Coaching FAQs
This section should answer any questions coaches or Delivery Partners have about coaching on our NPQ programmes.
Roles
What is a facilitator and how is it different to the role of the coach? Will facilitators and co- facilitators also be coaches?
Facilitators lead the Activate (webinar) sessions at the beginning of each teaching cycle and also the Apply (face to face) sessions at the end of each teaching cycle. These groups will be of 28-32 participants. Coaches work with small groups of 7 or 8 participants in two hour sessions during the Practice stage of each teaching cycle.
My question is about the number of facilitators we are allowed. It says funding for 2 facilitators and 4 coaches but are we able to ask more than 2 facilitators to do the training in case we need to cover absence?
It is key that you select a lead facilitator for the programme(s) you are delivering. This person will be expected to deliver all/ the majority of sessions and be supported by a co-facilitator at each session. It may be appropriate to select more than one co-facilitator and to arrange for these individuals to co-deliver the sessions which play to their strengths.
If a co-facilitator is resourced to co-deliver a small number of sessions then they will not be expected to attend all facilitator induction events. It will be sufficient for the lead facilitator to fully brief them and to share the training recordings with them as needed.
Where do sessions take place?
*Please note, depending on COVID circumstances, there is an increased likelihood that ALL coaching sessions will take place virtually. (Updated 4/1/22)
Will we be coaching people within our trust or could they be geographically spread out? Could I be required to travel?
Our expectation is that coaching sessions would usually take place online, however, it may be that within your local area it is feasible for some coaching sessions to take place face to face. These arrangements should be made with participant accessibility in mind and taking your local context into account.
What 'spacing' should there be between each part of the cycle i.e. when the course starts how many weeks before activate, then how many weeks to access teach, how many weeks until the coaching session etc.
If you look at the high level NPQ Delivery Calendar you can see the spacing of the Activate and Apply sessions. Coaching sessions will take place in between these sessions within each teaching cycle.
Do the sessions need to happen during school hours?
No this isn’t essential. Where there are four coaching groups for an NPQ programme, ideally these will take place at different times so that participants can join the group that is most accessible to them, i.e., one on Wednesday morning, one Wednesday afternoon, one Thursday morning, one Thursday afternoon.
Training for Coaches
Is the 14 hour training you discussed this morning a mandatory requirement for the course? Updated October 2021*
Coach accreditation
Recently , during an accreditation training it was stated that the Chartered College of Teaching certificate would take 17 hours to complete. This was a much higher time requirement than many coaches were expecting to hear and has caused some anxiety.
To clarify, please do reassure your coaches that we will only require they undertake the self-directed learning hours needed for the certificate of completion (approx. 7 hours asynchronous) to be completed by February; the additional assessment element (i.e. the assignment) for the full certificate is optional rather than mandatory. Some coaches may appreciate working towards the full certificate for their own professional development. However, where time is a pressure, as it is for so many in schools, coaches need only complete the self-directed hours for us which we hope will make it more manageable.
When does the Coaching Accreditation need to be completed by?
By 4th February, in time for the 4th part of the coaching training.
What is the total amount of training a coach needs to undertake?
There are four parts to the formal training. Part 1 and 2 took place in July 2021 and repeated in September 2021. Part 3 took place in October 2021. Part 4 is due to take place on February 4th, 2022.
There is also the self-led certificate by Chartered College.
In addition, there are some optional 1 hour workshops taking place monthly to support coaches with their coachees. These have been shared via. Delivery Partner newsletter on 16th December 2021.
Who will we coach?
Will each round of coaching be with the same group of people?
Yes – you will be working with a consistent group of people. We want you to build relationships with your group and are excited about what you can achieve with this consistency.
Will the coachees all be on the same level of qualification?
Yes – your coachees will be working on the same qualification.
Will the coachees be from a similar backgrounds? primary / secondary/ SEN
Not necessarily – they are on the NPQ on a particular qualification but could come from a range of backgrounds.
When will we learn who we'll be coaching? I haven't received any information about who I will be coaching - will that come from the hub?
Delivery Partners will each be organising things in slightly different way. The first step is likely to be your Delivery Partner asking for your availability and securing your coaching dates in your diary.
Participants for November cohorts will complete their induction during mid- November. You should expect to receive news on your coachee groups by early December so that you can make initial contact with them before formal learning commences.
Participants for February cohorts will complete their induction at the end of February. You should expect to receive news on your coachee group by mid- March so that you can make initial contact with them before formal learning commences.
How will we coach?
Are we given recommended timings for the coaching sessions? i.e. how long to spend on called, connected and committed?
Yes. Recommendations will be shared in the planning documents. Typically, Called will be 30 mins – Connected 45 mins – Connected 30 mins. With 15 mins of flexibility.
How the coaching would help teachers move on and build on their practice?
The Committed phase of the coaching session will address this. This will be the opportunity for each person to refine, define and commit to an action back in school.
How will we be managing different voices who are in different places in their journeys?
This is a skill set we will develop together over time. The final section ‘committed’ will be the opportunity for individuals to focus on their own context. The group will all be doing the same qualification so they will be consistency with this.
You mentioned that we might go into breakout rooms with people coaching on same NPQs at some point. Might this still be possible please? Probably a logistical nightmare! Also to say really enjoyed the time to read research and talk about what triggered us in it.
We’re glad you enjoyed it – it’s a fascinating process! We can look at how we do this at the next session.
What would the session look like when you are coaching a group of 6-8 people?
It will look quite similar to your experience in breakouts through our training but you will be holding the group as ‘coach’. When we cover the final aspect ‘committed’ this is when each person focusses in on an appropriate area for them to commit to some actions that will make a difference in school.
Aim of Coaching Sessions
What is the ultimate aim of each of the coaching sessions? Does each one have a specific goal or will it vary in each group?
The ultimate aim of each session is for the group to have explored and asked questions of the research in order to zoom in on specific challenges in school. In the final phase of the session (Committed), each participant will be able to define the area of practice they will consider as part of their ongoing role.
Time Commitments
When does the coaching actually start?
For November cohorts, coaching starts in Jan 2022 so you have plenty of time to get settled into the role. C
How long are the coaching sessions?
The coaching sessions are two hours long.
Is there an expected time allocation for preparation for each coaching session?
The time that it takes to prepare will be different for different coaches (depending on experience and preparation approach) however, resources will ensure that preparation is as light as possible.
How much time we will need to engage with the research ourselves? I am concerned that I will be expected to do this in my own time and it seems like a lot.
Coaches are expected to complete the Chartered Institute of Teaching certificate which will take approximately 14 hours. Although this is a significant time investment, this is a prerequisite of being able to coach on the Church of England NPQ programmes.
Quality Assurance
Will we have someone that 'line manages' us, in case there are any significant problems/concerns?
Liz and Angie will be overseeing all the coaches and will be working in a QA, training and supportive role with you all.
Also, for the coachees – what is their right to express if they feel they are not getting the quality of coaching they expect?
Inviting regular feedback from participants, facilitators, and coaches is an important part of our commitment to continuous improvement. Participants, facilitators and coaches will all have the opportunity to give feedback at the end of each teaching cycle and Delivery Partners and Programme Leads will review this feedback, sharing with the team to ensure learning.
Some of these content areas are huge and group sizes of 8, even with 2 hours, will mean that issues of concern are not addressed in the session. How might this be monitored over time?
We agree that the topics are huge but the coaching conversation and the activate/teach phases will allow for a funnelling process through the session so that at the point we transition to ‘committed’, each member of the group will have refined their thinking to a point of being able to commit to an action.