Peer Mentors

Life at Secondary School can be challenging and naturally, students often turn first to a peer to talk through a problem, therefore this year for the first time Bebington High Sports College have introduced a Peer support programme.

A group of 20 young people has been chosen from Years 10 & 12, and have been trained to offer help and support to other students by listening to their problems and issues. A daily drop in clinic has been set up in one of the classrooms at the school both before registration and during break times to offer support. Their support is also offered via an email address and by accessing the VLE on the School website. In the future, the mentors are planning to be out and about at various points in the school chatting to students who may appear vulnerable.

Peer Support at the school is aimed to complement the existing welfare at the school and provide students with a friendly, confidential service. The Peer Supporters can help students talk through their problems or difficulties, encouraging them to find their own answers or solutions.

The 20 young Peer Supporters have designed their own logo and are in the process of creating easily identifiable badges and T/shirts which they will wear around school.
One of the Peer Supporters mentioned that they actually enjoy working as part of a team, and 'giving back’ to the community. The Peer Supporters involved in this scheme get the opportunity to develop themselves, learn new skills and gain confidence, which is a great benefit for them.

Our team of Peer Mentors plan to give talks in assemblies to all year groups in the near future explaining what they offer to students. They plan to visit feeder primary schools next year, so the younger students that will be joining our school are aware that there is someone they can turn to if they have any issues, they also aim to help at our Induction Day as a friendly point of contact so the new students understand who they can talk to if they have a problem and so ease their transition into secondary school.

The Peer Mentors at the moment are also organising a range of activities for students to get involved in during February, from cake sales to Staff vs. Student Dodge ball, with the proceeds raised going towards the Haiti earthquake fund.

The Peer Support training for our students focuses on communication skills and assertiveness, with the emphasis being on non-judgemental listening which helps others to make decisions without giving advice, which are key transferable skills.
There is a strong emphasis on developing and celebrating a positive outlook, building relationships and promoting the ethos of the school and there is no greater demonstration of this than by the peer mentors at our school, which sends out an important message that the school community cares and that the students themselves have a most important part to play in the ongoing pastoral support of one another. We strive to improve the emotional health of our students and this is an integral part of our Healthy Schools action plan and a way of combating bullying behaviour.

The dedication of the mentors is enhancing the school’s caring reputation and has helped with the development of confidence in dealing with difficult matters in a mature and sympathetic way, providing an opportunity for students to shine and play a valuable part within our school.

Our Peer mentors are given clear guidance as to when an adult needed to be involved, and the whole group met regularly to check on progress and to discuss any worries. The head teacher, deputy head teacher and class teachers are always available to meet with any of the Peer Mentors who themselves in turn want support.