progress

EiC LEARNING MENTOR STRAND – BRIEFING SHEET

MENTOR ACCESS POINT

Vince Gordon can now be contacted for details of Secondary School requirements. Each
school will be able to access 4 volunteer Mentors from September to work along side their
Learning Mentor to help remove barriers to student's learning. His number is 0121 248
8182.

DFEE funding for MAP will continue to 2004.

CORE CITIES LM Co-ordinator's NETWORK

The EiC Core network group of LM Co-ordinators will meet in Liverpool on May 11th.
Current issues for discussion include, working with Connexions, LM qualifications and
Employment issues.

DFEE TRAINING

Primary Headteachers are to receive briefing papers at the Partnership meeting. The training
for PLM s will begin from September.

MENTORING CITY

Bristol have asked for Birmingham schools to mentor their schools onto the Learning
Mentor Strand. The Co-ordinator and a Learning Mentor (Rachel Hudson, Plantsbrook)
recently visited for support to schools to prepare for OFSTED inspections of Learning
Mentors. Materials are available locally for dissemination on request from the number given
below. Any schools prepared to mentor on a school by school basis a second phase city
school please inform the EiC Learning Mentor Partnership Co-ordinator on 0121 373
4900.

PRIMARY LEARNING MENTORS

Primary Learning Mentors will be notified shortly of their National five day training
programme. They continue to integrate into the support structures which are in place for all
LMs. This strategy clearly offers a cohesive approach to sharing good practice across
schools and networks. Much inspirational work is underway on this strand.

Coral Gardiner

Learning Mentor Partnership Co-ordinator

May.2001

EXCELLENCE IN CITIES

BIRMINGHAM PARTNERSHIP

LEARNING MENTOR STRAND

A summary paper

This paper offers an evaluation overview of the EiC Learning Mentor Strand: -

INTRODUCTION

There are approximately 160 Learning Mentors/ALMs now established within the Birmingham EiC
Partnership of Secondary Schools.133 have received or are completing their DFEE Professional
Training Programme.A further 150-200 LMs/ALMs are currently being recruited to Primary schools.
In addition there is a BSS Learning Mentor working with the Quality framework Alternative
Curriculum KS4 programme.

In secondary schools alone this programme has supported 2,392 students since it's inception in
September 1999.Of that number, 1,597 are currently benefiting from access to their Learning Mentor.

During 2000/1, twenty secondary schools received additional funding through a bidding process
with the voluntary sector to provide additional mentoring services. These programmes targeted
pupils in most need as identified in the EiC plan.

STRENGTHS

A major strength of this strand lies in its diversity. It takes a flexible and imaginative approach
to supporting underachievement and raising attainment. It is clearly achieving the objectives
set out within the plan for supporting the reduction of fixed term and permanent exclusions,
improving attendance and punctuality and assisting with improvements in attainment. Pupils
benefiting include those who are looked after, are of African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi or
Pakistani heritage and white disadvantaged boys. This unique role (Learning Mentor) includes
individuals who are not only teachers but also, others, from all walks of life. One quarter of
ALMs are male to three-quarters female. Overall, Birmingham reflects the U.K figures and
employs 2/3rds of its LMs who are female to 1/3rd male. The ethnicity of the Learning Mentor
Strand is something to celebrate; we have a LM community of which 40% is drawn from
minority ethnic backgrounds.

Structures are established for communicating with the Strand Co-ordinator and the Networks,
LM Network meetings, local inset programme and weekly LM surgeries.

The Mentor Access Point will provide all secondary schools in the partnership with four
volunteer mentors from September 2001.It will recruit from both the community and businesses.
DFEE are committed to funding the MAP to 2004.

The Learning Mentor Strand represents a cohesive network of additional resources to schools.

Primary Learning Mentors are integrating into the strand structural activites. This is proving
very benefitial for sharing good practice.

The Birmingham EiC Learning Mentor website is well used and established as a further
resource/support to schools.

Numbers of pupils are self-referring, thus demonstrating that they want a Learning Mentor and
that the programme is successful in their view.

WEAKNESSES

The emergence of a perceived stigma due to the assumption that a pupil is and has a problem
therefore needs a Learning Mentor.

The DFEE and the Partnership plan expect to "ensure a Learning Mentor does not mentor a
young person she or he teaches". There is a need for vigilance on this issue.

Some schools could loose out on good practice where this is shared between schools and
Learning Mentors if staff is not released for inset or networking.

DEVELOPMENTS

DFEE trained LMs can expect to progress on to become accredited Learning Mentors via a new
qualification, likely to emerge from September

Learning Mentors are working closely with the Behaviour Support Service, Education Welfare
Service, Education Psychology Service and the Framework for Intervention.There is still much
work to do in co-operating with other services such as Health Education, Community
Education, Youth Offending Service and Connexions etc.

There is a growing requirement from DFEE for schools to record, monitor and evaluate the work
of LMs.in schools. This will lead to the DFEE future requirements for further co-operation from
schools, especially for relevant evaluative information.

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly pupils are referred to Learning Mentors because their underachievement is due to non-
attendance, behaviour and/or low attainment. Recent evaluation has also identified referrals due to
bullying, bereavement, anger management, teenage pregnancy, young carers and so on. At this
stage in the development of the Excellence in Cities Initiative it is evident that without the assistance
of the now successfully established Learning Mentor role, pupils are more likely to fail. Thus, this
initiative provides an invaluable benefit to pupils and schools in raising achievement, attainment
and reducing truancy and exclusions.

A recent visit to Bristol (EiC phase two) to exchange experiences confirmed the growing reputation
of Birmingham's successful Learning Mentor Strand.We were asked to mentor Bristol's schools
Learning Mentors from our position of greater levels experience, confidence and competence.

We are also collecting examples of EiC models and what works around the UK. Here are examples
from other cities: -

LIVERPOOL EiC PARTNERSHIP