Your coach will provide support and challenge throughout the duration of the programme, facilitating your learning to ensure it has an impact on the school. Selecting the right person to carry out this role is essential.

The coach will:

• submit an application to be a coach as part of your application
• attend the training workshop for coaches
• support your reflection on the feedback report
• support, challenge and monitor your learning and development through a series of six coaching sessions
• liaise with the leadership mentor about your progress - this is someone assigned to the coach by the programme provider
• encourage you to record your learning during the programme
• attend the afternoon of the final one-day face-to-face session
• use the Leadership Pathways online network to support his or her understanding of the programme and the coaching role

Previous experience has shown that the following points should be considered:

• The coach needs to have the professional respect of colleagues and have a strong base of experience and expertise in senior leadership.
• The coach also must have a strong base of experience and expertise in coaching, mentoring or performance management.
• It is important that the coach has the status and ability to support participants in securing time and trying out new practice effectively within the school context.
• The coach must have the capacity to undertake the coach training and the six specified coaching sessions and to provide additional informal contact time to help sustain the learning.
• The coach needs to be committed to his or her own ongoing learning as well as to supporting the learning of others.

The training workshop provides coaches with a detailed understanding of how coaching supports your progress on the programme and develops their own coaching skills.

• Information for the coach.