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Five-session mentoring course

Social withdrawal

Who it's for

Consider this course for a pupil showing:

  • Consistently alone at breaks and lunch
  • Reluctant to join group work or discussion
  • Minimal engagement with peers even when invited
  • Quiet distress rather than disruption, sometimes presenting as low mood rather than a behaviour concern, often following a recent change in friendship group or a specific incident

What it works towards

  • Build a trusted relationship as a safe starting point
  • Understand what is making social connection feel hard
  • Practise low-stakes social skills
  • Take small, real steps towards reconnecting with peers

The five sessions

  1. Session 1 Getting to know me Pupil feels comfortable enough to talk one-to-one and share at least one honest reflection on how school feels socially.
  2. Session 2 What is holding me back Pupil can name at least one specific barrier to socialising, such as confidence, past experience, or sensory discomfort.
  3. Session 3 Small steps to connect Pupil practises one low-stakes social skill, such as starting a conversation or joining a group.
  4. Session 4 Building my circle Pupil identifies one supportive peer or space and takes a first step towards it.
  5. Session 5 My connection plan Pupil has one or two realistic, agreed social goals with identified support.

A sixth session follows, without the pupil: the mentor writes the support plan and agrees next steps.

The approach, and where it comes from

Sessions use a gradual, low-pressure social skills approach, prioritising the pupil's own pace. Pushing withdrawn pupils into group situations too quickly is well known to backfire, so each step here is small and pupil-led. This follows the DfE's Mental health and behaviour in schools advice to treat withdrawal as a possible sign of an underlying difficulty worth understanding rather than a discipline issue, and supports the wellbeing and confidence outcomes assessed under Ofsted's personal development and well-being evaluation area.

Try it with a small group

Three weeks free, no card, up to three staff and ten pupils. Everything recorded during the trial carries over if you continue.

Start the free pilot

Or read the white paper, which sets out the evidence behind each of the twenty courses.

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