"Potential Mentoring was introduced into the pastoral element of the sixth form to support students with behavioural difficulties and issues outside the classroom. Mentors would work with a small selected group of students for programmes of 12 weeks. The timetabled meetings were regular and offered the students opportunities to work on their own, with their mentor and also with other students in group sessions. Each programme was created to best suit the particular needs of each mentee.
Kelly and his team worked on two 12 week programmes with students whom were challenging in a variety of ways. Potential Mentoring enabled students to focus on their own behaviour, reflect on why they acted in certain ways and evaluate how they were perceived by others. Progress was at times visible almost immediately, whilst other students benefited from the longer term approach.
Either way I feel Potential Mentoring has worked successfully with students of varying needs and has sought to provide students with the ability to see their own potential and work towards a successful working relationship with both their peers and staff."
Ronnie: local school teacher in Camden - June 2008
"Kelly has been working with a pupil in our school from January 2008 until June 2008. I first contacted him in December 2007 to find out information with regard to Potential Mentoring and what services they offer. What Potential Mentoring had to offer was definitely what we were looking for and so he started work in the January.
Kelly was always a polite, friendly, positive person to work with. He quickly set up a good rapport with the pupil and worked professionally with all colleagues in school. The pupil he was working with has very complex needs and had difficulties working with adults other than his class teacher. Kelly used all his professional skills and experience and showed great patience whenever he was working with him. Kelly also established good communication links with the pupil’s mother and this has benefited not just Kelly, but the pupil and the school. Kelly worked consistently with the pupil and liaised constantly with the class teacher and myself, reviewing work he was doing and issues arising in the classroom. His work was therefore relevant and appropriate for the pupil. Kelly also involved two other colleagues from Potential Mentoring who came into school to do some work with the pupil which was successful with regard to using their areas of expertise. He worked with the pupil for an hour every day for over four months.
The pupil Kelly has worked with has shown improvements in many areas. The main areas are with his confidence, self esteem and anger management. This has started to transfer to his academic work as well and he has shown an improvement in his reading ability and confidence. The school have noted these changes and his mother has too. The pupil himself has also begun to articulate an understanding of knowing he has improved in these areas too.
Potential Mentoring have provided an opportunity for us to utilise their expertise. This has been an exceedingly positive experience for all colleagues involved and highly beneficial for the pupil concerned."
Alison Omar - Inclusion Manager, Helen Holton - Class teacher, Leigh Thompson - Head teacher Little Ealing Primary School
"Good Things I've done with Kelly
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I enjoy talking to Kelly about things. We talk and play games.
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He's helped me talking about dogs.
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He can stop me being angry.
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He stops me being angry by not talking to me.
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He's helped me with my reading. He says never stop reading.
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He's made me think about what I do."
Testimony from a mentee Alex, aged 10
