The Leadership Coach

Being a Leadership Coach is a unique opportunity to inspire and champion future Headteachers for Wales. The Leadership Coach is integral and pivotal in ensuring the success of the NPQH programme and a key part of strategic succession planning of school leadership in Wales. Coaches will be committed to ensuring that participants are ready to enter the role of headship equipped and confident in their role.

Key responsibilities of the Leadership Coach will be to:

• provide ongoing professional feedback to the participant
• support the participant in reflection of the 360 assessment and facilitate leadership conversations, based on personal leadership growth
• support the selection of the head ship development project
• to act as a ‘broker’ between the Host School Headteacher and participant to ensure that the participant is given support, time and opportunity to carry out the headship development project and other agreed tasks

Overview

Each Leadership Coach will have 3 participants to actively support. Providing quality feedback throughout the programme will be key to the role as well as stimulating consideration of leadership principles in challenging, yet supportive situations. The coach is a National Coach and will be expected to work across Wales. Professional and personal circumstances will be taken into consideration. Reimbursement for travel will be provided where necessary.

The Leadership Coach will be allocated to the participant with the understanding that the coach can be changed at the outset where a conflict of interest exists, for example based on language, locality, faith, or known relationships.

The Leadership Coach will be expected to provide feedback on the participants’ progress during the programme. The participant will be able to see the Leadership Coach’s feedback before it is shared with programme leaders. The participants will also provide feedback on the Leadership Coach to the programme leaders.

The Leadership Coach will be expected to work with different triads in order to increase the participants purchase on their learning. This will also ensure moderation and standardisation.

Coaches will be allocated to successful NPQH participants based on sector, language, geographical need and coach experience.

The Leadership Coach role will be funded and each coach will be allocated a total of 23.5 days to support participants.

Professional training will be held at the start of the programme.

How do I express my interest?

Expressions of interest are welcomed from those who hold NPQH and are either:

• a practicing Headteacher in Wales
• a recently retired Headteacher (since September 2023)
• a previous Headteacher with a level 7 coaching qualification

Expressions of interests should be submitted via the online form by 16:00 on 11 June 2025. 

The expression of interest form will ask you to outline:

• your experiences in coaching and developing others to develop their leadership skills
• your readiness, expectations and commitment to support others in preparation for headship, including any specific expertise you could bring to the role of Leadership Coach in terms of the range of provision in Wales 

Expressions of interest should be supported by your Chair of Governors or Employer.