Curious about a typical day in the life of a supervisor?
Cat, our lead supervisor, shares her experience, the joys and challenges of the role and how she helps mentors thrive.
Supervision isn’t about checking up on staff or ticking boxes; it’s about creating a safe, confidential environment where mentors can talk openly about their work, explore what’s going well, and think through the trickier moments. It’s a place to offload, reflect, and develop.
Mentoring students with neurodivergence, or those who have mental health difficulties, can be challenging. Having supervision means we don’t feel isolated in that challenge. It provides a sounding board, a chance to gain perspective, and an opportunity to discuss strategies and approaches that best support each individual student. It’s also a reflective space that helps mentors develop their own insights into their work. The goal is to build confidence and resilience so that mentors feel supported and empowered in their roles.
Supervision also plays an important role in maintaining quality and consistency across our services. It ensures mentors are up to date with best practice and aligned with the values that define The Learning Support Centre – compassion, professionalism, and person-centred support.
A typical day as a supervisor involves one-to-one meetings with supervisees. As I work remotely, I’m fortunate to meet mentors who provide support all over the country. I often joke that in our first meeting I sound a bit like Cilla Black “Where are you based, and what’s your background?” – but it helps to break the ice!
Within supervision, it’s important to build good rapport with the supervisee. I aim to be personable and develop a trusting relationship so that mentors feel able to share openly with me. As a mentor also working with students in the same roles, I can draw upon my own experience and engage through our shared understanding of what the work involves.
Sometimes the focus is practical – how to manage workload, optimise time so that admin tasks don’t take over, or how to maintain boundaries. Other times it’s more reflective, looking at emotional impact, personal wellbeing, and how to manage complex situations that may arise, such as with high-risk students or those with particular needs.
I act as both sounding board and support system – holding space for mentors to process their experiences but also celebrating successes: the breakthrough moments when a student gains confidence, or the small adjustments that make a big difference. Mentors may also support students for many years and build up strong relationships; supervision provides a space to talk through and prepare for those endings – for the benefit of both the student and the mentor.
In the same way that mentors aim to help their students, I’m there to support the staff group. I love seeing growth and confidence build in a mentor over time, and I feel that this role helps form a web of support – creating positive change more widely than I could achieve on my own.
Being a supervisor at The Learning Support Centre means being part of an organisation that truly values its staff and believes that, when we invest in our people, we create better outcomes for students.
Words by Cat Robinson