Background

Lockerbie Academy is situated in the town of the same name. It is a multi-denominational school with 770 pupils from a wide catchment area. The campus combines both primary and secondary schools on one site.

Rationale

There was an attainment gap for boys who have skills that academic routes do not always recognise. This was having a negative impact on their mental health and attendance. There was a need to create a safe place for young men to talk.

The school gathered and interrogated a variety of data. This included attendance rates, exclusions data, health and wellbeing and attainment. There were issues with:

• low attendance
• trauma-related dysregulated behaviours
• low motivation
• attainment
• disengagement

Attainment Scotland Funding

Pupil Equity Funding, the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund and other funding has been used to support this initiative depending on the pupils participating in the programme: Under £5,000.

What Lockerbie Academy did

The ‘Boys to Men Mentoring’ initiative is a mentor scheme supporting male pupils. It helps develop confidence and leadership skills while improving engagement and attendance.

Boys to Men (B2M) Mentoring offers bespoke support to the boys and their families. It combines education policies such as GIRFEC, The Promise and the UNCRC. It also forms links with the community and creates a safe space for boys to talk about their emotions.

Research around the number of male offenders in prison and the number of male suicides was considered. Local data around male bereavements was also scrutinised.

The targeted pupils included those who:

• have a familial custodial sentence
• have experience of youth justice or are at risk of offending
• have issues with relationships, trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
• have poor attendance or engagement
• are care experiences

The programme ran for 14 weeks from January to April. It had two teaching mentors who offered one lesson per week built on nurture principles. They provided theory lessons, followed by a ‘Good Guy’ experience.

‘Good Guy’ mentors are volunteers from a range of backgrounds. They introduce pupils to new skills and support them to make links that go beyond the classroom. Referrals to B2M are made by mentors, principal teachers of pupil support and the senior leadership team.

From April to June participants work with P7, B2M or S1/S2 nurture groups. They have:

• led a whole school assembly
• had a graduation from the programme
• obtained an SQA qualification

Impact

Impact has been measured using pupil, parent and staff surveys, programme evaluations, pupil voices and attendance and exclusions data. This showed that participants have:

• developed a better use of emotional language
• an improved sense of self-identity and self-esteem
• improved positive destinations and attendance
• reduced referrals and improved relationships with parents and carers
• become ‘go to’ boys who support their peers