Wellbeing Mentors at Wilson's

---

At Wilson’s, we want every student to know that they do not have to face challenges alone. Our specially trained Year 13 peer mentors play an important role in creating a supportive and compassionate school community. Around 25 students take part in the programme, completing two half-day training sessions with the Education Wellbeing Service to prepare them for their role. As positive role models, they offer something particularly valuable: the guidance of an older student who already has some experience of the challenges their younger peers may be facing.

The impact of this thoughtful, low-key approach to support was recognised at the Mental Health Conference in June, where this good practice was shared. The delegates responded enthusiastically to both the programme and the students who presented it, celebrating the important contribution peer mentors make to student wellbeing.

Egemen (Year 13) shares his perspective on this, below. 

The Wellbeing Team at Wilson's works to foster an environment of comfort and compassion where every student feels able to reach out and seek support when needed. We aim to make this process as easy as possible by providing many routes to wellbeing support.

There are many ways to access support, including our specially trained Year 13 peer mentor team who facilitate one-on-one peer mentor sessions, where students can openly talk about anything weighing on their mind, whether big, small or simply a difficult day. Our peer mentors offer a calm, confidential space and build trust by regularly meeting up with their mentees in the school's dedicated Wellbeing Centre.

Our peer mentors are also around the Wellbeing Centre during lunchtimes, so if you see them, please come and say hello. You do not need to have a particular problem or know exactly what you want to talk about; sometimes, the first step is simply starting a conversation.