Since joining the Etio Attendance Mentors Programme in January, our teams have undertaken a comprehensive induction and training programme designed to support them in preparing to mentor pupils across England from March.

Our teams are made up of individuals who bring a wide range of skills and experience in supporting young people with backgrounds in education, mentoring, youth work and support services. Each of the ten areas we are delivering in has a dedicated team of mentors, supported by an Area Manager who works closely with participating schools to embed themselves in the school and wider community.

The AMP induction programme has focussed on three key pillars of learning:

• Background, theory and understanding
• Practical application of skills
• Quality, compliance and continuous improvement

Delivered by a combination of the programme team, our core partners and expert training providers, our teams have been able to build on their existing experience whilst learning new strategies, methods and approaches.

In any programme, context is important, and the teams have benefited from our internal expertise in understanding the education landscape, how school systems work and how to navigate within them, as well as from our partners in exploring the challenges pupils might be facing when it comes to attending school regularly. Our central team have delivered specific sessions on the programme itself as well as in their specialisms, such as SEND, school re-integration and quality of assessment/planning/notes.

Safety is at the heart of our programme and our teams have undertaken safeguarding training which has focussed both on the legislation and guidance but also on the practical application of safeguarding in a mentoring role. We’ve utilised the expertise of Ella Savell Boss and her team to ensure mentors have had a comprehensive training experience, exploring several topics that will support them as they work with children and contribute to keeping them safe.

All our mentors and Area Managers have taken part in the Thrive ‘Adolescent Practitioner’ course which provides the opportunity to explore the neuroscience of adolescence and particularly how unmet need can impact all aspects of a child’s life. Thrive also provide strategies and activities that are specifically recommended to support in addressing the challenges that have been identified, and mentors will be able to draw from these as they go through the mentoring journey with pupils. Having this as part of the mentoring toolkit helps mentors to respond specifically to any potential emotional and social needs that the pupils might have.

Positive relationships are at the heart of mentoring, and we’ve supported mentors in developing their skills by working with The Learner’s Collective to explore mentoring as a relational practice, examining language use, unconscious bias and ensuring pupil-led dialogue. Mentors have had the opportunity to test, practice and observe, helping to prepare them for their sessions and create meaningful mentorship relationships.

We have worked alongside our other core partner, Oasis, building on and learning from their extensive experience of mentoring and more broadly with their approach to working with families and communities. Mentors have worked with Oasis to understand their role, the scope, the boundaries and how to maintain these whilst supporting children. Oasis have also provided training on conflict resolution and how to manage this in the mentoring space. Area Managers and our School Reintegration Lead and Family Engagement Lead will be co-delivering the Oasis Encounter programme to some parents of pupils receiving mentoring. This supportive programme will offer the opportunity for parents to build their support network and work through a number of sessions that provide practical and emotional support whilst building resilience and confidence.

Mentors will need to be able to work effectively with not only the pupils but also fellow professionals and parents and guardians. Language and approach is significant in all avenues and for this reason, our teams have spent time with the team at Restorative IQ learning about how to bring a restorative approach to their work. It may be that mentors are able to support with some reparative conversations and having this experience will help them in successful facilitation.

Learning never ends and we are committed to an ongoing calendar of training that responds both reactively and proactively to the needs of mentors and of the pupils.  

Find out more about the AMPE project.