Learning Mentor

Hello, my name is Mrs Bottomley and I am the Learning Mentor for Blakehill Primary School.

I am passionate about the role I have in school and I am committed to helping children and their families overcome barriers to learning. You will see me every day in the school playground and around school. Please feel free to contact me by telephone or call in to the school office and ask to speak to me if you have concerns about your child.

What is a Learning Mentor?
A Learning Mentor aims to reduce any barriers to learning that a child may be experiencing. This could be to increase the self-esteem and confidence of children in our school, help them manage their emotions or work on social skills through a variety of methods. I work with small groups of children or on a one to one basis outside of the classroom environment.

Another part of my role is monitoring attendance. As a school we have a duty of care to inform you of your child’s current percentage attendance. If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, I will contact you by letter, continue to monitor it and work alongside parents to increase school attendance and ideally reach the national average of 96%. If attendance continues to decline parents will be invited into school to discuss the issue.

If any issues or questions then arise from this and you feel that school can assist you, please feel free to contact me at any time, either in the playground or on the telephone.

How can a Learning Mentor help your child?
• Listening to any problem they may have in school.
• Discussing how to organise their time and work.
• Encouraging children to take an interest in their work.
• Provide pastoral care and support.
• Working alongside parents and teachers to help identify and remove barriers to learning.
• Support children through a specific problem or situation.

How are pupils referred?
The class teacher will usually refer, however parents and pupils can contact me directly.

How long is a pupil mentored?
This depends on the individual child and the progress made. Programmes generally run for 6-8 weeks and regular reviews of pupil progress are made.