Gordano School is delighted to announce that local restaurant Venga will be kindly hosting and providing a celebratory lunch for students involved in the school’s Aspire Mentoring Programme.

The Aspire initiative, led by the school’s Teacher of English and Aspire Programme Lead, together with two dedicated Year 13 students Jethro and Ella, is designed to build confidence and foster academic success through peer mentoring. This year marks the launch of the English Mentoring Programme, where Year 12 students will be supporting Year 10 and 11s in English Literature, complementing the already successful Maths Mentoring Programme.

To recognise the time, effort, and care that these student mentors dedicate to supporting their peers, Gordano School is holding a Mentor Celebration Lunch in July, generously hosted by Venga in their Secret Garden. Around 30 students are expected to attend the event, which will celebrate their hard work and contribution to the school community.

These mentors truly embody Gordano School’s values of doing your best and giving back, demonstrating commitment, kindness, and leadership through their voluntary work supporting younger students.

Students were informed about the upcoming lunch during a recent Aspire assembly, and their reactions reflected genuine excitement and gratitude for the recognition:

“I think it will be a great event to celebrate all our progress!” – Peyton

“I am very excited for the mentor celebration lunch in July as Venga is one of my favourite places to eat as the food is amazing and the selection is great! The Secret Garden is a really nice spot. I think it is a really lovely thing for the school to offer mentors so am very grateful and excited for this lunch!” – Evie

“It sounds great, it’s nice to be rewarded for our work through not only helping people but being celebrated with the use of food.” – Bessie

The school extends its heartfelt thanks to Venga for their generosity and ongoing support of young people in the community. This gesture highlights the importance of recognising student achievement and fostering a spirit of encouragement and kindness.