Activities

Mentoring approaches are varied and draw on many different skills and aspects of other activities. The focus must be on empowering the young person to take on responsibility for their learning. Typically mentoring incorporates elements of assessment, tutoring, coaching, counselling and advising. Actions are agreed with the young person, teachers and family. Regular review meetings with the student should be incorporated to ensure they feel a full part of the process. Appropriately managed endings are key to sustained improvements. Main activities include:

a structured mentoring approach with regular meetings and reviews
active listening
being an active part of the school community
exploring issues through appropriate mediums
problem solving
helping with literacy, numeracy and other subjects
being impartial
assessing students' needs
advocating on the young person’s behalf
liaising with teachers and other members of staff
referring to appropriate specialists, such as a lead professional
talking to families
discussing issues with groups of students through circle time and clubs
challenging disaffection
acting as a link between the pastoral and academic
supporting aspects of the curriculum, particularly PSHE and Citizenship
having fun!