School Mentor

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full-time)
Contract: 3-year fixed-term contract

Location: Milton Keynes

We're delighted to be partnering with the National Lottery Community Fund as part of our Youth Mentoring MK project. Their funding and support means we're able to expand our mentoring support for children and young people across Milton Keynes, helping those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination to build confidence, improve their wellbeing and achieve their goals.

We believe every young person deserves to feel supported, understood and confident about their future. But for some, school can be a challenging place, and having someone who listens, believes in them and helps them navigate those challenges can make all the difference.

At YMCA South Midlands, we're looking for a compassionate, enthusiastic and motivated School Mentor to support young people across primary and secondary schools in Milton Keynes.

You'll build trusting relationships with young people, helping them overcome barriers, develop confidence, improve their emotional wellbeing and feel more positive about school.

This isn't about academic achievement alone. It's about understanding the whole young person, recognising their strengths and helping them thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

The opportunity

We believe every young person deserves the opportunity to reach their potential, whatever challenges they may face.

As our School Mentor, you'll work directly with young people across up to three primary and three secondary schools in Milton Keynes, providing tailored one-to-one mentoring and practical support.

You'll take the time to understand what's going on in their lives, what might be holding them back and what they need to feel happier, more confident and engaged in school.

For some young people, that might mean building self-esteem or managing difficult emotions. For others, it could be developing friendships, improving attendance, navigating the transition to secondary school or finding positive ways to overcome challenges.

You'll work closely with schools, families and other professionals to ensure young people receive the right support and have opportunities to succeed. But the role goes beyond individual mentoring. You'll also create opportunities for young people to have their voices heard, deliver practical workshops for parents and carers, and help families access positive activities during the school holidays.

Above all, you'll be someone who listens, encourages and helps young people recognise just how much they're capable of.

What you'll be doing

You'll play a hands-on role in delivering our school mentoring programme and supporting young people's emotional, social and personal development.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Building positive, trusting relationships with young people, creating a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.
• Delivering tailored one-to-one mentoring across primary and secondary schools in Milton Keynes.
• Working with young people to understand their needs, identify their strengths and develop achievable personal goals.
• Supporting young people to build confidence, resilience, emotional wellbeing and positive relationships.
• Helping young people overcome barriers to school attendance, engagement and learning.
• Supporting young people through important transitions, particularly the move from primary to secondary school.
• Working collaboratively with teachers, school staff, families and other professionals to provide joined-up support.
• Planning and delivering a summer Youth Voice event, giving young people opportunities to share their experiences, express their views and influence decisions affecting them.
• Developing and delivering half-termly coaching workshops for parents and carers, both online and in person, to help them support their children's wellbeing and development.
• Building partnerships with schools, community organisations and local providers to improve access to Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes during the summer holidays.
• Recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns, ensuring young people's safety and wellbeing remain a priority.
• Monitoring progress, maintaining accurate records and demonstrating the positive impact of the mentoring programme.

Just as importantly, you'll help young people feel listened to, valued and supported to build a more positive future.

About you

We're looking for someone who genuinely cares about young people and believes that the right support, encouragement and relationships can make a lasting difference.

You'll enjoy working directly with young people, taking the time to understand their individual needs and helping them find positive ways forward. You'll recognise that every young person is different and that building trust, showing patience and celebrating small achievements are often just as important as reaching bigger goals. You'll also be confident working independently, building relationships with schools and families, and managing your own workload.

You'll be someone who:

• Has experience working with young people in youth work, education, mentoring, community services or a similar setting.
• Understands the emotional, social and developmental needs of children and young people.
• Can build positive, trusting relationships with young people from different backgrounds.
• Is compassionate, patient and able to support young people experiencing challenges.
• Can listen, identify individual needs and develop practical, achievable mentoring plans.
• Understands safeguarding responsibilities and the importance of maintaining professional boundaries.
• Communicates confidently with young people, parents, carers, school staff and other professionals.
• Is comfortable planning and delivering activities or workshops for individuals and groups.
• Is organised, reliable and able to manage their own workload and records.
• Takes a positive, strengths-based approach, helping young people recognise their abilities and potential.
• Brings enthusiasm, creativity and a genuine passion for helping young people thrive.

Experience working in schools, delivering youth mentoring or supporting young people's emotional wellbeing would be particularly valuable.

Experience facilitating workshops, working with parents and carers or supporting young people through educational transitions would also be an advantage.

A relevant degree-level qualification in youth work, social work, education, social sciences or a related field would be beneficial but isn't essential.

Why Join YMCA South Midlands?

Because this is an opportunity to make a real difference to how young people experience school, develop confidence and see their future.

You'll join an organisation that believes in the potential of every young person and is committed to creating opportunities for them to thrive.

As part of our Youth & Community team, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Build meaningful relationships and see the positive difference your support makes.
• Help young people overcome challenges and develop the confidence to succeed.
• Work closely with schools, families and community partners to create lasting impact.
• Develop and deliver creative initiatives that give young people a voice and strengthen family support.
• Be part of a supportive and collaborative team that genuinely cares about improving young people's lives.

Everyone is Welcome Here

At YMCA South Midlands, we believe everyone should feel they belong.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and communities. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the people we serve and where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness.

As a charity with a Christian heritage, our faith inspires our values and our commitment to serving others. We welcome people of all faiths and none. All appointments are made on merit.

Safeguarding

YMCA South Midlands is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be required to complete appropriate safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check and a children's barred list check where the role is eligible.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best throughout our recruitment process.

If you have a disability, long-term health condition or are neurodivergent and would benefit from any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply or contact us at any stage. We'll be happy to discuss how we can support you.

A note to recruitment agencies: We are managing recruitment for this role directly and are not seeking support from recruitment agencies. Please do not submit speculative CVs or contact us regarding this vacancy.

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