Peer mentoring is a great way of empowering pupils to share knowledge and support one another. It can help to build confidence, develop skills and improve wellbeing for mentor and mentee alike.
So here are some simple ways to develop it in primary schools:
Transition support
Peer mentoring can be invaluable around transition, particularly using a buddy system for Reception and Year 6 pupils. The Year 6s can send a “letter of introduction” to their new buddies, ideally with a photo of themselves, in the term before the Reception child starts at school (offering a lovely real-life writing opportunity).
Some schools carve out “buddy time” each week during the first few terms, where older pupils can spend time getting to know their buddies, for example, playing games, reading stories or doing crafts.
Others have the Year 6 pupils lead their Reception buddies into assembly and sit with them on special benches, or take part in local area walks together, boosting the younger pupils’ confidence around school and on the playground.
Playtime
A buddy bench is an effective way of offering a welcome to pupils who don’t have anyone to play with or who are struggling with making friends.
Pupils selected to be playground buddies will need to be confident in taking the lead in playing games or starting conversations (or, in both cases, to be taught some skills to enable them to do this).
More on wellbeing:
If they feel confident in leading some popular playground games, then this offers a scaffolded opportunity for them to practice these skills, as well as boost their own sense of self-esteem and confidence by being able to support others in play.
Learning mentors
Learning mentors can be used to focus support for particular subjects. If a pupil is finding maths especially tricky, for example, an older, more confident peer can be selected to offer relaxed mentoring sessions, such as meeting weekly for 15 minutes to play a maths-based board game, a game with dice or an online game for two players.
There are many older pupils who, by the time they get to upper key stage 2, are more than capable of the patience and understanding needed to run this with a younger pupil.
Mental wellbeing
The Anna Freud Centre has a freely available . One relevant programme is for developing one-to-one peer mentoring, which identifies pupils who have specific needs, and peer mentors who can meet with them regularly in a safe space and spend time together.
This can be structured to support many diverse needs. A Year 6 pupil could be identified to support a younger child who is struggling to come into school in the mornings by arranging to meet them at the school gate and walking them to their class.
Or for a younger pupil who is neurodiverse and struggling to connect with the school environment, it could be that linking them up with an older pupil who is also neurodiverse, but who has good strategies for managing school life, can be powerful.
Supporting pupil mentors
It is imperative that the mentors are happy and willing to take part in the programme, and that they receive training and regular support from the member of staff organising the programme and that issues such as boundaries, confidentiality and 51 are addressed regularly.
Any kind of peer mentoring programme should be undertaken with care: supporting peers should be understood as a responsibility, and any pupil taking on a mentoring role needs regular support, training and guidance from staff in order to ensure it is purposeful and successful.
Pairings should be carefully considered, with the key focus on ensuring that, whatever the project is being considered, it will benefit both mentor and mentee.
Leyla Gambell is an experienced Sendco who has worked across the primary and secondary sectors. She currently leads SEND at a secondary school in Kent
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