Glasgow City Council is planning to cut support for a “transformational” pupil mentoring scheme, The Herald can exclusively reveal.
Officials have confirmed plans to withdraw funding for school-based coordinators working on the MCR Pathways scheme as part of the SNP-Green budget deal.
The council says that it is “exploring other options” for delivery of the programme, but its founder insisted that the staff are vital to its success, and warned about the impact of cutting support for the scheme.
Founded in 2007, MCR Pathways provided 1-to-1 mentoring for young people. Independent research had previously found that the scheme had significantly improved retention rates, attainment levels and positive destinations for young people taking part. Pupils also benefitted from improved attendance, increased confidence and greater levels of motivation.
MCR Pathways also enjoyed significant support from decision-makers at Glasgow City Council.
The former Director of Education, Maureen McKenna, previously described it as a “ground-breaking initiative” that works “because we have embedded it within our core business and complements the work of our teachers and school staff.”
The council’s current Chief Executive has also expressed her support in the past, stating that the MCR Pathways scheme would “unequivocally improve the life chances” of young people and pledged to “champion this mentoring programme as it is what our young people need, and they deserve our very best, nothing less will do.”
