Who is the learning mentor at Greswold Primary School?

Mrs. Emma Cooper ad Mrs Ingrid Rochelle-Smith are the learning mentors at Greswold. Their role is to support pupils and their families. They work closely with school staff and aim to encourage children, give guidance in learning and the use of social and personal skills, thus removing barriers to learning. A barrier to learning is any factor that prevents a pupil from being in an appropriate state of mind to engage in their lessons and to learn.

What support does our learning mentor offer?

Mrs Cooper & Mrs Rochelle-Smith can offer a variety of types of support for families, some of which are:

• A listening ear for parents
• A coffee and a chat via a ‘drop in’ opportunity on Friday mornings
• ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’ parenting programme
• Bereavement support
• Sign posting for any support you may need.

A Learning Mentor is:

• A listener
• A role model
• Someone who encourages the pupil
• Someone who supports the family
• A negotiator
• A motivator
• A facilitator for learning who can set non-academic targets with your child.

A Learning Mentor is not:

• A teacher
• A lunchtime supervisor
• A babysitter
• A person to whom a ‘naughty pupil’ is sent
• A behaviour support assistant
• A professional councillor

Who does our learning mentor work with?

Mrs Cooper & Mrs Rochelle-Smith work with individual pupils and small groups, throughout the school, both in and out of their classroom. Their home base is the Nest.

How long will a pupil stay with the learning mentor?

The time length will depend upon the individual but this will be discussed before hand. If you have any specific academic queries, your first point of call is your child’s class teacher but Mrs Cooper & Mrs Rochelle-Smith are always available to support both you and your child, if you would like to talk anything through.