St Thomas More School, in Wood Green, has been running a peer mentoring programme for the past two years, involving over 50 mentors, who provide younger pupils with support, guidance, friendship and reinforcement. The programme is designed to contribute to the development of both mentors and mentees, and enable them to develop the confidence, self-esteem and skills they need for success in school and in life.
One mentor said of the programme: ‘Mentoring helped me to develop my leadership and management skills. I feel that I made a positive impact on my mentee as I encouraged and supported him to build new friendships. Mentoring has given me the confidence to support others and I feel proud of the impact I’ve made.’
Staff are especially proud of how the mentors have grown into their roles, and the level of responsibility they have all assumed. Feedback from pupils has been overwhelmingly positive and indicates that the programme has been a great success in supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing.
As one pupil commented: ‘My mentor has helped me to develop my confidence, communication skills and given me guidance throughout my school year. The scheme has really helped me to settle into a new school and feel a part of the school community.’
