Manchester: St Paul's High School pupils train to be Peer Mentors

Peer mentoring session

A group of pupils from Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester took part in training where they were able to explore and understand some of the issues encountered by students as part of school life through a series of interactive sessions.

The Year 10 pupils, who had volunteered to become Peer Mentors, gained many practical ideas and received tips during the training session. This is part of a whole school plan to increase mental wellbeing in school and offer more support to our pupils across Key Stage 3.

The mentors will do one to one work with the Year 7s and will also offer support during form time, break time and lunch time.

The mentors have taken part in a full training session to equip them with the skills necessary to offer initial support and signpost either to specific agencies or members of the mental health team in school.

All the mentors have received a certificate and have a badge so they can be easily identified by pupils in school.

"The mentors were great and really immersed themselves in all aspects of the training, we were extremely pleased with the level of commitment we saw from each and every one of them and are sure they are going to be a wonderful asset to Saint Paul's," explained Mrs Michelle Shields from Saint Paul's. "The pupils took part in ideas sessions where they were able to share ideas and good practice. This was an excellent opportunity for our pupils, they left feeling inspired and with a clear action plan."

"We are delighted to have a group of trained Peer Mentors who will be able to support staff and help other pupils as needed," commented Mr Alex Hren, Head Teacher at Saint Paul's. "We plan to run further training in the New Year as many more Year 10 pupils have come forward wanting to take part in this exciting opportunity."

More information about Saint Paul's Catholic High School can be found at www.st-paulshigh.net