Using digital resources to support the mentoring programme at HMP Wymott

At Novus we encourage all teachers and educators to incorporate digital into their education delivery so that all learners have the opportunity to develop their digital skills in all areas of the curriculum. Recently, HMP Wymott have been utilising digital resources to support the education mentoring provision. 

The mentoring programme 

In the last 5 months, the education department at Wymott have grown their mentoring programme from 3 education mentors to 11+. 

Mentors are recruited and managed following the Novus mentoring strategy, as well as utilising the catalogue of Novus mentoring paperwork and resources. Each class teacher is responsible for directing and managing their own mentor and supporting them with their individual mentor Personal Development Plan (PDP).  Through their PDP, mentors work through the mentoring apprenticeship standards in behaviour and attitudes.

The curriculum manager at Wymott, Kathryn, oversees the quality assurance of the mentoring process, ensuring fair recruitment, training and CPD of each mentor according to their individual needs and long-term goals. 
 

Using digital resources to support the mentoring programme

One of the key points of the PDP paperwork is to ensure mentors are set targets and are participating in regular training, which is where the provision have been able to successfully embed digital skills and utilise a lot of the resources available on the Virtual Campus (VC).

Mentors are set formal training and are enrolled on the Aim Awards eLearning modules accessed via Virtual Campus (VC2). Almost all mentors have completed at least 1 Aim Award since November 2024.

Teachers are also encouraged to set mentors the target of ‘Supporting other learners to access digital resources on the VC’, e.g., in English and Maths, mentors have worked through the catalogue of City & Guilds resources, understanding what’s available so they can direct learners in those classes to watch some of the video tutorials available on the VC.  Mentors have also supported others in accessing BKSB eLearning modules and skill check tools.

The mentors are also given duties to enhance their digital skills as well as positively contributing to classroom delivery such as:
 

• Creating newsletters for the class – The digital skills class mentor creates a monthly newsletter whereby they celebrate class activities and achievements that month. The mentors create this with input from learners in the class. 
• Creating classroom resources - Improving their own employability skills around digital tools e.g. In maths, mentors have made laminated bookmarks referencing math’s key terms/shape names etc.  
• Creating ‘How to guides’ based on topics mentors had observed learners struggling with – These guides are now available for all learners in class. 
• Creating and delivering an ‘end of the week quiz’ to the class.   

The Mentors utilise the computers to create the newsletters, resources and quizzes which helps them develop their digital literacy as well as improving their employability skills through teamwork, communication and presentation skills.

Incorporating digital into the peer mentoring provision has enabled learners on the programme to access training via digital platforms to help them in their roles as peer mentors as well as helping them to further develop their digital skills. Incorporating digital has not only benefitted the mentors but also the mentees. By setting mentors targets such as ‘Supporting other learners to access digital resources on the Virtual Campus’ they are not only developing their digital skills but are also helping other learners develop digitally. 

To learn more about our digital provision and how we imbed digital into our education provision, take a look at the 2024/25 digital strategy.