Mentoring programmes

Where you can help as a mentor

Our mentors are mainly University of Hertfordshire students and community volunteers who use their own time and experience to encourage and support others.

Find out from the mentor programme descriptions how volunteering your time and experience as a mentor can help young people achieve their potential in schools:

One-to-one mentoring schemes

On these mentoring schemes you will meet your pupil mentees on a weekly basis in school.

• Raising Motivation Mentoring
  This is a weekly one-to-one mentoring scheme with up to 5 pupils, who have potential to do well but are currently not achieving. Your regular support and encouragement will help to improve their self-confidence and study skills.
• Raising Attainment Mentoring
  One-to-one mentoring for pupils who have the ability to succeed but are not achieving their full potential. Mentors will work with pupils to help them to understand why they are not achieving as well as they should be and help them to explore how they can work more effectively. The mentoring can help to raise confidence and self-esteem, set goals and establish effective study habits.
• Encouraging Ambition Mentoring
  Student mentors will work regularly with sixth form pupils who aspire to higher education but face barriers such as learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. Mentors will encourage them to pursue education, inform them of the support available to them at university, and guide them in making choices and applying to Higher Education.
• Inclusion Mentoring
  This one-to-one mentoring is for pupils who are at risk of exclusion, hard to place pupils, children looked after, young carers, pupils with English as an additional language or any other difficulties. Experienced mentors will work with pupils to help them overcome their difficulties/barriers and to explore ways to enable them to remain in school and engage with education.
• Technology Mentoring
  Use your technology expertise to work on a one-to-one basis with University of Hertfordshire staff who wish to develop their technology skills in relation to teaching, e.g. video editing, podcasting, blogging, quizzes on studynet, classroom technology etc.

Group work mentoring

On this mentoring scheme you will meet your pupil mentees on a weekly basis in school and alternate between different mentoring styles.

• Raising Aspiration Mentoring
  This mentoring scheme mixes one-to one and group work mentoring with pupils whose family background does not include a tradition of attending university, giving them an understanding of higher education, and developing their self-confidence, esteem, motivation and aspirations to go to university.

Online e-mentoring schemes

• E-Mentoring schemes
  As an e-mentor you will be matched with a school pupil who would like additional support by email. You can do this mentoring at any time via the secure email system that we provide.
• E-Mentoring - Gifted and Talented
  Working via a secure email system you will support gifted and talented pupils to develop their GCSE Maths and English skills. You will also help to improve their aspirations, motivation and self-esteem.

Primary school mentoring schemes

• Mentoring Transition Scheme
  On this weekly group work mentoring scheme you will work with primary school pupils to develop their confidence about the transition to secondary school.
• Professor Fluffy
  This programme introduces the idea of attending university to primary school pupils whose family background does not include a tradition of university.
  The children learn about university in school using the Professor Fluffy website then visit the university for a day where they take part in an art class, tour the university and have a mini lecture and graduation ceremony.

Benefits to you

Mentoring will definitely involve some time commitment on your part, but will bring benefits such as improving your:

• group working
• communication
• planning and problem solving skills
• confidence

It will also give you valuable work experience to add to your CV and will be an excellent opportunity if you are thinking of a career working with children or doing a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. References will also be offered to successful mentors.

Apply to become a mentor

Please fill in an application form and email it to Gill Rance, Mentor Team Administrator, or call on +44 (0)1707 286444 if you are interested in taking part in any of these mentoring programmes.