Peer mentoring
Overview
Peer mentoring forms the heart of the Stepping Stones programme. It provides Year 7 pupils with another source of support during transition. It involves providing mentor training to older students (year 10) who are then matched Year 7 pupils.
Peer mentoring takes place as weekly, one-to-one interactions throughout the school year.
Mentoring sessions are normally semi-structured, allowing time for pre-planned focus areas (such as preparing for exams techniques or resolving conflicts with friends) but also non-informal catch ups, and mentor-led games and quizzes.
Indicative cost per pupil:
£137
Key benefits
- Year 7 students benefit from positive role models, peer advice and homework support, increasing self-esteem and confidence.
- Peer mentors develop in maturity, which can contribute to improved behaviour.
- Regular interactions between pupils in different year groups can contribute to a wider sense of community between year groups in schools.
Recommendations
- There is no right or wrong model for who can become a mentor: both ‘high achievers’ and pupils that still encounter challenges can be effective mentors with the right pupil, but the latter need sufficient support.
- Early mentor training at the end of Year 9 ensures mentors are sufficiently prepared.
- Peer mentoring works well when profiles of mentees and mentors are reviewed to ensure a match of interests, backgrounds and lived experiences.
- Sessions before school may require additional incentives such as free breakfasts. Sessions can alternatively be integrated into the school timetable (e.g. form time).
- High visibility of peer mentors in schools can help to support leadership and role modelling among mentors and identify clear contact points for younger pupils.
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