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The importance of mentoring within school education is acknowledged in EU level policies and practices. For instance, the recent suggests that mentoring schemes, including peer mentoring, may contribute to better educational outcomes and socio-emotional support, in particular for socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils or those at risk of underachievement.

Moreover, the accompanying staff working document notes that sustained, structured mentoring with a set time and opportunities for modelling, practice, assessment, support, and feedback by school professionals is an important factor to support student teachers in initial teacher education and newly appointed teachers. Mentoring can help them better understand their roles and apply innovative teaching techniques and is strongly related to teacher well-being (work enjoyment, motivation, self-efficacy, and teacher retention).

The survey on mentoring was open from 10 January until 28 February, gathering 173 responses in total. Most of the responses came from Italy, Türkiye, Romania and Spain.

1 – Select all target audiences of mentoring programmes that your school, or a school you know, has established

The responses indicate that the overall focus of school mentoring programmes is on pupils rather than teachers. Specifically, in respondents’ schools, most mentoring activities address all pupils (47%), followed by pupils with learning difficulties and special educational needs (41%). Pupils from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and those at risk of leaving school early, are also the target audiences of mentoring programmes. In respondents’ schools, most teachers (71%) do not receive mentoring, and in only 36% of schools are newly appointed teachers mentored. Only 16% reported that teachers requiring additional support are mentored.

1. All pupils
2. Pupils with learning difficulties and special educational needs
3. Pupils from socioeconomically disadvantaged groups (e.g. low income, migrants, refugees)
4. Pupils at risk of leaving school early
5. Pupils who bully others or are bullied
6. Pupils with mental health or well-being issues
7. New pupils
8. Pupils with low confidence, under-performing academically
9. All teachers
10. Teachers identified as requiring additional support
11. Newly appointed teachers
12. Newly appointed staff with non-teaching roles (school leaders, ICT technicians, coordinators, counsellors etc.)
13. None of the above

2 – Based on your experience, how effective do you think the following forms of pupil mentoring are?

86% of respondents considered the most effective forms of mentoring to be face-to-face one-to-one sessions, followed by peer mentoring (75%), cross-age mentoring (73%), face-to-face sessions with a group of pupils (67%), and mentoring with outside volunteers or experts (63%). On the other hand, online one-to-one mentoring (40%) and online group mentoring (24%) were perceived as the least effective.

A=Very Effective….. B=Effective….. C=Neither one….. D=Ineffective…. E=Very ineffective….. F=Don’t know / not applicable

1. Face to face, one to one
2. Face to face, one to many – with a group of pupils
3. Online one-to-one mentoring
4. Online group mentoring
5. Cross-age mentoring (an older pupil acts as mentor to a younger mentee)
6. Peer mentoring (pupils around the same age are both mentors and mentees)
7. Using outside volunteers or experts as mentors

3 – In your view, what are (or should be) the three main focus areas of mentoring programmes for pupils?

According to respondents, the top three areas that pupils’ mentoring programmes should cover are behaviour and learning motivation (55%), boosting pupils’ confidence and self-belief (50%), and their social integration into the school and peer group (46%). Less cited areas include well-being and mental health (34%) and future educational and professional prospects (32%). Meanwhile, the three least-selected areas were academic performance (30%), the prevention of early school leaving (28%) and reducing harassment and bullying (20%).

1. Academic performance (e.g. individualised support and personal tutoring)
2. Social integration into the school and peer group
3. Boosting confidence and self-belief
4. Reducing harassment and bullying
5. Behaviour and learning motivation
6. Educational and professional future pathways and prospects
7. Prevention of early school leaving
8. Well-being and mental health

4 – What are (or should be) the main focus areas of teacher mentoring programmes?

Regarding areas that teachers’ mentoring programmes should cover, the top three responses to the survey are teaching skills (58%), stimulating and challenging career-long professional development (43%) and supporting pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (39%). Fewer respondents referred to providing induction for newly qualified teachers and improving pupils’ academic performance. Having access to guidance and support materials (17%), tackling prejudices and stereotypes related to gender, race, ethnicity, etc. (10%), and reducing the number of teachers leaving the profession (5%) were the least cited areas.

1. Enriching teaching skills (e.g. supporting personalised learning by reviewing pupils’ work, providing feedback, and adapting the next day’s learning plan as needed)
2. Improving pupils’ academic performance
3. Stimulating and challenging teachers’ career-long professional development
4. Tackling prejudices and stereotypes related to gender, race, ethnicity, etc.
5. Supporting pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties
6. Facilitating communication and collaboration with vulnerable parents and families (e.g. migrant or marginalised)
7. Providing an induction for newly qualified teachers, integrating and supporting them
8. Boosting teacher morale and self-confidence
9. Reducing the number of teachers leaving the profession
10. Helping them in a new role, e.g. school leader, mentor, subject leader, ICT coordinator
11. Having access to guidance and support materials

5 – Based on your experience, what do you consider the key components of successful mentoring programmes for either pupils or teachers?

Regarding the key components of successful mentoring programmes for either pupils or teachers, respondents indicated that these involve the use of experienced mentors and training for mentors (53%), the availability and accessibility of mentoring schemes (44%), a supportive, open-minded school leadership, and trust between mentors and mentees (43%). Lower percentages of respondents considered involving pupils’ parents (27%), sufficient funding (23%), and designated staff overseeing the mentoring programme (15%), as important factors that ensure the success of such programmes.

1. Supportive, open-minded school leadership
2. Trust between mentor and mentee
3. Staff who are willing and available to participate in the mentoring programme
4. Pupils who are willing to participate in the mentoring programme (peer-mentoring, buddies, ambassadors)
5. Sufficient funding, e.g. to incentivise mentors, enable out-of-school sessions
6. Mentoring relationships that remain stable for a whole school year
7. Collaboration with external experts and professionals
8. One or two designated staff members who oversee the mentoring programme
9. Available and easily accessible mentoring schemes, including access to appropriate guidance and support materials
10. Experienced mentors, training for mentors, e.g. in active listening, giving feedback, asking questions
11. Involving pupils’ parents

6 – Select  the situation that applies to you currently: I’m a …

Overall, 67% of the respondents are mentors of pupils, teachers, or both. Of those who are mentors, 25% mentor both pupils and teachers, 23% only mentor pupils and 18% only mentor teachers.

1. Mentor of pupils
2. Mentor of other teachers
3. Mentor of both pupils and teachers
4. None of the above

Conclusion

Although the survey had a relatively low response rate, it shows that most respondents are involved in mentoring schemes, primarily aimed at pupils, and secondly aimed at teachers. A majority consider that mentoring should be provided to all pupils through face-to-face one-to-one sessions, peer mentoring, and cross-age mentoring, targeting their behaviour and learning motivation, boosting their confidence and self-belief, as well as their social integration in school/peer groups.

With regards to teachers, respondents indicate that mentoring schemes are aimed at newly appointed teachers and all teachers, focusing mainly on their teaching skills and their career-long professional development.

Key components of successful mentoring programmes for either pupils or teachers include the use of experienced mentors, the accessibility of mentoring schemes, a supportive, open-minded school leadership, and trust between mentors and mentees.

7 – Which of the following best describes your role?

1. Teacher – early childhood education and care
2. Teacher – primary education
3. Teacher – secondary education
4. Teacher – vocational education
5. School head
6. National, regional, or local authority
7. Teacher educator/trainer
8. Education policymaker
9. Parent
10. In-school support staff (e.g. school librarian, career counsellor)
11. External practitioner (visiting schools)
12. Other educational professional/stakeholder