Creating a Coaching Culture in a School or College
Creating a coaching culture in a school or college is probably the most important strategic decision a school or college leadership team can take. Coaching strengthens the potential of the organisation to have the evidence that the quality of education remains good or outstanding and all staff have the skills and potential to make a difference. Below are some of the reasons why Glynis at Learning Cultures advocates coaching so strongly especially now. Then find out what you can do to implement a strategy where coaching is at the heart of your pursuit for ensuring continued excellence in learning.
The need to create a framework for how leaders can set a new course towards a smooth return to normality in education should now be high on the strategic agenda. There is an imperative to build on the learning from the past year, manage how to fill the gaps in learning and create opportunities for everyone, leader, manager, teacher, learner and support staff to feel motivated and ready for the challenges ahead.
Commitment from Senior Leadership
The first imperative in creating a coaching culture is a commitment from the Principal or Headteacher and their senior teams to learn how coaching skills empower, influence and inspire others to be the masters of their own change agenda and to know the part they play in achieving the school or college vision. The return to school for all does require a collective will to ensure learners and staff can rise to the challenges, reflect on the skills and learning that have been achieved over the past few months and find innovative ways to make sure lost learning is captured in a different way.
Messages can be lost in translation especially when they are given out as instructions. Making the decision to create opportunities for professional learning communities to come into being provides a solution. Where the vision is a shared communication and is the subject of deep learning conversations that involve every team member in the decision-making process the messages are strengthened and have a resonance that fosters the will to succeed, raises morale and builds a desire for positive change to take place.
Leading from the Middle in Education is Pivotal
Those leading from the middle are pivotal. They must have bold enabling skills that will help to interpret the priorities for continuous improvement and create the right culture so that teachers, the pastoral team and the support teams set their own SMART goals and objectives linked to the role they play. Where coaching exists in a school or college as the catalyst for change the smooth transition to normality will be a much easier journey because all staff are working together, share their strengths and positive gains and build a collective belief in their ability to be a part of a new learning culture.
Self and peer reflection are known to have an impact on school improvement. Encouraging a coaching culture to emerge allows this to happen and will be a powerful driver for success for so many who have had to work in isolation with little peer or colleague contact allowed for so long.
Learning Cultures have the CPD that delivers high quality education
Learning Cultures are a leading provider of coaching training for the education profession. We have developed a suite of highly acclaimed coaching training programmes for all those who work in education. We have a training experience for senior leaders that helps them to develop their own coaching skills and focuses on how to set out the steps that will lead to a coaching culture for everyone.https://learningcultures.org/online/webinars/webinars-coaching/
Training for middle leaders builds their coaching skills so that they are able to influence change, manage teams and create a culture of collaboration, cohesion and reflection. Coaching can also support the process of positive and effective lesson observation that leads to a commitment to share, change or improve. Coaching can ensure a more collaborative approach to appraisal where feedback is a two-way process that leads to profound change.
Coaching for Teachers
Where teachers develop a range of coaching skills, they are learning how to create an environment where learners are self-directed, collaborative, independent in their approach and become creative thinkers. Teachers are using coaching as a pedagogy and that has a profound impact on learning. Coaching also provides opportunities for teachers to share their practice, celebrate their successes and work with their peers so that they build on their repertoire of teaching strategies. Coaching can also work for teaching assistants and support staff where positive coaching conversations can have an impact on the shared commitment for the teacher and teaching assistant and where support staff work directly with the learner.
Coaching and the Pastoral Process
Coaching has a massive part to play in the pastoral process, impacting on behaviour, well-being, challenge and attitudes to learning. Pastoral leaders, year heads and support staff can learn how to build resilience, manage challenging behaviours, deal with difficult questions and help others to find their own solutions.
So, putting all this together provides the ingredients for a coaching culture to emerge. Building a CPD strategy around coaching creates a sustainable and cost-effective answer to how to ensure a successful future. Anything else is piecemeal, lacks cohesion and is difficult to measure in terms of impact. Now is the time to make the decision to use coaching as your absolute strategy for an outstanding future for all staff and all learners. Learning Cultures have all you need and more.
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