There is a bit of a buzz around coaching in schools in England. Teams, cohorts and educators seeking a wellbeing or development intervention will find a thriving market of freelancers offering a range of coaching approaches to support them. Among these, instructional coaching – adopted and adapted in some early career framework programmes with a host of accompanying software, templates and training – is perhaps the most visible current method.
I have researched and advocated for the development of coaching in schools ever since experiencing its potential first-hand when I was a teacher and coach over 20 years ago. I have developed resources and professional development masters provision focused on coaching. In short, I am a coaching enthusiast. And yet I remain cautious about its implementation and impact.
