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TSC Regional Leadership Programmes - coaches and facilitators

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CUREE, on behalf of the Regional Teaching Schools Council, is co-ordinating two new development programmes in the region:

  • Executive Heads
  • Accelerator Heads (targeted at deputies 'promoted' by departure of the substantive head)

Both are designed to be very action learning orientated with a substantial coaching/mentoring component one part of which will be organised as action learning sets. We would be pleased to hear from you if you think you have the skills to support the programme as either action set learning facilitator or mentor/coach. Both roles are described in a little more detail below. If you are interested in either, please contact: pearce.brannigan@curee.co.uk

IMPORTANT: To be engaged in any of these roles you will be expected to attend a briefing/development session at CUREE's offices in Coventry starting at 09:00 am on Friday 27th January. You are welcome (subject to numbers and capacity) to attend this session to find out more about the roles before finally commiting to contribute. Contact pearce.brannigan@curee.co.uk to register your interest

Action Learning Set Facilitator

Within an action learning set, one member of the group presents a 'problem' to his/her peers who do not offer solutions to their view of the problem. Instead, they ask good questions which helps the problem holder to explore it in depth and potentially see it in a new light. The role of an action learning set (ALS) facilitator is to keep an eye on the process, noticing and feeding back key aspects to the group at or before the review stage. The facilitator can summarise during the process to see that it is effective.

Key components of the Facilitator’s role are:

  • watching out for assumptions/beliefs/values and avoiding too much telling or advising;

  • reframing;

  • giving and receiving feedback; and

  • ensuring a balance of Task/process, Project/learning, Actions/self development and Support/challenge.

Skills required for an action learning set facilitator within this programme:

  • ability to develop members questioning, listening and reflection skills 
  • strict management of timing
  • ability to recognise when the process is not being followed and bring members of the set back on track 
  • effectively manage members who contribute too little or dominate the set
  • ability to effectively reframe a discussion/question/point of view
  • effectively review and summarise the discussion 
  • provides and recives feedback
  • effective listening skills 
  • effective debreifing skills
  • analysis

Coach/Mentor

The role of a coach is to enable professional learners take control of their own learning through non-judgmental questioning and support provided mostly via the telephone or email but also face to face if that's convenient to both parties.

The coach will:

  • help to support the clarification of learning goals;

  • model, observe, articulate and discuss practice to raise awareness;

  • share learning experiences;

  • support review and action planning;

  • tailor activities in partnership with the professional learner; and

  • provide or broker opportunites for the participant to experience other  - relevant - schools at first hand (by visits, work shadowing, learning walks and so on)

The Skills required for a Coach within this programme:

  • ability to relate to the learner they are coaching;
  • effectively model expertise/demonstrate techniques in practise or conversation;
  • facilitate access to research;
  • tailor activities for progression;
  • ability to observe, analyse and reflect;
  • ability to action plan as required;
  • effective listening skills;
  • dynamic and solution focused;
  • networking to other coaches to broker access to wider experiences; and
  • ability to constantly focus on the resulting impact to 3rd parties from this programme on schools, teachers and pupils. 

 Click here for a link to the National Framework for Mentoring and Coaching for further information. 

Other information

  • As coach/mentors and ALS co-ordinators will be working with heads, we expect that they will be (or have been) heads themselves
  • We expect to need around 8 ALS facilitators across both programmes each consisting of four 1/2 day sessions. We will need at least that number of coach/mentors but the precise number will depend on the requirements of the participants
  • Note that both coaches/mentors and ALS facilitiators will be expected to attend a half-day training session held on Friday  morning 27th January at CUREE's offices in Coventry   
  • Fees equivalent to a £500 per day will be payable. All sessions (including training) will be remunerated as a half day
  • We would like to hold our sessions in one or more school or teaching schools premises in the region. We will need a plenary room for around 20 and a minimum of two 'break out rooms' for 4 - 6 people

If you are interested in one of these roles on either programme - or can offer a venue - please email pearce.brannigan@curee.co.uk with a brief description of how you fit the role. We will get back to you as soon as possible

Follow the links below for more information about the programme practicalities and the rationale