Barton St Peter’s Church of England Primary School

Learning Mentor Job Description

Overall Purpose and responsibilities

  • To provide support and guidance to children and those engaged with them, by overcoming barriers to learning in order to promote effective participation, enhance individual learning, raise aspirations and achieved potential.
  • Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.

Main responsibilities

  • Working in Partnerships

Support families and carers who have identified needs to secure positive family support for pupils

Liaise closely and support school staff with inclusion

Work with other agencies and be a contact point in order to address needs and remove barriers to learning for children, including Child Protection cases

Lead, attend and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings such as – core group, CP conferences, Early Help

  • Supporting the school

Complete the administrative duties relevant to the role of learning mentor, including planning, record keeping, data base and writing reports

Plan, write and present reports to meetings (be confident to present information to multi-agency meetings)

  • Develop supportive mentoring relationships

Support learning and personal development through one to one and group mentoring and other programmes (CALL, Emotional Literacy etc.)

Support children to manage transitions in their lives

  • Supporting learning, participation and social inclusion

Support the successful transfer between schools

Develop and deliver interventions and activities that support learning

Contribute to processes and procedures for improving attendance and punctuality

Support behaviour and emotional needs

Knowledge, skill and experience

  • Detailed knowledge of child protection and child in need frameworks and procedures
  • Detailed knowledge of child development
  • Ability to recognise and take appropriate action in safeguarding processes and child protection issues
  • Ability to facilitate groups in an inclusive and empowering way
  • Detailed knowledge of intervention and behaviour strategies in order to design individual pupil support plans that will motivate, challenge and empower further learning
  • Ability to implement support strategies for pupils with cause for concern
  • Experience of working with children at risk of underachieving and/or disaffected children
  • Ability to communicate effectively with parents and recognise the need to empower families
  • Ability to assess and analyse data in order to develop effective intervention plans in partnership with families and external agencies
  • A good understanding of the curriculum
  • Detailed knowledge of and compliance with the school code of conduct, including equal opportunities
  • A good understanding of any relevant current legislation and regulations
  • Excellent communication/interpersonal skills, both written and verbal
  • Ability to use databases, word processing, email etc.
  • Be able to plan effectively, work to deadlines, prioritise needs
  • Ability to work as part of a team or independently
  • Ability to display a range of mentoring skills including:- active listening, empathy, helpful questioning techniques
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality
  • Excellent negotiating skills
  • Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
  • Experience of promoting new initiatives and presenting information

Creativity and innovation

The post holder will;

  • Be regularly responsible for devising and delivering a range of imaginative and innovative approaches to engaging pupils showing early signs of disengagement
  • Monitor and is responsive to pupils learning and behaviour at all times by making adjustments to supervised activities
  • Respond to pupils learning by recommending changes in targets or provision to the teacher
  • Have the ability to analyse data in order to initiate strategies
  • Have the ability to plan individual and group support programmes that will motivate challenge and empower pupils
  • Write Personal Support Plans and engage the pupils in scheme of work
  • Engage staff, parents and external agencies in learning and behaviour programmes and deal with any issues arising

Contacts and relationships

  • Leadership Group of the School

Sharing of information and receiving guidance on appropriate pupil targets, assessing pupil progress and the effectiveness of the support in place

Contributing to the induction of pupils entering or returning to school and the review of their progress and achievements

Attendance at a variety of meeting linked in to supporting pupils

  • External Agencies

Working in partnership with external agencies and individuals in order to address needs and help remove barriers to learning for pupils

To be the focal point of contact between agencies where a multi-agency approach is required for a targeted student e.g. Education Social Welfare Service, Social care and health, Community health etc. so that the needs of the pupils are met in a focused and integrated way.

Participate in pupil reviews and the provision of progress information as appropriate, and implements joint recommendations

  • Pupils

Enables access to planned curriculum and meets personal and social needs

Supports the pupils in managing the transition process

Respond to the needs of pupils who have experienced trauma - Counselling as required

  • Parents/Careers

Act as a link between the school and parents

Shares information about pupils progress

Liaison with and supports parents with regard to SEN/behaviour, child welfare, and child protection issues

Advising parents on behaviour strategies and parenting skills by running group sessions and workshops

Decision making

  • The post holder determines individual pupil support plans
  • To assess possible reasons for disengagement and compile a comprehensive profile that takes into account social emotional and educational needs
  • To help plan and support the reintegration of pupils after isolation, extended absence or exclusion
  • Produce detailed written reports of pupils development and progress
  • To observe and monitor pupil progress, recording, maintaining records and producing detailed written reports of pupils development and progress

Responsibility for resources

  • Not applicable

Work demands

  • The post holder will be need to organise their own work around the changing demands of the week, prioritising as necessary, whilst ensuring that the aims and objectives of the programmes of learning are achieved within set time scales
  • Attendance at some multi agency meetings will be at short notice

Physical demands

  • Normal

Working conditions

  • Normal

Work context

  • At risk of verbal abuse and physical harm from a minority of pupils and parents
  • At risk of infection when dealing with pupils who are unwell or infected

Health and Safety

  • Undergo Basic First Aid training and update courses.
  • To be aware of the responsibility for personal Health, Safety and Welfare and that of others who may be affected by your actions or inactions.

Continuing Professional Development

  • Maintain a professional portfolio of evidence to support the Performance Management process - evaluating and improving own practice
  • Take responsibility for personal professional development.
  • Undertake any necessary professional development as identified in the School Improvement Plan taking full advantage of any relevant training and development available.
  • Contribute to the professional development of colleagues.

Support and Guidance,

  • Consider the pupils’ welfare as paramount, implement and take action in accordance with safeguarding policy and the responsibility ‘in loco parentis’.
  • Monitor the social progress of pupils, including the progress in PSHE lessons.
  • Use a counselling approach to help pupils explore thoughts, feeling and solutions to problems.
  • Recognise and meet the needs for specific groups of pupils by implementing appropriate emotional support groups in order to minimise impact and to enable the pupils to effectively learn in school

To carry out particular duties as the Headteacher may reasonably direct from time to time.

This post is managed by the Headteacher

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