Caroline Harris
Optimise
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Optimise Learning Potential
Education
I have always been inspired by the purpose of education. The core value often described so beautifully and uniquely by each school is, in its essence - helping each child find their potential. It is a stirring vision and for me, it is most fundamental requirement of education. It is our responsibility and commitment to the next generation. At their heart, schools’ raison d’etre is to nurture a lifelong love of learning, to build self confidence and value each student for who they are and who they can become. In this education and coaching are closely aligned.
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Individual Coaching for Teachers
Optimise offers one to one coaching for heads, SLTs, phase leaders, teachers, central teams. Each programme is tailored around the specific needs and development of the individual. Whilst it is perhaps most beneficial to have a series of sessions, we have worked on discrete issues (remedial or fast track) in simply a couple of session. See Individual coaching section of website.
Coaching Skills Workshops
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It seems to me that in a school environment where the purpose is learning, growth, building self-belief, equipping children to go out into the world to be a force for good, that coaching must surely be an inherent part. Coaching helps people to be and to become.
Why Develop Coaching Skill ?
Headteachers frequently ask in their coaching sessions with me how they can better facilitate professional growth, how to encourage more ownership and responsibility, how to lead teams more effectively. There is a felt need to develop their leadership skills.
Coaching is a key leadership skill to enhance the potential of your schools, to maximise the impact on outcomes. It can:
- optimise the learning potential that is inherent in every human being
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- maximise children’s engagement, readiness to learn, resilience and self-regulation
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- strengthen teaching and learning, pedagogy and everyday performance
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- relume teachers’ passion and core purpose
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- create more effective teams
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- transform ownership, responsibility and accountability
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- help staff to feel valued, heard and able to make a contribution
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- have an impact upon staff well-being, staff retention and their sense of belonging to the community
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What skills, attributes and strategies will leaders learn?
- how mental states determine learning, motivation and increased performance
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- the core skills of coaching i.e. asking focusing questions, objective setting, listening and summarising, giving feedback, the GROW model
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- the value of developing your EQ (emotional intelligence)
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- connectedness - relationship is the foundation of coaching
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- explore where coaching can be most beneficially implemented i.e. individual staff coaching conversations, teamwork, staff meetings, PD days, in the classroom, in observations, with parents, trust directors with Heads
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- understand when to coach as a leader (and when not)
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- explore the different hats a leader needs to wear
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- provide a shared experience and common language
What makes this programme different
- we take time it is a two day programme and half day 2 months later Sustaining Implementation
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- the programme is underpinned by the Inner Game's
fundamental coaching principles of: focusing awareness, trust and choice
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- it encourages agility in the application of facilitative or directive leadership styles
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- a strong focus upon the development of practical skill, not just intellectual understanding (significant live practice on the workshop)
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- practical experience of “focus” significantly improving learning and performance and, perhaps the need to unlearn some established practices
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-building understanding of team dynamics and effective teamwork
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- enables leaders to grow staff ownership and responsibility
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- a first step in shifting the culture
Supporting teachers who inspire
children to be and to become.
A word from others
The coaching workshop was an uplifting and
rewarding experience from start to finish and I took so
much from it. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, expertise and exceptional talent. I value our sessions enormously and it's a privilege to work with you.
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Headteacher
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"It certainly has been a remarkable period of development for me personally and, as a consequence, has made me much more effective with all the positive benefits that brings for my organisation”.
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Headmaster of an Independent School