Commitment of the head teachers - the IAPS coaching initiative

In a normal year, being a head teacher has plenty of challenges, stretches and commitments. And recently we haven’t had any normal years. The head teachers who have signed up for and completed their ILM advanced coach training qualification programme are worthy of respect, admiration and acknowledgement. Let’s look at their story and their experience.

Signing up for the programme

Since March 2020, 81 IAPS head teachers have signed up to participate in this advanced coach training, with another dozen on the waiting list. Apart from the very first group, everyone has signed up knowing about the corona virus crisis. Groups that have started in January 2021 and onwards were already in the eye of the covid storm. And yet, they signed up and were happy to be part of some in depth, advanced training.

“We don’t often make time to do this type of thing. It is so valuable – I call it professional me time” said Ffion Robinson , head of Churchers College Prep.

Staying with the course

To begin is simple, but to continue is hard, according to popular wisdom. In this case, it was already hard enough to begin. And yet, staying with the course has been a major achievement by our heads. Let’s consider what they had to do.

• Attend 12 half day webinars in a one term period
• Carry out 20 hours of 1:1 coaching practice
• Make recordings of these sessions, analyse them, and receive feedback
• And complete 3 written assignments

No mean feat. And yet, everyone has stayed with the course. Our first cohort, for example, had 100% attendance, apart from one head needing to miss a session as he had to lock his school down. The second cohort had an equally strong attendance record. In fact, we had one of the sessions scheduled to be on 8th March (the return to school day after lockdown #2). We offered to move this to another date, but overwhelmingly the heads agreed to stick to the date. And everyone came and all were active and present.

And so, it continues with subsequent cohorts–at the time of writing we are just finishing cohort #9. Attendance is really high on the training days, and participation is near universal. The time-consuming coaching practice and assignment writing is being completed. This is so impressive, and the dedication being shown is remarkable.

“It’s tough, but it is so worth it,” said Harry Hastings , headmaster at Ardingly Prep. “It’s having such a positive impact on all my leadership, so of course I’m happy to put my time into it.”

Supporting their colleagues

One of the most impressive and heart-warming features of this programme is the incredible support that the heads are offering to their fellow heads. Within the groups, everyone buddies with a colleague, and they meet regularly.

“I so enjoy working with my buddy, Mike,” said Christian Pritchard , headmaster at Beach borough Prep. “We talk coaching, assignments and about the challenges of leadership. It’s comforting to know that we are having similar challenges.”

And within the groups, there is a wonderfully warm, collegiate atmosphere. The heads have each other’s backs, show their concern and care for each other, and go the extra mile. And there is plenty of laughter and playfulness too.

“Coming together for our sessions with fellow heads has been a safe haven, away from covid for a few hours,” said Rebecca Smith , headmistress at Stroud Prep.

Paying it forward

Perhaps the richest aspect of this is how the heads on this programme have been supporting other heads. They are doing this in a number of ways:

• Some of them are coaching fellow heads in their districts and in other local schools
• Some of them have been acting as buddies and mentors to their fellow course participants from subsequent cohorts. They have been helping them with their coaching practice and their assignments
• And the big one has been that every head teacher on the programme has been coaching two new heads in their first year in post.

This last one has been a big focal point of the programme. And, although everyone is very busy and stretched, all of the heads are finding time to meet with their new heads and coach them.

“I wish that I had been given an experienced head to coach me when I first went into headship. That really motivates me to want to coach these new heads,” said Nigel Helliwell , headmaster at St. Faiths in Cambridge.

The new normal

Underpinning all of these comments and all of this commitment is a growing awareness in the usefulness of coaching. We regularly hear from heads about how it is changing their approach to leadership, to their everyday conversations, and to relationships. These heads believe that all heads would benefit from learning to be high quality coaches. They are the trailblazers, and their focus and commitment, plus their high-quality coaching, is leaving a great legacy for other heads to follow.

Some impressive stories

All 72 of the head teachers have shown incredible commitment by signing up for this programme, whilst running schools, and during a pandemic. Attendance has been almost 100%, as has completion of the assignments. And here are a few examples of heads going above and beyond.

• One full cohort attended the session on 8th March 2021, the day that schools went back after a lockdown. They declined the offer of shifting the date.
• One head came to the course the day after a mouth operation
• And another, the day after an eye operation
• One head was home schooling their 6-year-old throughout the programme
• One head came during their half term, and joined the Zoom call from their holiday
• One stayed on the training webinar although they had an ISI inspection that day
• And another left momentarily as there was a fire alarm at school, but still managed to attend the webinar
• One head got to school and found there was a power cut, so hot footed it home to get online and join the webinar
• And another joined from a small room (cupboard) as they were attending a conference and that was the only space they could find
• In our most recent cohort we have a head from Singapore, on a 7 hour time difference from the UK. She attends the sessions that don’t finish until midnight
• We have had one head turn up on medication because of an accident, and another even dialling in from his hospital bed

The examples go on, and show what an impressive level of commitment these IAPS head teachers are showing, when it comes to investing in themselves to become skilled coaches.