UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS

 At Chantry High School we are committed to our three core aims:

Listen More

Achieve More

Look After Each Other More

In our focus on looking after each other we have developed our school wide peer mentoring scheme which we call ‘Understanding Students’. The issues we address range from bullying and friendship issues to problems with schoolwork and stress and depression. We currently have 55 trained ‘US’ mentors in Years 8-11 who work across all year groups to ensure that every students feels that they have access to the support they need.

The support we offer students comes in a variety of forms. Every learning family in the lower school is supported by an older mentor from Year 10 or 11 who help the group once a week and the students are invited to share any problems or issues they have in one to one conversations. We also offer targeted mentoring where students who are struggling with home or school issues are offered to meet with a specific student on a regular basis to talk through their concerns and work out an action plan. This support can be ongoing and we currently have working partnerships that have been set up for over a year.

Our most innovative introduction in the field of mentoring is our web based and text service. We offer a dedicated text number which students can use to book mentoring meetings and access advice from staff. The ‘Understanding Students’ website can be accessed from any computer at home or in school and also now on smart phones. This allows students to anonymously post problems which can be responded to within 24 hours by trained peer mentors. These remain completely confidential between the mentor and student but the content is safely monitored by staff on a daily basis. This is the only scheme of its kind in Suffolk at the moment and we are extremely proud of the service we offer our young people. You can access the website at www.understandingstudents.com

For any more information on this service or the anti-bullying strategy within Chantry High School please see Ms Morrow or read the guide below.