Peer mentoring is a key part of our pastoral support network. This initiative sees students providing support for one another in different ways, not just through their friendship groups, and developing their skills as empathetic listeners. We are very proud of the way our peer mentors provide such sensitive support to those who need it, and the culture of cross-year-group bonding which this fosters.
Members of Sixth Form act as a peer support team offering wider support to the student community, with dedicated Prefects supporting younger students in the Junior Department, Lower School and Middle School. Students can apply to take part in the OX14 Learning Partnership Peer Mentoring and Academic Coaching schemes: cross-school partnerships, training young people to mentor and support their peers pastorally and academically.
Find out more about the OX14 Learning Partnership:
We have a dedicated Peer Support Co-ordinator who oversees mentoring throughout the school. They co-ordinate the lunchtime and afterschool homework help club in the library which sees students in Year 11 and the Sixth Form offer drop-in support for younger students and facilitate 1:1 pairing of older and younger students who are looking to improve their skills in a particular area. There are also opportunities for older students to share advice on specific experiences, for example, members of the Lower Sixth have a feedback session with Year 11, offering guidance on how to navigate public examinations ahead of their GCSEs.
Mentoring at SHSK extends beyond the confines of our current student body, all of our students, past and present, can experience the power of our network through the Kate Scheme, our cultural ethos of continual learning that is manifested in a mentoring programme for life.
Find out more about The Kate Scheme:
