Learning Mentor

The Role

• You will be part of a specialist learning mentor service bridging learning and pastoral support for students and those engaged with them, in order to remove barriers to learning and promote academic achievement.

• You will develop and maintain effective and supportive mentoring relationships with a case load of students in order to support their behaviour, social and/or emotional barriers.

• You will act as a link mentor and sometimes provide timetabled support and guidance to SEN students with complex support requirements or for those who are disengaged with their learning or struggling to cope at school.

• You will advance students’ learning in a range of classroom settings, while providing ongoing support outside the classroom through 1-1 and group sessions and specialist enrichment programmes.

• You will use behaviour management strategies effectively and in line with the school’s policy and procedures, and fully contribute to a professional and purposeful learning environment.

• You will promote the inclusion of all students ensuring that they have equal access to opportunities to learn and develop.

• You will work within an extended range of networks and partnerships to broker support and learning opportunities and improve the quality of services to students.

• You will monitor the well-being and progress of individual students and maintain excellent communication with all stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Supportive mentoring relationships:

• To support learning and personal development through one to one mentoring and other supportive relationships.

• To provide a mentoring service throughout the school that enhances and extends existing provisions in order to support learning, participation and encourage social inclusion.

• To manage and be responsible for a caseload of individual mentees especially those with SEN and/or challenging needs.

• Innovate and deliver effective mentoring to raise motivation, aspirations and develop positive behaviours.

• Act as a focal point for pupils needing additional care, guidance and support and those going through complex key transition stages in their lives e.g. family break up, loss, bereavement, friendships and illness.

• Develop and implement individual plans that challenge inappropriate behaviour, build positive self-image, enhance educational achievement and reduce the likelihood of exclusion.

• To assist staff in identifying pupils showing early signs of disengagement and those who would benefit from mentoring help to overcome barriers to learning.

• To deliver individual and group mentoring programmes which provide a range of strategies that will motivate, challenge and empower further learning and ensure students make positive changes. 

Supporting learning and inclusion:

• Develop and support a range of additional activities, clubs and programmes, which promote educational opportunities, active participation, welfare and personal development.

• Work with Directors of Learning to develop targeted pastoral interventions for improving attendance, behaviour and other pastoral concerns.

• To support children and young people’s successful transfer between educational establishments and at key stages in their learning.

• Be able to communicate effective strategies to assist teaching staff in building stronger relationships with the students you work with

• Manage the Academy’s restorative approach to facilitate restorative conversations between students and staff during times of conflict and after major incidents.

• Support the inclusion of those students with SEN in relation to their Social, Emotional and Mental Health.

• Facilitate restorative conversations between students during times of conflict and after major incidents.

Working in partnership:

• To liaise closely with the staff in school to ensure they understand and support the strategies being used by the Learning Mentor to develop pupils’ skills for engaging in learning and positive behaviours.

• To develop and maintain appropriate contact with the families and carers of students who have identified needs and to keep them informed about the pupil’s needs and progress, and to secure positive family support for the pupil.

• To contribute to the safeguarding and protection of children and young people from abuse, following KAA policy to report any concerns.

• To communicate your knowledge and understanding of pupils to other school staff and education, health and social care professionals, so that informed decision making can take place on intervention and provision.

• To meet regularly with the Lead Learning Mentor to discuss case load of identified pupils and other LM activities, make use of advice and supervision to develop competencies.

Other support:

• To contribute to Annual Reviews, Pastoral Support Plans and other reporting to outside stakeholders as required

• To complete the administrative duties relevant to the role of learning mentor; including planning, record keeping, data entry and reports.

• To supervise students in playgrounds, lunchrooms, lunch clubs and after school enrichment.

• To maintain student and family confidentiality at all times.

• To attend regular meetings, training and briefings, as required, and contribute to the identification and sharing of good practice between individuals to enhance mentoring provision.

• Where required, to cover for absent colleagues and ensure the school runs smoothly

• To undertake other reasonable duties as directed by Line Manager/SLT.

Academy Culture 

• Support the Academy’s values and ethos by contributing to the development and implementation of policies, practices and procedures. 

• Help create a strong Academy community, characterised by consistent, orderly behaviour and caring, respectful relationships. 

• Help develop an academy culture and ethos that is utterly committed to achievement. 

Vision aligned with KAA’s high aspirations and high expectations of self and other.