School case study

Anglo European School in Ingatestone, Essex, is a large academy school with 1,500 students aged 11 to 19. Anisha Vidal-Garner who Talk2Nish is named after attended the school so it was fitting that it should be our pilot school. The school has received two rounds of mentor training so far and has embedded Talk2Nish in their pastoral support programme. Around 12 mentors have been trained in each cohort and the programme is promoted through assemblies and posters around the school. Mentors wear lanyards and badges so they are easily identifiable.

Most referrals have gone through heads of year and form tutors to the coordinator who is based in the pastoral team or her manager. However, as the programme has become more well known some students have directly asked for mentors. Most of the issues mentors have dealt with have been related to friendship problems, bereavement, settling into school, self esteem/confidence issues or exams. Some mentees ask for specific mentors, for instance, based on ethnicity.

The Talk2Nish group has a page on the school's online platform where requests for support are posted by the coordinator, after checking that there are no safeguarding issues. The page is overseen by the head of pastoral support. Mentors then pick up the requests, usually within an hour. Mentors arrange to meet with mentees on a one-off or regular basis, usually in morning registration when they can find quiet spots around the school to talk.

Mentors support each other and if they have any problems they contact the coordinator. Most of the mentees are in the lower school, particularly years 7 and 8 who have never known the school not to have a peer mentor programme. The school anticipates demand will rise as these students progress through the school.

The feedback from mentors and mentees has been very positive and the school says the scheme is now a regular part of its student support offer.

*Picture: Stock school photo supplied by Wix