Tonbridge awarded Gold in mentoring awards

Tonbridge has been awarded a Gold Award in the 2026 Oppidan Education Mentoring Awards, recognising the School’s longstanding commitment to mentoring and community partnership through its Learning Mentors Programme.

The award celebrates mentoring programmes that demonstrate transformative impact, innovation and long-term sustainability. At the centre of the programme is the School’s partnership with Royal Rise Primary School, which pairs Novi pupils with younger pupils from the local primary school through weekly mentoring sessions focused on confidence, numeracy, communication and social development.

In their feedback, Oppidan Education praised the “strength of the cross-school collaboration” and the “robust training” provided to the mentors. Judges also highlighted the programme’s impact on pupils’ character development and commended the School’s partnership work.

Evaluation data collected through ImpactEd showed increased confidence, motivation and problem-solving skills among both mentors and mentees, while Royal Rise Primary School also reported improved engagement and attendance among participating pupils.

Hayley McLintock, Deputy Head, Admissions and Communications, said, “Seeing the Learning Mentors Programme develop and blossom over the last twelve years has been one of the greatest privileges of my teaching career. The boys never fail to step up, and their enthusiasm and kindness are a joy to observe. It is fantastic to see the programme recognised in this way.”