Peer mentoring at Hornsey School for Girls in north London is about breaking down barriers and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. For Sherife, this is as important for the mentors - who represent a whole cross-section of the school population, even those on the margins of exclusion - as it is for the mentees. Peer mentors are her 'footsoldiers', modelling positive behaviour around the school and taking on responsibilities that have a knock-on effect on attendance and attainment. In this film we explore what it means to be a peer mentor at Hornsey, including the different roles and responsibilities such as the drop-in sessions and 'surfing' - what it takes to create a truly sustainable peer mentoring scheme, and how peer mentoring can impact on the whole school ethos. At Hornsey, for example, it is such an integral part of the school fabric that its positive impact was openly acknowledged in the most recent Ofsted report.

Video Series: Peer Mentoring
Release Date 2011