Conor Walsh 

Can you tell us a bit about your students, their backgrounds, and why they need mentoring? 

I am the Mentoring Coordinator for Royal Docks Academy. We’re in Newham, which is one of the most deprived boroughs in London, if not the most. About 66% of our school cohort come from a disadvantaged background, and that includes a large percentage of the students involved in the One Million Mentors programme for the last two years. They are often on free school meals or pupil premium. We’ve got a student who is visually impaired, involved in the programme, and for him to be given that opportunity, this mentor is very, very good because she’s done it before. I think it’s the first time she’s had a visually impaired student, so she’s had to do her homework as well, and how she can reach out and meet his individual needs.  

These students just want opportunities for a better life and a better chance, and as one of our students said, to leave an impact after he has left the Royal Docks Academy in about 14 to 15 months’ time. 

We’re into cohort number three with One Million Mentors. We have got about 15 students involved in the programme, maybe a little bit more actually. You’ve seen it first-hand what it’s like here today, especially with dealing with students who have got no English whatsoever. But then dealing with the students who are very ambitious, who are very caring, who want those opportunities, who are very aspirational, and they will use what they learn for applications moving forward and having those networks and having those contacts with other adults outside of the four walls of the Royal Docks Academy. Given them information, given them networking, giving them context, giving them another opportunity to think about something which they would not have thought about before, i.e. looking at head boy or head girl applications.  

A lot of them are now looking at applications for fully funded scholarships for the year 12 and year 13. That would be out of two Felsted School, Wellington, Harrow School of excellence, London Academy of Excellence, City of London School for Girls etc. and utilising all of these things they will use what they’ve learned here, with these discussions or chats with their individual mentors, and they will use that as part of their application process in their personal statements. 

What was it about the 1MM mentoring programme that you felt would help your students overcome some of these challenges? 

It gives them information, gives them networking, gives them context, gives them another opportunity to think about something which they would not have thought about before. They will use what they’ve learned here, with these discussions or chats with their individual mentors, and they will use that as part of their application process in their personal statements. 

What are your hopes? What is like a dream hope for these kids when they come out of Royal Docks Academy or you know when you look at them? What you want them to achieve?   

For them to achieve a minimum of grade 5 in their GCSEs; that would secure a level three course for them. And as you saw today, I was helping students apply for colleges. These students would be applying for at least four or five individual colleges. They would also be applying for scholarships. And we do have a programme with Felsted School where a student if not two students from year 11. We get a fully funded two-year scholarship, which is worth £108,000 per student over the 2 years, and that is fully funded, but only 2 students from the school, I mean, sorry, one, if not 2 students, will get it per year. For them to secure a very good place in a prestigious college or sixth form, for those students to secure the best possible A-levels that they can, be it either with an A-level, Vocation-level or a T-level doesn’t matter which route they go down, or apprenticeships, it doesn’t matter, so long as they’re not NEET, which is Not In Education, Employment or Training, and then for them to prosper onto university, and if not, go directly into the job world into the labour market. And see where opportunities are there for them 

How did the young people engage with the mentoring process, and what changes did you observe? 

These students will use what they learn, with these discussions or chats with their individual mentors as part of their application process in their personal statements. 

They’re putting themselves out there. They’re raising their own profile by just attending and just by being here. 

Are there any highlight stories that you want to mention about kids who have achieved sort of that goal of what they wanted?   

One of the students that secured a meant a fully funded scholarship to Feldsted; he has secured a university degree studying finance and economics at the London School of Economics. So, he did the 1MM programme, two years, if not three years, and every student that has actually done the 1MM programme at the Royal Docks Academy, has secured a fully funded scholarship for their Year 12 or Year 13. So that’s all down to them. What it does, they put it into their personal statement, and it gives them an opportunity to talk about the programme. So, the students, last Tuesday, that went to the Felsted School interview, they wrote down 1MM and that opened up an opportunity here and an avenue for questions with the interview panel on what it’s all about. But they’re putting themselves out there. They’re raising their own profile by just attending and just by being here. 

In three words, what is the last impact of One Million Mentors? 

Aspirational. Opportunities and resilience.