Mentoring has impact on city pupils

AMENTORING programme for care experienced young people is keeping pupils in school for longer, helping them gain additional qualifications and helping them go on to university, according to new research.

A three-year study into the impact of MCR Pathways, which was founded in Glasgow’s secondary schools, shows a dramatic impact of education outcomes for Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people.

Now a call has been made for relationship-based mentoring to be offered to every child from a care background in Scotland.

MCR Pathways Founder Iain MacRitchie said: “We are inspired and humbled by the findings which prove the profound impact of relationship-based mentoring on education outcomes and lifechances of our young people.

“In addition to the education outcomes, the report also underlines additional major benefits in improved school attendance, confidence, aspirations and the key components of good mental health and well-being.”

The scheme works by pairing a school pupil with a dedicated mentor who will meet with them once a week to give advice and support.

Figures collated by Scotcen, the Scottish arm of Britain’s largest independent social research agency, show significant differences between outcomes for those with a mentor and those without.

Findings include an average 25.3 percentage point increase in the number of care-experienced young people progressing to university, college or a job.

And the attainment gap was closed on the measure of those achieving one or more qualifications at National 5.

Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Public Health and former Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, said: “The outcomes recorded are striking.

“MCR Pathways are clearly changing the lives of disadvantaged children but their work is also immensely beneficial to Scotland in many other ways.”