Investigating the coaching of teachers to support change in challenging circumstances

Abstract

This research was undertaken in the light of the issue of Ofsted inspections and failing schools and the resulting emotional turmoil for staff working in these schools. It also reflects a developing research interest in coaching in schools as a means of professional development and school improvement though there is little evidence of practice in education despite much writing on the topic. Specifically there is scant research on coaching as a means of facilitating organisational change in schools despite evidence suggesting that organisational change is one particular area in which coaching can make a valuable contribution from the individual, to the team, to the organisation as a whole. The study aims to explore coaching as an intervention to support the professional development of staff in schools and links to the school improvement agenda in a failing school. It seeks to explore whether coaching can be used to support staff to implement change in their practice at a time when staff morale would be potentially low and to gain some picture of the participant’s experience. A case study was carried out in a ‘failing’ primary school. It involved two teachers, two teaching assistants and one learning support assistant who together represented the Key Stage 1 team. Weekly coaching sessions were given to each participant on an individual basis over a period of sixteen weeks. Coaching focused on individual goals initially and extended to team goals. Feedback was given to the head teacher midway through the intervention and at the end of the intervention. Data transcripts from coaching sessions and interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. From this analysis master themes emerged from the data, those of theatrical, war and the coaching journey. It seemed that the coaching sessions motivated the participants to improve their practice and to achieve their goals. Participants appeared to alter their thinking about how they viewed change. The coaching seemed to build effective teams with improved communication and a sense of purpose and direction. The findings indicate that a model of coaching that begins at the individual level with an individual focus and extends to support the development of team goals is effective for coaching in schools. It seems to be a model that supports change in challenging circumstances and the development of effective teams.