Can I future-proof my purchase of a new laptop?

Marie is buying a computer for her son and seeks something that can be upgraded and won't need replacing in a couple of years

I am getting my son a new laptop for Christmas. My budget is around 500. He is adamant that he wants a 15in HP laptop - he won't be lugging it anywhere - but I've also been looking at Dell and Asus ZenBooks. My question is: Can I future-proof my purchase to take him through his GCSEs to A-levels, or should I just go for an entry-level laptop with the view of replacing it in a couple of years?

His usage will be mostly be Microsoft Office, web browsing and watching YouTube videos. From my headache-inducing searches of various forums and guides, I think my basic requirements would be a Core i5, 8GB and SSD (solid-state drive) storage. Marie