Things have been ticking along fairly nicely over the past month or so. Simon and I have been getting into the swing of coaching conversations and are beginning to relax into the role of coach more.
We’ve noticed, with pleasant surprise, how responsive the pupils are to the coaching concept. They seem to noticeably switch into a different mode as soon as the conversation begins and a different rapport or relationship seems to develop. This may be one of the key strengths of the initiative; the luxury of having some given time where you are listened to seems to be one which the pupils value. It will be interesting to see what the pupil perception is though. The evaluation should offer us some valuable insights.
It feels like we’ve moved beyond the initial stages of the project and so we need to think very seriously about how to facilitate the successful roll-out of this time across the school next year.
These are the big questions to ponder:
- How do we provide for pupils with additional support needs?
- How do we fit in 4 coaching conversations per period
- Are the conversations frequent enough?
- Who will make up the vertical classes and what will happen if there is a particularly toxic mix in certain classes?
- How will the pairing of teachers be handled? What if there are pairings that are incompatible?
- What should this time be called?
At the next Personal Support group we’ll explore these issues, or at least, the first two, and see if we can come up with some solutions.
Well done Iy sounds as if both yourselves and your pupils are gaining confidence and actually enjoy the sessions Brilliant well done to all Regards Rae