In this episode of Coaching in Education, join me in conversation with Russell Bennett and Stephen Fantom, two dynamic educators from St Joseph’s Institution International School in Singapore. Over the last decade, Russell and Steve have led the way in creating a vibrant coaching culture at SJI, transforming professional learning and fostering personal growth among staff. Listen in as they share their journey, the challenges they've faced, and the impact coaching has had across their school community. Whether you're just beginning your coaching journey or looking to deepen your practice, this conversation is packed with insights and practical takeaways. Genuinely, this is a must listen! Richard Reid – Podcast Host.

In this week's episode of Coaching in Education, we dive into the topic of "Coaching through Transitions" with Rachel Thornton, Deputy Head of Whangarei Boys High School in New Zealand. Rachel shares the innovative approach her school has taken to train senior boys in coaching skills, enabling them to coach and support primary school students who are feeling anxious about the transition to secondary school. Listen in to discover how this peer coaching initiative is fostering confidence, connection, and leadership during a critical time of change for young learners.

In this latest episode of our ‘Stories from the Coaches’ mini-series I want to start by referring to our strapline – where theory and good intentions meet reality because the topic of discussion in this episode - Reflective Practice, fits so well with this phrase. Let me explain: In theory, we as educators and coaches appreciate the benefits of a reflective approach to our practice and we definitely have good intentions to make this a regular habit, however the reality quite often is that we let disciplines such as reflective practice drop off the list as the busyness of working in education takes over. In this episode we aim to help you address this issue so join me in conversation with one of GCI’s longest serving members – Di Henning and we will take a deeper dive into reflective practice.

Throughout many of our episodes one of the most common themes where coaching has had a significant impact is ‘change’. Planning for it and responding to it. For many of us, change is not something we welcome with open arms. A few episodes ago we heard how Jo Cammozzato was preparing her team for change as she got ready to open a brand new school, in another recent episode we heard how Justine Smyth brought together three separate schools into one and successfully used coaching to help manage that significant change. In this episode we get to find out how coaching continues to impact a school team just two and half years into its new journey. In 2022 my guest Mark Natoli opened the doors to a brand new school – Greenvale Secondary College in Melbourne Australia. With a motto – Dream | Believe | Achieve, join me in this episode to hear how coaching has impacted the early years of this brand new establishment.

Richard Reid – podcast host

Over the last six months I have had the privilege of chatting with a number of the GCI team with a view to gaining their insights and thoughts on developing coaching in our schools. In this particular episode I’m excited to be joined by Lucy Carroll. Lucy joined Growth Coaching International in 2019 and brings with her, over 30 years of experience in education, in diverse settings across Australia and internationally.  Most recently Lucy has worked at the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School, promoting student, staff and family wellbeing through innovative education programs in the field of positive psychology. This role has taken Lucy into schools across all sectors in Australia and has stretched as far afield as Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Germany. Join me in this episode as Lucy shares some fabulous insights into how she sees coaching fit into the world of education and the immense benefits for those who position it front and centre in their approach to professional conversations. This is a must listen.🎧Richard Reid – Podcast Host.

“Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.” Henry Ford. The Curtin Education Community (CEC) network in the South Metropolitan region of Perth is a conglomerate of twelve government primary schools, two secondary schools, and one senior campus. The CEC’s Strategic Plan 2023- 2025 includes two targets, one of them being to “support a focus on impactful teaching across all CEC schools” and the other to “increase opportunities to build leadership capacity of current and future leaders” So, what happens when you bring together 26 coaches from across this network of schools, provide them with training and offer them participation in a year long coaching programme.

Well, you get the establishment of The Instructional Coaching Collective and in this episode, I’m so pleased to be joined by Mileva Tubbs – leader of the ICC and program co-ordinator at Como Secondary School in Perth, Australia. Listen in as we dive in to the challenges as well as the significant benefits of developing a coaching collective.

In this episode we are moving outside of Australia to neighbouring New Zealand where I’m absolutely delighted to be joined by Dr Nicky Knight.

Nicky is an education consultant and founding Director of The Education Group, which is an independent consulting company based in Auckland. Nicky is also the Director of Growth Coaching International in New Zealand and coordinates the implementation of a wide range of coaching workshops across the country for GCI. Nicky is a senior practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and has presented at a number of local and international conferences in coaching. Join me in this episode as Nicky shares some interesting insights from her coaching and training work with GCI.

Back in December 2021 I had the privilege of interviewing Alison Spence, Principal of Kohia Terrace School in Auckland New Zealand. In that episode we were joined by some of Alison’s primary students to hear of the fantastic impact of their ‘students coaching students’ programme. In this episode I am excited to re-visit the whole concept of students coaching students but this time at secondary school level. To talk us through a fascinating coaching journey, I’m delighted to be joined by Natasha Mercer. Natasha is Head Teacher of Teaching and Learning at St Ives High School in Sydney Australia and in this episode she takes us through both the challenges and the significant benefits of developing a programme in school where students coach other students. If you are considering what students coaching students might look like in your school then this is a must listen. Enjoy.🎧

Richard Reid – Podcast Host.

I’m delighted to share with you the second episode in our podcast mini-series called ‘Stories from the Coaches’. In our first episode we turned the spotlight on our very own Dan Steele who shared some fascinating insights into coach training from the other side of the slide deck. In this second episode I’m joined by another member of the GCI team – Gray Ryan. Gray is highly regarded for his integrity, professionalism and outcomes focus. His motivational and engaging style and highly attuned listening skills enable him to develop positive, meaningful and trusting relationships with GCI clients. Gray is an experienced coach and facilitator with an extensive background in educational leadership. Join me as Gray shares some great insights from his many years of experience in both coaching and facilitating. This is another ‘must listen’.

- Richard Reid, Podcast Host.

As this issue of CoachEd Update goes live there is great excitement and anticipation at Bemin Secondary College in Victoria as the doors are opened for the very first time. Join me in this episode where I’m in conversation with Principal Jo Camozzato. Jo shares some of her fascinating journey in education so far and provides some valuable insights into how she has applied a coaching approach to her leadership roles over the years. This is a must listen episode.

In this latest episode of our ‘stories from the field’ series, my guest conquers a whole new level of challenge when developing coaching in a school. To date, most of my guests have shared their experiences within one specific setting – a primary school, a post primary school, a state school, or a private school and maybe even an international school amongst others, but no-one has yet to share a story of developing a coaching culture in three separate schools – at the same time. Join me in conversation with Justine Smyth. Justine is currently an executive principal working with the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership based in Melbourne Australia. Just a few years ago Justine was tasked with the formidable challenge of amalgamating no less than three neighbouring primary schools and settling them into a brand new build. Change management guru John Kotter states – “In its most basic sense, leadership is about mobilising a group of people to jump into a better future.”

In this episode Justine is going to share with us how she mobilised three separate groups into one better future that paid respect to all three schools.