CCaassee SSttuuddyy Establishment name: LSA Technology and Performing Arts College Lancashire no. 04/114 Contact name: Susan Strother Email: [email protected] Telephone no. 01253 733192 Award granted: Best Practice Project title: 'LSA Technology and Performing Arts College Peer Mentors ' Project summary Our Peer Mentor scheme was set up to help students make a successful transition from primary school, giving them reassurance that they are supported by their peers so they feel happier and more confident in school and they are able to achieve both socially and academically. A room is provided every lunchtime where year 7s can talk to Year 8 mentors about problems in school. They also visit primary schools with their own presentation and answer questions from Year 6. They are attached to a year 7 form and help on the school's two induction days. The scheme has expanded to include Sixth Form students as one -to-one mentors of students in years 7 - 10; Year 10s helping with literacy and numeracy in primary schools; Year 9 students working on -to-one with vulnerable year 7s; year 9 or 10 students trained to do small group work on various topics with students in the year below. Peer Mentors serve on the school's anti -bullying working party alongside staff. Many year 7 students come to the mentor room for companionship and/or advice at lunchtime. Students report increased confidence after working with a one -to-one mentor. Numbers of reported bullying incidents are decreasing throughout the school. Specific aspect of practice to be accredited? To improve the transition process and strengthen the whole school community by giving students the opportunit ies to talk t o, befriend and support their peers. Aspect of Every Child Matters addressed : Be healthy Stay Safe Enjoy and achieve Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well-being • What were you hoping to achieve? • To make the transition of all students starting at our school a positive experience. • To provide an alternative source of support to students other than school staff. • To encourage all students to take on responsibility and to make a positive contribution to the school and wider community. • To reduce reported instances of bullying throughout the school, but especially in year 7. How did you identify the need for this practice? Lytham St Annes High Technology and Performing Arts College is the largest school in Lancashire. Transferring to such a large school is problematic for many children. From speaking to primary school children, their parents and primary school staff in 2002, a major worry for them at that time was the fear the children may be bullied when they enter year 7. It was thought that the students best placed to allay these fears were those who had just completed their first year at the school - i.e. year 8 students. Many of the primary school children would recognise these students from their own school and the experience of starting at secondary school for the year 8s would still be very recent. In November 2005 and June 2006 two year 8 students took their own lives. This was a devastating event for families, friends and the school. The school provided an enormous amount of support to groups and to individuals. During the academic year 2006/7, leadership of the school reviewed all the pastoral systems in school and, in particular, began to focus on the issue of how we identified and met the needs of vulnerable students. One of the results of this review found the role of the Peer Mentors to be an important part of the support network for students available in school. Briefly describe the main characteristics of the school? Lytham St Anne's High Technology and Performing Arts College is the largest school in Lancashire with about 1600 pupils including the sixth form. It has an intake of up to 283 students into year 7, mainly taken from 7 feeder primary schools in 8 year 6 classes. The school catchment area ranges from Warton to Blackpool though the school serves mainly the towns of Lytham and St Annes. The school's intake reflects the mainly white British community it serves, with only a small percentage of ethnic minority students. Numbers identified with SEN are smaller than the national and LA average, as is the % eligible for free school meals. What did you do? During 2002 - the project was initiated by the then Head of Lower School who identified the possibility of students helping younger students as they transferred form year 6. 2004 - the Peer Mentors came under remit of the Lower School Learning Mentor Page 2 of 7 (Susan Strother). 