Mentors
Mentoring at IWS
A subject teacher knows how a student is getting on in one subject. A Mentor keeps the whole student in view: what they’re aiming for, how it’s going and what’s in the way.
A subject teachersees how a student is getting on in one subject.
A Mentorkeeps the wider view of the whole student.
What a Mentor connects
- Goals
- Progress
- Habits
- Motivation
- Organisation
- Barriers
- Decisions
- Support
- Next steps
Every IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model.
Present in all three learning models
What a Mentor works on with a student
Through regular meetings, a Mentor builds a relationship with the student, understands their progress and challenges, and keeps their development moving forward.
Mentoring in each learning model
Mentoring is present in all three learning models. What it’s for changes with the scope of IWS’s relationship with the student.
Academy
Who is this student becoming?
Well-Rounded Mentoring
Mentoring connects academic learning, personal development, goals, opportunities and the Well-Rounded Profile.
Applies to AcademyTwenty minutes one-to-one, every week of term
Bridge
Is this student progressing, and what should happen next?
Progress Mentoring
Mentoring keeps a student on course when IWS is one part of their education.
Foundation
Is this student studying effectively, and what is getting in the way?
Study Mentoring
Mentoring keeps a student organised, in good study habits and moving forward.
Setting goals and following them up
Goals are agreed with the student, and they can run over different timescales, from a full term to something much shorter. Regular mentoring conversations then keep coming back to them.
Continuous development rather than occasional intervention
- Review what has happened
- Assess progress
- Understand what is helping or blocking progress
- Adjust goals where necessary
- Agree actions
- Maintain momentum
Then it comes round again
When a student is stuck
A student can know exactly what they want to achieve and still be stuck, often for a reason nobody has named yet. The Mentor helps work out what’s in the way.
A student who knows what they want to achieve
The real bottleneck
The Mentor helps identify it
It can sit in
Resolved with the student
The Mentor works it through with them, using guidance, motivation, planning or connection.
Connected to the right person or service
Where another part of the school is better placed to help, the Mentor makes the connection and follows the issue through.
Followed through
The Mentor checks back until it’s dealt with.
Who the Mentor works with
The Mentor talks with the people around the student so that academic learning, support and development stay connected. Then they bring what matters back to the student, talk it through and agree the way forward together.
Talks with
- Teachers
- Pastoral staff
- Personalised Learning Programme
- ParentsApplies to Academy
The Mentor
Brings back information, opportunities and guidance
Agrees the way forward together
The student
Twenty minutes, every week of term
An Academy student’s Mentor is one of their own subject teachers. Every meeting has the same five-part shape, and it’s the area of development that moves from one half-term to the next.
Twenty minutes one-to-one
Opportunities that match their goals
The Mentor and the wider school look out for opportunities that match a student’s goals, interests, strengths and areas for development, and the student has a say in which ones are worth taking. Each one gives a student real experience to show for a goal they set.
Students lead six of our seven clubs. A student who wants to start a club of their own is helped by their Mentor to set it up.
School life at IWSTuesday
- The Design Lab
- Debate Club
Wednesday
- Soccer Club
- The Quills
Thursday
- STEM Club
- Behind the Lens
Friday
- Baking Club
Meet the Mentors
Every Mentor is a qualified teacher, trained to deliver the Well-Rounded Programme.
Megan Nel
Mentor, and English and Maths teacher
Dennis Lukozi
Mentor, and Science and Computing teacher
Edward Eayrs
Mentor, and English teacher
Ruth Akintola
Mentor, and Global Perspectives teacher
Questions parents ask
Who understands my child beyond one subject?
A Mentor does. Subject teachers know how a student is doing in their own subject, and a Mentor keeps the wider view: goals, progress, habits, motivation, organisation, barriers, decisions, support and next steps. They also talk with the teachers and others around your child, so that what each of them sees stays connected.
What happens when learning becomes difficult?
The Mentor helps find what’s in the way. Where they can resolve it through guidance, motivation, planning or connection, they do that with your child. Where another part of the school is better placed to help, they connect your child to the right person or service and follow the issue through.
In Academy, when a student falls behind agreed academic goals, we give extra academic support for as long as it’s needed, with no fixed limit.
How is my child involved in decisions?
From the start. Goals are agreed with your child, and the Mentor and your child decide the next meaningful step together. Your child also has a say in which opportunities are worth taking.
In Academy, students choose two or three goals in their own words, and by Years 12 to 13 they run their own review and present their own evidence.
Does my child have a Mentor in Bridge or Foundation?
Yes. Every IWS student receives mentoring that fits their learning model. In Bridge, Progress Mentoring asks whether the student is progressing and what should happen next. In Foundation, Study Mentoring asks whether the student is studying effectively and what is getting in the way.
The twenty-minute weekly meeting, and a Mentor who is one of the student’s own subject teachers, belong to Academy.
Find the learning model that fits.
Book a consultation and we’ll talk through which learning model suits your family, and what mentoring looks like inside it.