Develop - Nurture - Retain
Being a teacher or leader in a school is one of the most rewarding jobs. Seeing children grow and develop, celebrate their successes and learn from their mistakes is an incredible privilege.
The commitment teachers and school leaders make to the children in their classes and the staff in their schools can mean they find their own lives unbalanced or exhausting or their thinking blurry.
Coaching gives them, as teachers and as human beings, the time and space to think alongside someone partnering with them to develop, reflect back or challenge their thinking and help them to move forwards.
It can help teachers and leaders bring clarity back to their lives and make their teaching or leadership even better.
It can help schools develop, nurture and retain their teachers and therefore be of great benefit to the school's children.
It's great to meet you.
I worked for nearly twenty five years in education, with twelve of these in senior leadership and the last five and a half as a headteacher. I loved these roles. In particular, I loved supporting and coaching others - both children and adults.
The schools I led were guided by a set of clear values and a strong moral compass. We focused on changing things for the better, providing a brighter future and securing generational change. In doing this work, I was driven and singularly focused on making the schools the best that they could be for the children and their communities.
I was exceptionally lucky to have an incredibly understanding and forgiving wife, as well as two amazing children of my own.
Then, in 2023, I found out I had cancer.
If you have a potentially terminal condition, you can find yourself considering percentage chances, life timelines and relationships in a way that you are unlikely to have done previously. You can come face to face with your own mortality which can completely change your perspective.
Fortunately, my treatment was successful, but my perspective was changed.
In 2024 I made the exciting decision to change careers and set up This Moment to support schools in developing, nurturing and retaining their teachers.
Coaching Programmes
1-2-1 Coaching for Teachers
Find your way through current situations, challenges and relationships so you can achieve your goals and set your own agenda at work and in life
Interview Coaching
Enhance your approach to securing a job at the right school for you: from writing supporting statements to practicing answers and presentations. Become a more assured communicator and candidate.
Leadership Coaching
Develop as a school leader, gaining the knowledge and skills you need to be the best leader you can, whilst creating or maintaining balance in life.
Catalyst Session
Gain some calm, confidential support, advice or coaching quickly or spark your thinking swiftly with something urgent. Share and receive support with whatever is really playing on your mind.
Group Coaching
Reflect on your teaching, leadership and life priorities with the support of your peers in similar roles to you across the UK.
New To Role
Clear your mind if you've just started in a new school or role or overcome imposter syndrome if you don't believe you deserve your new post. We'll focus on what confidence is and how you can develop yours further.
How does it work
“You can either work with me directly as an individual teacher or as a partner school. When I work with schools, we carefully and collaboratively design a programme of goals and a bespoke offering to meet the coaching needs of staff. We also sensitively ensure the buy in of the staff who I'll be coaching. Typically, I'll book out between one and three days per half term for each school. I can work around school timings, timetables and busy times of the year for the school to create flexibility. If we work together on an individual basis, we can carry out coaching sessions online at a time which is convenient to you."
What's it like to work with you?
People describe me as being warm, understanding, calm, focussed, professional and challenging, but non-judgemental. Each coaching relationship is unique and the rapport between a coach and their client is pivotal. That's why I like to have a discovery session first. I view myself as being in partnership with you in developing your thinking, the thinking of your team or organisation and your actions. I want my clients to feel listened to, understood, believed in and ultimately be more empowered to positively impact the world around us. I ask powerful questions, support you to reflect and allow space for you to do this. You will be safe to think and to talk because your actions are important to you and to others. At times, I may introduce thinking exercises, schools of thought, and frames through which you will observe your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so that you can make informed choices about your next steps.
What happens in a session?
This will be dependent on which of the packages we're working on. However, all engagements begin with a discovery session where we discuss goals for the length of time we'll be working together as well as aspirations, development points or areas for growth and current challenges. After that, sessions are different and the people I work with bring things which are currently needing their attention and though to explore.
What might I expect to get from coaching with you?
According to the ICF, positive coaching impacts include: Increased productivity Optimized performance Improved work/life balance Increased wellbeing Increased self-confidence and assertiveness Improved emotional resilience Improved connection to self and others Improved influencing skills Improved communication skills Increased self-esteem More professional career opportunities In terms of coaching with me, these things act as a gateway for my clients to have a greater positive impact on their communities, society and the world around us.
How much will it cost?
Prices are negotiable, dependent on the specific needs of the individual or school. A typical programme with coaching each half term for a number of teachers in the same school would start at £500 per day. An individual session for a single teacher would be £50.
How is coaching different to other forms of support?
Professional coaching focuses on setting goals for the future, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organisational support professions. • Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. Coaching is future-focused, and the coaching relationship emphasises action, accountability and follow-through. • Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks. • Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counselling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counselling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives. • Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear, without a set curriculum. *International Coaching Federation
What experience and qualifications do you have?
I worked for nearly twenty five years in education, with three years as a consultant, twelve years in senior leadership and the last five as a headteacher. In these roles I supported and coached others - both children and adults. In this phase of my career, I coached and trained teachers, middle and senior leaders. I have a number of qualifications in leadership, including the National Professional Qualification for Headship and have attended a range of coaching courses, including instructional coaching with Paul Bambrick Santoyo. I have training from the Diploma in Transformative Coaching with Animas and the Team Coaching Certificate with the Team Coaching Studio.
How would we get started with everything?
You can book a free 30 minute session with me if you are curious to find out more. Please click on the Book a Discovery Call button at the bottom of this section. Alternatively, complete the Contact Form at the bottom of the page and I will respond to you as soon as possible. I’d be very excited to meet you!
Contact
This moment
Youtube
Or Leave a Message Here
Stay Connected