2005 – 2009 it was a part of her role as Learning Mentor and later as Pastoral Manager. Sept 2008 - the school was chosen to take part in the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation's (MBF's) pilot study into the effects of Peer Mentors on bullying in schools. Oct 2008 - staff and students form a 'Peer Mentor Working Party' to devise a 'Peer Mentor Policy' for the school. April 2009 - chosen to be a 'Regional School Champion' (one of only 10 schools chosen nationally) for the MBF pilot study. Sept 2009 - the Peer Mentors came solely under Sue Strother's remit as Peer Mentor and Pyramid Club Co-ordinator. Sept 2009 - Sixth Form students trained to be one-to-one mentors (Buddies) working with referred students from years 7 - 10. Sept 2009 - trial group of year 10 students trained to support literacy and numeracy in two local primary schools. Dec 2009 - MBF Approved Provider Standard for Peer Mentor provision. Dec 2009 - Diana Anti-Bullying Award – Year 8 Peer Mentors. Jan 2010 - Completion of Peer Mentor policy. March 2010 - 'Team building' day for all Buddies and their mentees at Borwick Hall, Carnforth. March 2010 - The pastoral work of the school (which includes the Peer Mentors) was judged by OFSTED to be 'outstanding'. June 2010 - Diana Certificate of Excellence - Sixth Form Buddies. Sept 2010 - Sixth Form Buddies begin to work with students new to the school in any year group with English as an Additional Language. Currently 8 students are being supported in this way. Jan 2011 - trial group of Year 9 students trained as 'Buddies' to vulnerable year 7 students, working one to one for 6 - 8 weeks. Feb 2011 - Introduction of ASDAN Short Course Award for Peer Mentors Page 3 of 7 Which members of the establishment and/or wider community have been involved and what was their role? The head teacher, Philip Wood, and the then Head of Lower School, David Platt, initiated the Peer Mentor scheme in school. Mr Wood is keen to promote the scheme with parents of children in Primary Schools and displays, leaflets and posters are made for the annual Open Night and at the year 6 parents induction meeting. The Peer Mentors attend these events to answer questions from parents. School staffs (Heads of College, Pastoral Managers and Form Tutors) regularly refer students for Peer Mentoring and discuss their progress. On receiving a referral for a Sixth Form Buddy - the student referred is contacted and the Buddy system is explained to them. If the student agrees to have a Buddy then their parents are informed by letter explaining about Peer Mentor support and inviting phone calls to Sue Strother to find out more or if any difficulties arise during the Buddying relationship. Until 2008, training the year 8 mentors was carried out by a locally- based consultant in this field, John Highton. From 2009 following training by the MBF, Sue Strother took over the role of trainer. Visits from the MBFs partner Salford Foundation and other local high schools running Peer Mentor schemes (Bispham High School, and Heysham High School) have been a regular feature, with (Year 8 and Sixth Form) Peer Mentors devising and making a presentation to other schools at MBF Regional Events in Manchester. Local businesses have sponsored us to help with the training of the Year 8 mentors. They have provided a meeting room for a full day, together with refreshments and a senior person from the organisation has presented the certificates at the end of the day. In the past we have been to the Land Registry (2002 - 2008) and Aegon UK (2009) both in Lytham and the Dalmeny Hotel (2010) in St Annes. 2011 we will be going to AXA, Lytham. We have been very grateful for their interest and support. March 2010 - We celebrated the Year 8 Diana Anti-Bullying Award by having a meal for the Peer Mentors and their families at a local restaurant, Mamma’s Too (who also sponsored the meals for the mentors) and presentation of certificates by a local Councillor, a representative from Aegon Uk and the Mayor of St. Annes. July 2010 - We celebrated the Sixth Form Diana Certificate of excellence by having a ‘Presentation Breakfast’ in school and the certificates were presented by our new local MP Mark Menzies. The project has been given a lot of coverage and publicity both in the local press and on our school website by the school's PR - Margaret Anderton. Page 4 of 7 How has the progress of the project been monitored and evaluated? The Year 8 mentors carry out surveys from time to time (devised and run by the Year 8s themselves). These surveys help establish the satisfaction or otherwise of the users of the mentor room and following these we have meetings to identify our strengths and weaknesses and how to improve what we do. The Sixth Form Buddies start every mentoring relationship with a 'tick sheet questionnaire' - a summary of how the mentee is feeling on starting mentoring.