Based on best international business practice, but rooted in education, the AoEA Coaching offer consists of five, half-day, sessions over the academic year, which are designed to take participants from an introductory stage to systemic organisational approaches either at school, LA, MAT, regional or national level. All sessions will be a mix of theory and practice and build on highly successful and well received courses run over the last two years.

Who is this training for?

This course is designed for Headteachers, Education Advisers and educational leaders, who want to develop a coaching approach to develop themselves, their teams and organisations. Even those who have received some training in the past, either with the AoEA or through other agencies, will benefit from all or the latter parts of the programme.

Why consider this approach?

Because it’s proven and highly effective. Irrespective of the problems that you are seeking to address, a coaching approach allows you to understand what motivates you and your staff, helps develop your and their potential, and engages all in delivering organisational development.

Furthermore, coaching will increase the leadership density of your team, as individuals gain confidence in this methodology, take increasing responsibility, and develop a more nuanced and skilled approach to leadership.

A well implemented coaching programme will bring out the best in your team, and create a synergy that hitherto might not have been achieved,

Participants will gain a broader understanding of both the principles and cutting edge practice of coaching; they will become more confident in applying these and using a range of practical strategies to support schools and organisational development.

What is coaching?

Coaching is not mentoring, training, teaching, counselling or psychoanalysis, although all of these are occasionally demanded of a skilled coach.

It begins with a philosophy that individuals have the potential to recognise and overcome barriers to their own success, have much more potential than has been previously tapped and that agreed goals can be achieved to a time scale.

Most importantly, it is a demanding approach in which the person being coached is held accountable for their success or otherwise, while being a safe place to discuss ideas and obstacles to their success.

It is a proven, highly effective approach that allows positive change to happen for individuals, teams and organisations. With the right coach, schools and their leaders can change lives for the better.

Who is delivering the training?

Tony Markowski and Éamonn Whelan will be leading the programme. Both enjoyed successful careers in education and now advise national and regional boards, MATs, LAs, Headteachers and their teams. They are accredited Executive Coaches, therapeutic counsellors and Senior Associates of the Association of Educational Advisers, on whose Development Board they sit.

What goes on in the sessions?

The model is a blend of formal presentation, question and answer sessions, case study review and supported practical activity. As well as a general introduction to the principles and characteristics of coaching, participants will be offered tools and strategies to support leaders and staff, at all levels.

What happens if I miss a session?

There will be opportunities to catch up between sessions. Information is available from the AoEA administration team.

In this session we will review learning from sessions1,2 and 3, and turn the spotlight on coaching systems that have worked in various business and education settings, that might serve as models of next practice. Some colleagues will be invited to feedback on their journeys in coaching in their schools. Others will be asked for their feedback in session 5.

We will consider the implications of Peter Drucker’s quote, above, and explore whether a coaching approach is practical and possible in an organisational setting.

Two participants will feedback on background reading designed to extend and enhance learning.

All sessions will be pragmatic, pacey and outcome focused, so that participants go away confident in a new set of practical skills they can apply between sessions. We will ask participants to keep diaries of ongoing practice that will feed into their case studies for Levels 4&5.