Helping to empower leaders and learners to connect with the unique and evolving potential of who they are, where they are going and what they could be.
Coaching
Coaching is the art of facilitating the performance, learning and the development of another.
Myles Downey
I am an experienced mentor, but a very inexperienced coach and, I have to admit, I was a bit sceptical, both about the differences between the two, and whether or not coaching could truly support a more effective change or development in the coachee. All my misconceptions were shattered - in the best way!
The day was informative, useful and enjoyable. Jonathan provided us with the theory behind coaching, and also structured opportunities to try out coaching and being coached, in a way that was challenging, but left me feeling that I really had gained knowledge and begun to gain a new and worthwhile
skill.
Rachael Heaver Webb,
Assistant Head Teacher, Ringwood School
Coaching is a process that unlocks a person’s potential in order to maximize performance. It is helping them to learn rather than instructing them and it focuses on future possibilities not past mistakes.
It involves a coach working with a coachee, using the GROW model, to help them formulate clear goals and then examine the gap between their current reality and their goal in order to come up with options and strategies on how they can achieve it. Finally any barriers or obstacles to their commitment are dismantled or minimised. The whole process is non-directive and involves no advice being given. The coachee holds the means to achieving their goal and the coach’s job is help them achieve clarity and remove any interferences that may prevent them from succeeding.
Coaching is a generic process that can be used at a variety of levels in a school (colleagues, pupils, parents). It is a means of helping people to uncover and bring out the best in themselves and the members of their team.
Jonathan has successfully worked with a number of schools to successfully introduce a coaching culture. Coaching can support individual and team development and therefore school improvement. It can be used to support performance management, improving the quality of teaching and learning and also to maximise professional learning from courses and training. It also helps pupils have truly personalised learning and removes barriers to learning in a deeper and more sustainable way than other approaches.
Increasingly middle and senior leaders in school have an impossible workload and the need to grow and develop others within the organisation to build capacity is essential. . There is a growing realisation that leaders cannot do it all have therefore have to develop the capacity in others. Coaching is a key tool to create self-improving schools and is one of Daniel Goleman’s six leadership styles.
Jonathan can offer:
Whole school introduction to coaching days, which introduce staff to the power of coaching through a blend of theory, demonstration and practice.
Extended coaching courses to deepen practice for key coaches within the school or MAT – these explore a range of tools and techniques to deepen practice and self-awareness as a coach.
One to one coaching for school leaders: these can be via Zoom, or face-to-face usually offsite.
Jonathan can also come into schools to coach a range of school leaders throughout the day or to team coach teams.
