Coaching and Mentoring

There is considerable empirical evidence to suggest that establishing a culture of coaching & mentoring will convey benefits across the whole educational system in Wales.  

Coaching and Mentoring at its heart is a simple concept. 

With Welsh Government support the Education Consortia has made considerable strides forward towards this goal.

To truly develop and embed a culture of coaching and mentoring it is essential that this effort is sustained.

Developing a coaching and mentoring culture throughout both the consortia and schools will provide us with a powerful tool kit to assist in driving up standards of education in Wales. Good coaching is concerned with creating a sustainable high-performance culture.  

The Leadership Development Pathway programmes are dependent upon the use of large volumes of coaches and mentors for successful delivery of the programme. The National Coaching and Mentoring programme enables the Education Consortia to develop a sustainable bank of coaches to service the needs of these programmes and provides delegates with an assurance of equity, consistency, and quality across Wales 

Whilst the National Coaching and Mentoring programme was initially conceived to support and service the needs of the Leadership Development Programme Pathway, a large volume of coaches and mentors being required to enable successful programme delivery. Increased exposure to Coaching and Mentoring through the National programme has highlighted that coaching and mentoring is requisite across all parts of the education system if schools are to realise their potential.  

A foundation of the Curriculum for Wales is enabling schools to design their own curriculum and accompanying assessment. Coaching is a powerful tool educational leaders can use to empower staff to devise new ideas and creative solutions. Leaders often believe they are coaching but when confronted with an illustration of authentic coaching become aware that their approach is solution centric. Coaching provides leaders with skills that move their routine from the provision of solutions through to challenging staff to think for themselves, building confidence and self-esteem and creating inspired, empowered, and engaged employees, so essential if this nation is to successfully realise the promise of the Curriculum for Wales.  

The Covid-19 Pandemic has amplified the pre-existing need to foster and protect the mental well-being of all educational staff. Research suggests* that coaching educational professionals supports well-being and confidence, enhances leadership skills, increases emotional resilience, helps to develop self-awareness and self-management along with improving communication and relationship management.