In September 2009, the author commenced a research project with colleagues to investigate the reasons why students do or do not engage with mathematics. The initial stages of this project involved contacting and meeting students who were repeating at least one of their first year mathematics modules. The author decided to offer the students an opportunity to participate in a mentoring scheme. This paper will describe the scheme, the mathematical background of the students and focus on their engagement levels, their behaviour and feedback. We look at the students’ reactions when they were asked to bring in their attempted work. We also present evidence that suggests a positive impact on student progression, and we will briefly present the outcomes of the project in terms of how it impacted on further initiatives and interventions run by our department.