The Leadership Coach

Being a Leadership Coach is a unique opportunity to inspire and champion future Headteachers for Wales. The Leadership Coach is integral and pivotal in ensuring the success of the NPQH programme and a key part of strategic succession planning of school leadership in Wales. Coaches will be invited by application and committed to ensuring that participants are ready to enter the role of headship equipped and confident in their role.

Key responsibilities of the Leadership Coach will be to:

• provide ongoing professional feedback to the participant
• support the participant in reflection of the 360 assessment and facilitate leadership conversations, based on personal leadership growth
• support the selection of the head ship development project
• to act as a ‘broker’ between the Host School Headteacher and participant to ensure that the participant is given support, time and opportunity to carry out the headship development project and other agreed tasks
• support the participant in constructing their Headship entry profile

Overview

There will be 16 Leadership Coach positions available. Each Leadership Coach will have 3 participants to actively support. Providing quality feedback throughout the programme will be key to the role as well as stimulating consideration of leadership principles in challenging, yet supportive situations. The coach is a National Coach and will be expected to work across Wales. Professional and personal circumstances will be taken into consideration. Reimbursement for travel will be provided where necessary.

The Leadership Coach will be allocated to the participant with the understanding that the coach can be changed at the outset where a conflict of interest exists, for example based on language, locality, faith, or known relationships. The participant will be given a summary of the Leadership Coach’s experience to date and ways in which the coach can support aspects of their professional work.

The Leadership Coach will be expected to provide feedback on the participants’ progress during the programme. The participant will be able to see the Leadership Coach’s feedback before it is shared with programme leaders. The participants will also provide feedback on the Leadership Coach to the programme leaders.

The Leadership Coach will be expected to work with different triads in order to increase the participants purchase on their learning. This will also ensure moderation and standardisation.

The Leadership Coach role will be funded and each coach will be allocated a total of 23.5 days to support participants.

Professional training will be held at the start of the programme.

How do I apply?

The application process for Leadership Coaches will go live after Easter 2025 and will close on 16 May. Further information to follow.