Committed to Empowering Families Through Their Journey
Positive Pathways was created to walk alongside young people who are struggling with the behavioural demands of mainstream school, offering steady, personalised 1:1 mentoring rooted in understanding, respect and unconditional positive regard.
I provide a safe, judgement-free and professional service where young people can speak openly about their feelings, explore the reasons behind their choices, and begin to understand themselves more clearly. I believe behaviour is communication, and my role is to bring clarity and insight to the young person, their family and their school as to what lies beneath it.
Working collaboratively with the young person, parents and school, I set clear, reasonable and achievable targets that are mutually agreed and meaningfully tracked. I advocate for the student voice — carefully documenting what works, what does not, and how the young person experiences themselves and the world around them — so they feel genuinely heard both at home and in school.
Independent from school discipline systems, I create space for honest reflection and real conversations about what is driving behaviour and actions. I support parents and teachers to better understand the young people in their care, strengthening the bridge between home and school.
Above all, I help young people connect their future hopes and “quality world view” to the choices they make today. Through trusted relationships, consistent encouragement and practical guidance, I aim to build resilience, self-confidence and a belief that change is possible.
My measure of success is simple: young people who feel happier, safer, more confident and truly listened to — during their time working with me and long after they’ve taken the next steps in their journey.
Meet Paul
After building a successful corporate career, I decided that I needed to make a positive difference in local peoples’ lives. After volunteering at a special needs school, I found my calling and this was helping young people meet their full potential.
I worked with non-verbal and verbal students with complex autism, ADHD, and Down Syndrome for 4 years at Mary Rose Academy before moving to an alternative provisions for SEMH students. Here I found my nice, supporting positive behavioural change by working 1:1 with young people in the community and giving them the safe and understanding space to explore who they were with confidence.
For the past 2 years, I have worked at a mainstream secondary school as a Specialist Support Mentor supporting a wide variety of young people to access education in a way that works for them.
