To evaluate the Breakthrough mentoring programme, we will undertake what is called a pilot randomised controlled trial. This means that, with the help of the school(s), 20 young people who it is thought might benefit from mentoring, and whose parents have consented to their participation in the research, will be randomly allocated to either receive a mentor for the coming school year (intervention group) or will be allocated not to receive a mentor (care as usual group). This is undertaken by a process called randomisation which is like tossing a coin. However, as this is a feasibility study, sometimes called a ‘pilot,’ we would need to conduct a further larger study to check if these differences were related to mentoring. All young people will also continue to receive the care and support that is normally provided by the school.

Schools that take part in the study are asked to identify 20 eligible students aged 11 to 16 years that they believe might benefit from mentoring. Schools will also be asked to send out letters and information sheets to parents/guardians of those identified students seeking parental consent for their child to take part in the study. As part of our evaluation, we also would like to speak to some school staff members to help us understand more about Breakthrough mentoring.

Involvement in the study can be presented, for example, to Ofsted as work that complements ongoing efforts towards promoting students’ health and wellbeing. This study also aims to complement an initiative entitled “Healthy Schools” as it seeks to explore further ways of promoting health and wellbeing in students..

Participants in this feasibility study will be asked to complete a questionnaire about their health and feelings and will be asked to take part in interviews with researchers from the University of Bristol.

The results of this study will be shared as widely as possible in policy, educational and public health journals, newsletters and by presenting the results at conferences. We will also make the results accessible to all the schools and councils involved in the study.

Who has reviewed this study?

This research has been reviewed by an independent group of people, called the Faculty Ethics Committee, University of Bristol.