Students gain reliable adult perspective and practical networks while the school retains duty-of-care oversight.
Use it when
Students referred by a school for career, study, leadership or project mentoring; school coordinators and screened mentors. Use when the school has defined the mentoring purpose and referral criteria.
Before the club starts
Written program agreement covering selection, matching, contact, records and complaints.
Current child-related screening for the relevant state or territory and mentoring-specific induction.
Student goals, consent and access needs recorded by the school, not the mentor personally.
Capacity guide
Likely cost
$ — training, checks and approved resources; accessibility support may add cost.
Lead time
10–12 weeks to design and match; 8–12 week mentoring cycle.
People
1 program lead, 1 safeguarding lead, school coordinator and one screened mentor per match.
How to put it into practice
Detailed implementation steps for School Mentoring Programs
Step
Action
Suggested owner
1
Define the mentoring outcome, cycle length and exclusion criteria with the school.
Program coordinator
2
Recruit, screen and train mentors in boundaries, listening and referral.
Youth protection officer
3
Match on goals and availability, then confirm the match with student and school.
School coordinator
4
Hold structured, school-visible sessions using a simple goal log.
Mentor and student
5
Close the match formally, evaluate it and return records to the authorised owner.
Program coordinator
Controls and safeguards
No private messaging, home visits, gifts, financial dealings or one-to-one transport.
Mentors do not counsel, diagnose or investigate disclosures; they follow the school escalation route.
CRITICAL — repeated one-to-one contact with minors requires school-owned supervision, screened mentors and non-negotiable communication boundaries.
What to measure
Approved matches commencing and completing the cycle.
Follow-up: The school coordinator checks each match after sessions one and three; close with a documented handover and delete mentor-held notes immediately.
Membership HubLegendary Clubs PackageM-T1-YS-12