A report into the second year of City Year, which manages 81 full-time volunteers known as corps members, found that the mentors make a significant difference to pupils with behavioural problems.
In total, corps members committed more than 3,000 hours of one-to-one and small group support in inner London schools during Autumn term 2011.
The evaluation report found that schools believed the out-of-school activities managed by the project, such as maths and breakfast clubs, help promote punctuality and attendance among pupils.
It also found evidence that pupils receiving more support from corps members have higher levels of progress.
Joanna Stuart, head of research at the Institute for Volunteering Research, which conducted the evaluation, said: “Pupils who spent more than five hours with corps members one-to-one or in small groups during Autumn 2011 are showing more than twice the progress in reading and writing compared to the previous term.
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