MCR Pathways Programme Coordinator

Are you seeking a purpose-driven role where your work genuinely makes a difference? Do you want to be part of a team dedicated to transforming young lives? Join the staff at Excelsior Academy to facilitate and deliver the MCR Pathways Mentoring Programme.
We see the vital spark in every young person. It is their flicker of ambition, a potential waiting to ignite. But for too many, an unfair start in life means their lives have been determined by circumstances rather than talent and ambition. Barriers limit their motivation, confidence, and resilience. And if you’ve faced an unfair start in life, you can lose your way for the rest of your life. Every day spent alone, navigating challenges and decisions without support, is a day further from the bright future they dream of.

MCR Pathways is a life-changing mentoring charity. We support over 7,800 UK young people each year who’ve had an unfair start in life, through our community of mentors, donors, staff, and partners. They are united by a shared belief: that every young person deserves someone to help them find their way. We believe in the power of mentoring, and that a single connection can change a life.

Mentoring is at the heart of what we do, but not all we do. We run group activities on social and emotional learning and meta skills. We create opportunities like career tasters, job shadowing, and work experience helping young people access networks and pathways they might not otherwise reach. We support them into further and higher education, apprenticeships and employment and fulfilling careers helping them live their best life.

By creating lasting relationships, young people see beyond now, dream bigger and are not alone. A single mentoring connection is all it takes.
We’ve achieved a transformational impact in schools and local authorities across Scotland and the South East of England. We are now excited to expand our programme into Newcastle and are seeking an MCR Pathways Programme Coordinator based at Excelsior School.
In this integral role, you’ll be a vital part of the school community, collaborating closely with education colleagues, the MCR central team, and external stakeholders. You’ll be responsible for delivering our proven in-school mentoring programme, which has profound impacts on young people’s confidence, wellbeing, and post-school progression. Our MCR Volunteer Mentors make a life-changing difference, and our Programme Coordinators help make this possible.

In this role, you’ll be instrumental in building exceptional relationships with young people from Year 7 to Year 13. Your responsibilities will include delivering a 20-week group mentoring programme for up to 30 students in Years 7 and 8, and facilitating up to 50 individual mentored relationships for young people in Years 9 to 13. A crucial aspect of your work will be to support and empower volunteer mentors; this involves assisting with recruitment and training alongside the Partnerships and Mentor Services Teams, and actively engaging and motivating mentors from their initial training throughout their involvement to ensure quality assurance and promote best practices. Ultimately, you’ll be dedicated to supporting MCR young people in building self-confidence, developing aspirations, and fulfilling their potential with their mentors by their side, and you’ll also collate evidence of their progression through both quantitative data and qualitative insights like young people’s voices and case studies.

Laidlaw Schools Trust is leading the way in redefining education. We are committed to empowering every child to succeed and every colleague to thrive. Innovation is at the heart of what we do. Every student and teacher receives an iPad, unlocking new ways to teach, learn, and collaborate. This cutting-edge approach ensures our classrooms are dynamic, inclusive, and future-focused, giving you the tools to deliver outstanding education and inspire creativity.

By joining Laidlaw Schools Trust, you become part of a community that values ambition, bravery, and curiosity. We invest in your professional development through clear reward and development pathways, helping you excel and gain skills beyond those offered by other organisations.

At Laidlaw Schools Trust we appreciate the amazing work that our people do every day and like to reward our staff through benefits that are mentally, physically and financially rewarding.

To see the full job description and person specification for this role please refer to this link: https://www.northeastjobs.org.uk/job/MCR_Pathways_Programme_Coordinator/291997

To apply, complete our online application form via this link: https://www.northeastjobs.org.uk/job/MCR_Pathways_Programme_Coordinator/291997

If you require assistance with your application, please contact recruitment@laidlawschoolstrust.co.uk

Closing Date for applications: Friday 6th March 2026, 12pm

We are an equal opportunities employer strongly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their commitment to children’s safeguarding. All successful appointments will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and a range of other pre-employment recruitment checks.

For shortlisted candidates, we will conduct an online search as part of our screening.