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My mission
I respect the massive job being done by education leaders up and down the country, whatever phase they're in, and whether they're in a school trust or LA. As I moved out of my headship role 5 years ago, I knew that I wanted to continue to contribute to the progress and development of our schools and colleges, so I retrained and started working as a leadership coach. I see my role now as helping education leaders to shape an education sector that empowers communities. I strongly believe that it's only possible to do the big job of educational leadership if you pay attention to yourself, regularly decompressing and refreshing your perspectives and continuing to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding. Coaching and supervision are great tools to do that. I understand that the needs of trust leaders, headteachers and coaches are different, so I offer specialist services to each, based on my qualifications, credentials and competencies.
Hi! I'm Helen
I'm an executive coach, former headteacher and lover of learning and transformation. While grappling with the challenges of 2 intense headships in schools requiring a big improvement, I realised the impact of leadership coaching - the value of spending time with an external coach with compassionate listening skills in a space free of judgement.
Not only did it help me to 'see the wood for the trees' but it also gave me the confidence to be a more values-led leader and develop the skills I needed to truly empower my team. I fell in love with non-directive coaching (as distinct from advice-giving and mentoring) and decided to retrain as an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach in 2020 (check out my credentials here).
Headteacher Jacqui said this about my coaching approach: ‘Candid, thought-provoking sessions led by a coach who has ‘been in the hot seat’ . . . providing depth to each discussion by challenging perspectives with relevant insight.’
Challenge and positive provocation are key elements of my approach, but they are underpinned by my core values of empowerment, compassion and creativity. I believe that to serve my clients well, I need to be prepared to ask the difficult questions.
I specialise in one to one coaching and supervision, and also offer options for working outdoors, as I really value the benefits of getting out in the fresh air. I recently undertook supervision training at Oxford Brookes University, and am now offering supervision to other coaches.
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I am a trustee of a local large MAT, as I'm passionate about education in the north east and improving the life chances of our children. I love history and music, and enjoy walking around Tyneside and Northumberland.
