Learning mentor : Job description

Learning mentors provide a complementary service to teachers and other staff, addressing the needs of children or young adults who require assistance in overcoming barriers to learning in order to achieve their full potential.

They work with a range of pupils, but give priority to those who need the most help, especially those experiencing multiple disadvantages. The variety of issues covered is vast, ranging from punctuality, absence, bullying, challenging behaviour and abuse to working with able and gifted pupils who are experiencing difficulties.

Learning mentors are predominantly education based (in primary, secondary and further education settings) but have a wider remit including families and the wider community. They work with children or young adults on a one-to-one basis or in small or large groups.

Typical work activities

Tasks typically involve:

• liaising with school staff to identify pupils who would benefit from mentoring;
• helping pupils who are underperforming in their subjects on a one-to-one basis outside the classroom;
• implementing strategies and supporting pupils in self-esteem and confidence-building activities;
• listening to and helping pupils resolve a range of issues that are creating barriers to learning;
• drawing up agreed action plans with pupils, outlining the aims of the mentoring;
• monitoring attendance and punctuality of pupils;
• visiting parents at home to discuss issues and problems, and running group sessions and workshops for parents at school;
• advising parents on behaviour strategies and parenting skills;
• networking with other learning mentors and teachers and referring pupils to other appropriate professionals, e.g. social workers, educational psychologists and personal advisers;
• organising and running extracurricular activities, such as sports, music and discos, during lunchtimes or as out-of-school activities;
• setting up breakfast clubs and drop-in 'offload' sessions for pupils;
• helping with transition activities for pupils moving to secondary schools.