Identifying your in-school coach

The role of the school-based coach on the Leadership Pathways (LP) programme  is to provide ongoing support and challenge in order to facilitate the participant’s learning and the ongoing application of that learning in the workplace.

An in-school coach should ideally have the following experiences and attributes:

• a proven track record of team leadership at a senior level
• experience of supporting the professional development of staff in a one-to-one situation
• have undertaken some professional training or development in the areas of coaching or mentoring
• a commitment to life-long learning and professional development on an ongoing basis and the ability to inspire others to continue to grow and improve professionally
• be emotionally self-aware, showing understanding of how his or her own feelings and the emotions of others affect the coaching situation
• the ability to build rapport through effective communication skills, using questioning and influencing skills to encourage reflection and create new agendas
• be able to access and navigate the Learning Gateway and support participants in the use of these systems
• promote the use of ICT and online resources, such as talk2learn, to further the learning of others
• commitment to the time and energy required to provide a high quality coaching experience over a one year period

In summary, a coach on the programme will be able to coach with integrity from a secure values base and with a concern for the needs of the participant as paramount.