This week, we launched our brand-new pre-16 model for schools: KS4 Future Pathways.
Historically, we’ve mostly worked with post-16 pupils deciding which pathway is right for them after leaving college or sixth form, whether that’s higher education, an apprenticeship or the workplace.
But we know that the earlier young people begin thinking about their futures, the longer they have to gather information and ask questions. This puts them in a better position to make confident and informed decisions when the time comes.
“I need to know that what I’m thinking of doing in the future is completely what I want and know the pathways I could take.”
Year 10 mentee in a baseline survey.
As part of our Spotlight programme, we’ve developed a model to target this exact age group. KS4 Future Pathways brings post-16 options to life through conversations with a real-life, experienced mentor. It also supports pupils to develop skills to help them flourish during and after their time at school.
We knew straight away that this model should be led by the needs of young people, so we consulted extensively with our Youth Board to understand their concerns and motivations. One Youth Board member recalled “not feeling like I really knew much and so not feeling bold enough to seek out opportunities.”
We also analysed conversations from previous projects involving Year 10 pupils to identify key questions and recurring themes that would allow us to take pre-16 pupils on a knowledge journey. A large proportion of mentees asked their mentors for support with revision skills and exam preparation. One shared that, “everyone around you is pressuring you to revise, but you don’t even know how.”
We know that younger mentees are less likely to have communicated online in this way, so we’ve taken an innovative approach to designing a model where mentees and mentors build rapport and learn together through dynamic materials and activities. Combined with our twenty years’ experience of what works in online mentoring, we’ve designed a model we’re really proud of.
Based on this research, we’ve chosen three key outcomes for this model:
- Mentees improve their knowledge of post-16 options
- Mentees are equipped for revision and exams
- Mentees improve their knowledge of extracurricular activities
On Monday (5 September), we led an induction with students from The Hayfield School in Doncaster. We talked the students through the benefits of mentoring, explained the topics they’ll be exploring and introduced them to the bespoke resources they’ll have access to.
We matched 44 mentees to a mentor during the session and in less than 48 hours, 60 messages have been sent.
Pupils’ responses to the entry survey are already showing the need for the programme. One pupil wrote, “I want to take part in mentoring because I think it would be helpful as I don’t know how to revise and it would be a helpful way to learn about what to do after school.”
Another wrote, “I want to take part in mentoring because I think it will really help me boost my confidence and help pick the right path for my future.”
Our mission as an organisation is to help young people facing barriers make confident and informed decisions about their future, and we know that by designing a model targeted at this new audience, we’ll be able to connect more young people than ever before with an inspiring mentor.
Keep an eye on our news and events page for updates or follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with all things Brightside and online mentoring.
