Coaching in Schools is Here to Stay

Like many who train to become coaches, I first encountered the transformative power of coaching by being coached myself (by Tracy Sinclair) in 2012. As we worked through our sessions, I was more and more struck by how indispensable coaching would be as a tool to add to our repertoire. And not just for interactions with colleagues, but also with students and our parent body. Coaching aligns perfectly with the values that I / my school hold dear; that education is about developing independent, resilient learners who have the self awareness and confidence to tackle challenges on their own.

Since we began our coaching journey 12 years ago, coaching has focused heavily in several INSET (in school training) days. In addition to this:

• 55 teachers have completed intensive, small group training days run by Tracy Sinclair.
• Coaching is a core module on our Aspiring Leaders Programme, aimed at upskilling Senior and Middle Leaders before they are in post.
• More than 1,500 senior students have volunteered for, and received, coaching training to become Study Buddies; Caterham’s national award-winning peer coaching scheme. Study Buddies meet their charges every week (it’s so important it’s on the whole school timetable!) and mirrors the classroom culture of inducing struggle rather than offering up solutions.
• Several hundred parents have attended Coaching Skills for Parents events; aimed at training Mums and Dads to build resilience in their children, rather than to simply wade in at the first sign of struggle and thereby embed learned helplessness.
• Five teachers have attended the ICF Coaching for Educators course.

Most significantly, teachers and students alike benefit from a coaching approach in their day-to-day. For students, coaching has underpinned excellent classroom practice; don’t spoon feed answers or immediately rescue, help them to work things out for themselves (because then it is embedded in their long-term memory).

As well as its impact in the classroom, coaching also features heavily in pastoral interactions with students. I run scores of one-to-one Study Surgeries to support students every year, using a coaching approach. The most commonly presented issues are exam nerves, living in the moment, and limiting self-beliefs, so coaching is the ideal platform for helping young people to reframe and rewire their thinking.

Study Buddies Impact

Study Buddy started with just 28 students in 2009. This year we have nearly 400 students enrolled in the scheme, with representation across all seven year groups.

The weekly coaching conversations help to build resilience and self awareness in the younger students, with 70% saying that Study Buddy has increased their confidence in themselves.

As ever with coaching, the older students also recognise the benefits to being a coach; 80% of them think that their ability to communicate and to listen has improved as a result of the scheme.

Forward Thinking for Staff Members

For staff it is the bedrock of Appraisal; a process that is done for staff, not to them. Teachers pick their appraiser and identify their own goals. Appraisal is very much forward-looking and forward-moving; what do you want to achieve in the next few years, how might the school support you in that?

One middle leader says, “Sessions with Kim have empowered me to realise I can still find ways forward, even when I think I am out of options.”

Line managers across both the academic and professional services side of school life use coaching whenever appropriate to help support and develop their teams. One of the unexpected positives of the training programmes has been to bring staff from all operational areas together to learn about and practice coaching. Academic staff have shared the learning experience with colleagues from Estates, Commercial, Housekeeping, Finance and so on. All to the benefit of building a strong coaching community in school.

The Ripple Effect of Coaching in Education

The word about coaching in education is spreading… fast. I work as an independent consultant one day a week, working with schools to help them to embark on, or to embolden their own journeys with coaching. I have worked with schools across the UK, Europe, and Asia, underlining the global and universal synergy between coaching and education. Educational organisations are getting involved too; HMC (The Head’s Conference of 350 leading independent schools worldwide) and ISTIP (responsible for the training of Early Career Teachers) employ me to run coaching courses for them.

The question I am most commonly asked at the end of a day’s training is however “How can I do more?” Whilst completing coach certification qualifications is most definitely an option, the time and financial commitment can appear a little daunting to the typically busy teacher. So, Tracy and I have tried to fill the gap between a one day course and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC) certification with our Coaching for Teachers and Educators course.

About Coaching for Teachers and Educators

This three-day course, mirroring Coach Advancement’s well-established Module 1 of the Science and Art of Coaching programme, combines our coaching expertise with our experience of using and embedding coaching skills in a school context. The aim is not only to give participants the depth of experience to feel confident to lead on coaching in their schools, but also to bank one third of the training time required for the full accreditation, should they wish to carry on. To date, we have delivered this training to 14 different schools with a total of 30 students so far. Demand from the first three cohorts has meant that we are laying on Module 2 starting in Spring 2026.

Fiona, Deputy Head Academic at St. Benedict’s School in West London and Coaching for Teachers and Educators participant shares, “The structure of the course, with gaps between each of the three days, was ideal. It wasn’t too demanding, and there was a lot of flexibility in meeting you where you were in terms of your prior knowledge, experience, and skills. The course not only validated my existing coaching skills but also helped refine them.”

Another participant, Ronnie, Deputy Head Educational Development at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, is now offering coaching conversations as part of the benefits package for new teaching and support staff, building on the existing coaching practices at the school. “Finding solutions to your own problems is incredibly empowering. The outcomes are far more impactful when you take ownership of them.”

I am excited by what the future holds – unlike so many past initiatives, coaching is not a trend, it’s a transformation. Coaching can empower students, teachers and parents alike. The impact is real, the change is lasting. Coaching in schools is here to stay.

To learn more about Coaching for Teachers and Educators, click the button below. Our Autumn 2025 cohort will kick-off on Thursday 2 October.