In many schools, coaching begins with training for those who will carry out the coaching. At Kenton Secondary School in Newcastle, 12 staff were trained in a National College for School Leadership coaching programme, and a local authority consultant trained another four. Other staff, including all the senior leadership team, also experimented with training from a private company with coaching focused on problem-solving skills rather than a particular area of work. The school hopes coaching will be widely used in continuing professional development (CPD) activities next year.
A local authority advisor also provided the training at Elms Bank, a special school in Bury. It began with a practical exercise to develop skills in observing others. The trainees watched someone removing items of clothing and putting them on again. The trainees had to identify what was different; for example, the person no longer had a watch on, or had a shoe missing. The training also included establishing ground rules for coaching. It was decided there would be confidentiality between pairs and they would regard each other as peers for coaching purposes, regardless of their position in the school hierarchy.
Three pairs of staff took the training. Each pair represented contrasting areas of teaching in that they taught different subjects or worked in different areas of special needs. Each pair planned two lessons together then each teacher taught one lesson and the other observed it. An evaluation and reflection session followed. Staff found the experience illuminating, and the original six teachers have now paired up with a new set of six teachers to spread the practice. The school hopes coaching will spread to all teachers and support staff.
