An Academic and Pastoral Mentor, also known as an AP Mentor, is a trusted figure in a teenager’s life who can help to set them up for success both in life and academically. A Lionheart Education mentor works on areas such as social activities, sleep, exercise, and nutrition, but also adds academic oversight by helping with time management skills, school and college work, and pushing them to achieve their ambitions.
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Why do teenagers need an academic mentor?
The teenage years are usually full of stress and upheaval as children transition into adults, and it’s easy for teenagers to lose track of their ambitions without the right guidance. Parental support is guaranteed, and while we can provide tuition for students of all ages, an academic mentor is useful to the individual beyond schoolwork.
Many parents come to Lionheart Education when they realise their child’s high potential, but their passion is inconsistent, or they have become disengaged.
This can happen easily without the right structure in place, as teenagers have so many things in their lives competing for their attention. We also work with homeschooled teenagers who are finding it hard to adapt to the daily rhythm of work, study, and personal life balance, providing the authority and structure they need to be able to excel.
Our private mentors for teenagers in London aren’t just subject specialists who can help students do well academically; they can offer so much more. Teenagers can shut down when it comes to engaging with their parents, so we provide our service as a trusted non-parental figure who understands every aspect of their lives. We can also provide vital feedback to parents to alleviate their worries and reassure them that their studies are on track.
Our academic and pastoral mentors speak candidly with teenage youths about aspects of their lives, such as sleep and exercise, as well as their mental health, ambition, confidence, friendships, responsibilities, and much more. A teenage mentor is not trying to compete with parents or provide a tutor-only service, but rather to help develop students into adults by providing the guidance and broad oversight they need to stay on track.
Full academic oversight and mentoring support for homeschooled children
An academic mentor can also act as a teenage life coach, taking a broad view of a student’s education and daily habits to build success. Academic mentors look at the bigger picture — from their school or homeschool environment to their future ambitions and plans for further education.
Lionheart’s teenage mentors liaise with other tutors, review progress periodically, and help set long-term goals tailored to the student’s ambitions. For home-educated children, a mentor takes on multiple roles — coordinating between the adults in a teenager’s life, managing timetables, and, where appropriate, acting as subject tutor or higher education guidance consultant.
A homeschool mentor in the UK — whether at KS3, GCSE, or sixth form level — helps teenagers organise themselves effectively, from setting their own timetables to building the key skills they’ll carry for life.
Family relocations for work can have a major impact on a teenager’s life, but with our mentors and international travelling tutors, education and personal life stay steady and balanced wherever you are. Our full homeschooling programmes integrate every area of a student’s life to help them achieve their goals.
Differences between mentoring, tutoring, coaching and therapy
It’s not uncommon for families to arrive at Lionheart without a clear idea of what they actually need to help their child thrive, and we listen to you to offer the best solution for your unique situation. There are differences between mentor vs tutor, or mentor versus therapist, or the difference between academic and pastoral mentoring, and we’re happy to walk you through everything we provide to find the best structure for you.
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Tutoring
Tutoring teaches specific subjects like English, Maths, or French
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Academic mentoring
An academic mentor provides all-round support for a student’s school or college life, focusing on building good habits in revision schedules and time management.
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Life coach
A life coach for teenagers or a pastoral mentor extends the support further and can assist with everything from friendships and personal issues to setting life goals and helping with motivation
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Therapy
Therapy is something different and not offered by Lionheart, as it is clinical support offered by professionals. If you need this kind of support for your child, we recommend services such as the Anna Freud Centre, The Mix and Mind.
Lionheart Tutors & Mentors
Who our mentors are and how we match mentors to students
Personality, interests, and communication style are all considered when we choose the right mentor, whether it’s a mentor for a teenage boy with a bright future in sports or an academic mentor for a teenage girl who has her heart set on excelling in a STEM career.
Lionheart Education takes the safety of children and teenagers seriously, and we always conduct thorough background checks and multiple interviews with potential mentors to ensure the highest quality. Our mentors come from all walks of life, and are chosen from less than 1% of all applicants to offer online and in-person teenage mentoring in London.
Mentors need to have the right personality coupled with the right experience to offer the best service to families who partner with Lionheart Education. We match each tutor to the child with an expert matching service, browsing through hundreds of academic mentors on our books to find the perfect collaboration. Some students will respond more to mentors who already have achieved the kind of success they hope to, becoming a source of inspiration for them, while others need a mentor who knows just how to coach them academically in subjects they’re struggling with.
Lionheart Education is a Fellow of The Tutors’ Association, so you can be sure that our AP mentoring work adheres to all of the standards and safeguarding protections you’d expect.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a Lionheart Education AP mentor?
An AP mentor for teenagers is a trusted, non-parental figure who engages with families and children to build the foundations of success not only academically, but in life. Mentors work on creating good habits around sleep, nutrition, relationships, academic work, and future goals.
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How is AP mentoring different from tutoring?
Tutoring only focuses on the academic side of a child’s life, but an AP mentor works with improving a teenager’s ambition, being mindful of their well-being, and offering insight into their academic direction. Mentoring makes other services like tutoring more effective with detailed plans to maximise success both in their academic and personal life.
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Is mentoring suitable for homeschooling students?
If you’re home educating your children and would like more structure in your child’s life beyond pure academia, then a mentor can be an excellent idea to give a broad overview of their development in multiple areas. Mentors work closely with both parents and children to manage time, prepare them for lessons, reflect on progress, and give direction in life.
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Who are the mentors at Lionheart Education?
Lionheart Education’s mentors and teenage life coaches are respected adults with backgrounds in mentoring, carefully selected from a large pool of applicants. They are chosen for multiple reasons, including their judgment and communication skills, as well as their ability to match a student’s personality, interests, and family goals, not just their academic profile.
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How quickly can mentoring start?
After the first discovery call, we begin to find the perfect mentor that matches with your child and your family, which can take up to a week, subject to their availability and extensive safeguarding checks. Our mentors are always someone whom students can look up to and respect, and we will aim to complete the pairing as quickly as possible to get your mentoring off to the best possible start.
