MENTORING
Learning mentor
Caroline Gibb
talks about
her school’s
work to develop effective
mentoring, and the secrets
to success that they have
discovered
OME FIVE years ago mentors or
S
learning coaches, as we were originally
called, were introduced as part of the key
stage 3 intervention strategy (now the
“whole-school strategy” at my school
in Solihull. The focus at the outset was
on underachieving key stage 3 students,
who, according to their key stage 2 data, should be
at Level 5, the objective being to raise attainment in Mentoring
literacy and numeracy.
We were originally a team of three, led by a
retired teacher from the school who had many years
in teaching and coaching students. Over the years, the
number has increased, although currently we are down
to three mentors, two female and one male.
Mentoring fits into the bigger picture of intervention
across the school – one of many strands like gifted and
success
talented or SEN. It is tailored to support more personalised
learning. The one-to-one attention that students get from
a mentor allows them to self-review in an unconditional
positive environment, enabling them to set achievable
targets to propel themselves forward. Lauren, 16, feels Our remit is to identify a student’s barriers to learning working with small groups of students in English, due to absenteeism, and (exacerbating and underlying
“it’s good to know that when there’s a problem there’s and to provide strategies to help them overcome them maths and science. all these) issues with poor self-esteem, self-image and a
someone you can talk to who is on your side”. and move on towards their full potential. Jamie, 16, My colleague, Zowie, and I benefited from ongoing lack of coping strategies.
In the initial stages, mentors were required to work said: “Mentoring has helped me to be more focused and teaching assistant training made available through In the early days, we had been allocated large
with students identified by core subject team leaders. has improved my attitude in lessons.” the local authority and most significantly, through numbers of underachieving year 9s, most of whom were
More recently, our school has been pastorally organised The senior mentor was invaluable in guiding us Solution Focused Thinking training. This form of poorly-behaved. It did not take us long to realise that the
into four colleges with four college co-ordinators who newer mentors through the early stages, providing thinking relies on a shift from problem-focused to keystone of effective mentoring must be the individual
have responsibility for tracking data and progress. It is us with resources and strategies for working with the solution-focused talking and thinking. We have used student’s willingness to engage with the process. Our
these individuals that we now look to for referrals. students. Initially, the support was classroom-based, this empowering technique repeatedly in one-to-one or experience has taught us that mentoring cannot be “done”
small group sessions over the last five years as a way to a student – it has to be with their total agreement.
Union address: NASUWT
of raising young people’s awareness and self-esteem, Mentors are privileged to be able to build positive
helping them set realistic short-term targets. Personally, personal relationships with individual students. At our
I was also fortunate to have prior training in the use of school, we have learned to mentor within a successful
counselling skills to add to our “toolkit”. and structured framework. We have discovered that
The writing is on the wall
Many successful projects have taken place over effective mentoring is dependent on several factors,
time, including peer mentoring of year 7s by year 10s including numbers and duration. For example, we
and 11s, a peer mentor-led reading group for years 5 feel that a mentor working a 20-hour week can make
From September,
have seen a marked improvement in their working and 6 at a local feeder school, and the setting up of a a positive difference to around 12 students at a time,
conditions. However, the reality is that the impact in newsletter by mentees themselves. We have facilitated working with them for a minimum of six weeks
teachers should no
some schools has been limited and there are still too several groups addressing such strategies as listening depending on their barriers and their success in
many where workload and working hours remain achieving their targets – and subject to regular review.
excessive. The reason for this in large part is that too Close contact with subject teachers and pastoral
longer be involved
many schools still have not introduced in full all of
the statutory contractual changes. Instead they have
routinely in clerical tasks
opted to break the law, denying teachers, heads and
indeed pupils the intended benefits.
and should rarely cover.
However, the writing is now on the wall for
those schools that have continued to disregard the
‘
Our experience
managers along with subsequent feedback to college
co-ordinators provides a valuable network within which
effective change and growth is possible.
has taught us that
Strong links with home are also a vital part of this
process. On receiving the student’s name, an interview
mentoring cannot be
will be set up to explain our role, establish barriers, and
Chris Keates explains
provisions of performance management and the to gauge the student’s willingness to connect with the
entitlement of teachers to have their professional
development needs considered and met; those who ‘done’ to a student – it
process. If this is satisfactory, an explanatory letter will
be sent home seeking the parent’s permission to start
have choked the enthusiasm and energy out of work with their child. A follow-up phone call is made to
ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2009, rarely cover, the last NQTs by failing to give them the support during
has to be with their
arrange a meeting with parents, ideally with the input of
major change in the programme of contractual induction to which they are contractually entitled; the college co-ordinator. At this time, we begin to gain a
change agreed in 2003, takes effect. those who have resisted putting PPA on the timetable
Added to the changes which took effect in or ignored the requirements to remove the burden of
total agreement
more holistic view of the student and possible barriers.
