Without prior notice or consultation with young people or volunteer mentors, St Andrew's high school in Kirkcaldy has decided to withdraw from the MCR Pathways mentoring programme. The programme helps to fulfil Scotland's obligation to ‘keep the promise’ that every young person should have the opportunity of a mentor. The decision was communicated to volunteer mentors in an email dated 20th June, just days before the summer holidays (two mentoring days), and in the same week as the Promise Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

Volunteer mentors and parents say no safeguarding measures have been put in place to support the young people. In fact, we know that young mentees have heard the news as gossip from other distressed pupils rather than in an organised way from school staff with appropriate safeguards.

Who's affected? Young people attending the Kirkcaldy school. Many of the mentees will be managing challenges in their life. So far, 53 young people from the school have benefitted from having a volunteer mentor and over 1876 hours of volunteer time has been given to the school's young people. 

What does the school's decision mean? The most vulnerable young people at the school will no longer have the safe space of a weekly mentoring session with a trusted adult to talk about their mental health, what's going on for them in life and school, and the challenges they face. They will no longer have a volunteer mentor who can listen without judgement. These conversations give the young person to talk about some of life's hardest topics from suicidal thoughts and managing distress, self-harm, and figuring out how to navigate a neurotypical world as neurodivergent person. The young people will have no-one to turn to.

It's time to act: we need to send a message to the school that these young people matter and deserve better. Please sign this petition to bring back mentoring to St Andrews RC high school in Kirkcaldy! 

About the programme: The mentoring programme helps to fulfil Scotland's ambition that every young person should have the opportunity to have a mentor. It's part of Scotland's commitment to 'keep the promise'. The programme is facilitated in Kirkcaldy by a charity called MCR Pathways. It's not mandatory, so schools opt in voluntarily.   

A paid pathways coordinator matches volunteer mentors with young people from third year and up. Volunteer mentors meet their young person safely on school grounds for an hour each week during term time. As well as being PVG checked, the mentor has regular check-ins with their pathways coordinator and undergoes regular training. After each meeting, the mentor completes feedback on how the session went. Clear guidelines are in place for any safeguarding concerns. The mentor and mentee maintain this safe arrangement until the young person leaves school. 

Mentors give the young people a safe space to talk about things like their mental health, sexual identity, gender and many other things that are important to them. Mentors are not an authority figure; they are a safe and trusted adult there to offer a compassionate non-judgmental listening ear.

More about MCR Pathways: www.mcrpathways.org