside standard entry criteria. She is based in North London and travels regularly to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

nicky@panoba.co.uk +44 203 633 3101

Debbie Gispan

Co-founder & Director

A product of the British independent sector and a boarder in her teens, Debbie read at University College London and holds an MSc in International Business from the University of London. She co-founded Panoba in 2014 after a career in investment banking.

Debbie works closely with families across West Africa, guiding them through school and university pathways and maintaining relationships with partner schools. She shaped Panoba's commitment to clear, honest advice for each family, treated as an individual case and never as a process. As a mother of two young adults and a teenager, she understands both the practical and the emotional weight of these decisions.

debbie@panoba.co.uk +234 813 555 3377

What we hold to

Independent by design

We are paid to give the right answer, not to fill a particular school. If a place is wrong for your child, we say so before you visit.

One advisor, start to finish

The person on your discovery call is the person who writes your shortlist, sits in on interviews and checks in during term.

Written, not verbal

Every recommendation arrives in writing with fees, dates, requirements and a candid note on fit, so the family can decide together.

Accredited and accountable

British Council certified, ICEF accredited and members of the British Boarding School Network and guardianship bodies.

Our story so far

2013
Started helping families in West Africa find UK boarding school places.
2017
Summer courses, football camps and guardianship added to the practice.
2021
Opened a Gulf team and started work experience programmes.
2026
Panoba EU opened, so we can help families in Europe too.

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