There is nothing more motivating for the “laid-back”
September 2003, 2004 and 2005, this makes a total cover; and those who have imposed whole-school student than the stimulus of knowing that their mentor
of seven contractual changes introduced across responsibilities on teachers without payment. is in regular email and phone contact with a parent for
England and Wales to tackle excessive workload and Time is running out for those who have viewed and concentration, use of a dictionary, hom
working hours by ensuring teachers and headteachers all of the contractual changes as “perks” for teachers
focus on their core role of teaching and leading and rather than strategies necessary to enable them to
’
ophones, both negative and, preferably, positive feedback – the
and writing science evaluations. Zowie set up a course same parent who knows their child has a home study
in self-esteem building which has had a true value in support card that requires signing! (Accountability is
managing teaching and learning. do the job well; for those who have sought to deter challenging the student’s perception of themselves certainly a big part of developing maturity.)
Teachers should now no longer be involved teachers from accessing their contractual rights by and their abilities. Most recently, we organised an Although we are currently working with year 11,
routinely in administrative and clerical tasks. threats of redundancies, an increased teaching load, aspirational workshop for year 11s run by two Oxford over time we have worked with students across the
Strategies should be in place which are bringing or withdrawal of leave of absence arrangements. University students with a focus on higher education years from year 7 upwards. It is always hard to decide
downward pressure on overall working hours and Such threats are unacceptable, punitive attempts and revision techniques. where to point that focus. Do we start early in year 7
resulting in an improved work/life balance. Using designed to dissuade teachers from pressing for In the early days, we scoured the Solihull and and build on that “newly arrived enthusiasm”, or
teachers to cover for absent colleagues should by their entitlements. Legislation is now going through Birmingham schools for other mentors in the hope encourage those year 8s who might be indulging in the
September 1 be a thing of the past as the objective of parliament which will secure the compliance of sharing good practice, but back then only found aptly named “dip year”?
teachers and heads rarely covering at all is reached. of employers with the provisions of the School “mentors” dealing with behaviour issues or purely Perhaps it is the year 10s who need to be kept on
These provisions, combined with the contractual Teachers’ Pay and Conditions of Service and all academic mentors. Shadowing visits were made to target in preparation for GCSEs, or is it to be the year
entitlements to leadership and management time, the related regulations, performance management, and other secondary schools and colleges and although 11s who may be flagging or struggling to organise
removal from teachers of the duty to invigilate public induction provisions for NQTs. Schools in breach of shared experiences and strengths were obviously useful, themselves with coursework and revision?
examinations, and the provision of a guaranteed statutory provisions will receive a formal warning we were looking to develop a more holistic approach. To my mind, it is clear that there is a case for
minimum of 10 per cent of timetabled teaching time notice and face consequences which include having However, a year ago, a colleague passed on an mentoring in any and every academic year. It is
for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA), their delegated powers removed or their governing inspiring article from The Times by a learning mentor impossible to overstate the difference that mentoring
mean the benefits for teachers and headteachers bodies replaced. working in the London suburbs, which was crammed can make to a previously disorganised student lacking
should by now be marked. There is, of course, no need for any school to be with information and strategies. Since then, there has in self-belief or direction.
These contractual changes were never designed placed in this position. All that is needed is for those been useful email contact between us, especially when Siobhan, 16, said: “Mentoring has helped me to
to be an end in themselves. They are levers for currently in breach of the contractual provisions to we were asked to work with key stage 4 – definitely manage my time better. I know where I’m at with my
change for a remodelled workforce which provides accept that their implementation is not a burden or unknown territory for me! grades and the resources have been good too.”
enhanced roles for support staff as part of an an unnecessary imposition, but a win-win for the Because our school currently has an effective Feedback from students, parents, teachers and data
education team, led by teachers, able to meet the school, the staff and, most of all, the children. structure for dealing with negative behaviours, learning alike indicates that an underachieving student allocated
increasingly sophisticated learning needs of all mentors are exempt from the challenges of working a mentor is far more likely to achieve their true potential
pupils. • Chris Keates is general secretary of the National with more stereotypical students with behaviour-related than an equivalent peer who has not. SecEd
As it is now six years after the first contractual Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women barriers. This exemption leaves us with a diversity
changes were introduced, teachers and heads should Teachers. Visit www.nasuwt.org.uk of other barriers, including friendship issues, family • Caroline Gibb is a learning mentor at Lyndon School
problems, social/emotional barriers, knowledge gaps Humanities College in Solihull.
12 SecEd • June 18 2009
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