Mentoring
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Mentoring
The success of Salesian College Sixth Form is not simply a matter of chance. The Sixth Form is successful because students have good relationship with academic staff. However a unique strength of our Salesian Sixth Form is that the student develops a unique relationship with their tutors and this enables a creative atmosphere as well as all the other formative endeavours students engage in. An important part of this process is creating a more mature atmosphere during registration and tutor period. It is also accomplished by our individual university style review meeting and support meetings.
The review process aims to make the pastoral team proactive rather than reactive by monitoring and supporting students and assisting them to develop strategies for improved achievement.
Tutors will work alongside their students and the wider Sixth Form team to act in a mentoring capacity: by means of scheduled meetings, in which the emphasis shall be on acting as a guide, supporting the management of learning and developing a sense of ownership and responsibility in our students for their work and progress.
Our students find this support vital in developing independent learning skills and for this reason our students are not only qualified to go to University, they are also personally prepared for University by developing the skills which allow them to have access to life long learning.
Affirmation is an essential part of the Sixth Form at Salesian College. Allowing our students to experience unconditional affirmation allows them to look openly and honestly at themselves. Developing a mature understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and, importantly, they will be able to celebrate confidently their own talents and gifts and those of others.
In some Colleges there is a tendency to be task lead and focused rather than people lead and focused. At Salesian College Sixth Form we remember that our ‘tasks’ will never be completed well if we do not at first bring our student with us. Therefore, a central Salesian value is ‘spending time with young people’ simply being with them in the moment enjoying their company and listening to them. Tutors therefore will spend time in the common room for a chat or coffee or even a game of table football or pool and this all adds to the mature student environment.
