Mentoring for year 8-11 pupils interested in pursuing healthcare.

The King's Social Mobility & Widening Participation department partner with The Armitage Foundation to run Armitage Junior and Senior programmes. Junior sessions for pupils in years 8 and 9 are a mixture of fun, practical and theory-based training including communication skills, ethics, respiration, radiology, cardiology, GCSE options and advice on next steps. Senior sessions designed for pupils in years 10 and 11 expand upon the skills and knowledge gained in Juniors and go more in-depth to explore different career paths open to medics, advice on work experience and choosing the right A levels.

Sessions are delivered by trained King's Outreach for Medicine & Dentistry student ambassadors with selected pupils from each school. Alongside St George's University of London, we are proud to partner with The Armitage Foundation and look forward to continuing to grow the partnership.

The NHS should reflect the diverse society it serves and any student with the capability & passion to become a doctor should be able to do so irrespective of their background.

TAF programmes are designed to help pupils:

• Understand what it means to be a doctor or healthcare professional, and the pathways and requirements needed to study medicine and healthcare degrees.
• Improve their belief in their abilities and future potential by supporting goal setting.
• Build communication skills and provide access to new cultural experiences.
• Build a network of role models and identify who to ask for support and advice.
• Increased confidence to grow strengths and overcome challenges.

The Armitage programmes are open to 8-11 pupils interested in science and exploring a possible future career in healthcare who are care experienced, have an underrepresented ethnicity or are in receipt of free school meals or pupil premium.

Pupils need to attend these schools in London:

• Platanos College, Lambeth
• St Thomas the Apostle College, Southwark

The six annual mentoring sessions are delivered online or in schools. End of year celebration events take place on the King’s College London or St George’s UoL campus.

If you are an interested teacher or Hospital Trust, please contact Aniqa Rob (aniqa.rob@kcl.ac.uk ), Social Mobility & Widening Participation Partnerships Officer.

Find out further information on The Armitage Foundation webpage.