Mentoring in school

Bromley Mentoring Initiative

Mentoring in school Advice for parents and carers

www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring

Who we are The Bromley Mentoring Initiative (BMI) is part of the London Borough of Bromley (LBB). Formed in 1999, we provide a multi-agency and borough-wide approach to mentoring children and young people.

What we do We coordinate a number of mentoring programmes aimed at making a difference to a young person’s life.

What does a mentor do?

Our mentors are adult volunteers who want to help young people develop and grow.

A mentor will get to know the young person, give them advice and encouragement and share with them their own life experience. In school life, a mentor becomes a unique and valuable educational resource who can contribute to the progress made by a young person in developing skills, whether academic, social or personal.

A mentor is not meant to take the role of a parent, carer or teacher. Their role is to build a trusting relationship that will support their mentee and boost their selfesteem.

A mentor sets aside time from their day to meet with a young person. Meetings take place during the school day for up to one hour a week. If lessons are missed, efforts are made to ensure it is not the same lesson every time. The school will have set out the over all aims of the mentoring programme and within that the mentor and the young person work out together what they want to achieve from their relationship.

www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring

Some examples of how a mentor might help a young person are by: Encouraging them to maximise their potential at school

Helping them to find out more about work and what it's like

Helping them with time management and organisational skills

Encouraging them to attend school regularly, be punctual and hand in their homework on time

Finding out information for them or helping them to find it

Helping them develop communication, interpersonal and relationship skills

Helping them with their studies

What checks do our mentors undergo?

Before being matched with a young person, all our mentors undergo a rigorous application process and complete an enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service).

This is a legal requirement and is in line with Bromley Safer Recruitment and Keeping Children Safe in Education. We provide full training and ongoing regular support for mentors.

www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring

How are young people matched with mentors?

Mentors volunteer and young people agree to mentoring support and therefore commit to meeting regularly. They will then be 'matched' by the Bromley Mentoring Initiative, often according to interests or something they have in common which is usually established through a meeting or by filling in a questionnaire about themselves.

How long will the mentoring last?

All mentoring relationships are setup on an individual basis. This makes it difficult to be precise about how long the support will last. We initially ask for one year’s commitment from a mentor to allow the relationship to establish in an unhurried manner.

During the programme, the school will monitor progress and check that the young person and mentor wish to continue meeting. It is important that the ending of a mentoring relationship is well-managed, and we support with this.

How can you help?

Parental consent is required for mentoring to proceed. Parents and carers can help by reminding young people to keep to the arranged meetings with their mentor.

Sometimes meetings may need to cancelled or re-arranged. The school will have the mentor’s contact details.

You might want to consider becoming a mentor yourself for a young person at another school and find out what is really involved.

www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring

Quotes from young people involved in the mentoring initiative

‘Mentoring has made me realise the importance of education at a young age and the advantages it will bring later.’

‘Having a mentor has helped me feel more comfortable and happier at school. I had a lot of worries before about secondary school but now I feel much more confident.’

‘My behaviour at school has improved, I was getting detentions before but my mentor helps me focus, now I know what I want to do.’

‘Everything is better because I have a mentor!’

For further information, please contact your school mentoring coordinator.

Get in touch bromley.gov.uk/mentoring or scan

020 8461 6240 mentoring@bromley.gov.uk

www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring

‘Mentoring has made me realise the importance of education at a young age and the advantages it will bring later.’

‘Having a mentor has helped me feel more comfortable and happier at school. I had a lot of worries before about secondary school but now I feel much more confident.’

‘My behaviour at school has improved, I was getting detentions before but my mentor helps me focus, now I know what I want to do.’

Produced by Children’s Services London Borough of Bromley Bromley Civic Centre, Churchill Court 2 Westmoreland Road Bromley, BR1 1AS April 2025

A product of the Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation Division