We found the sessions with our safeguarding team particularly useful as it enabled the members of staff to articulate their concerns and anxieties . JMC then helped this team build their future resilience through introducing strategies that allow them to manage these anxieties.

David Fann, Associate Head, Larkholme Primary School, Fleetwood

Why is Deputy Head Wellbeing coaching so important?

It is particularly important at this time during the Covid 19 crisis that Headteachers, and School Principals are open to Deputy Head wellbeing coaching as there are many benefits both to the individual and the wider school community. In many schools it is the Deputy Head or an Assistant Head who is responsible for wellbeing of the whole staff and the pupils at the school, often without any ‘formal’ training in wellbeing.

SLT Wellbeing during the Covid19 Crisis

70% of school leaders felt that there were times during 2020 that they have come close to breaking point.

90% said their work related stress had increased.

School leader Wellbeing survey 2020, Dr Helen Kelly

The current situation has caused extremely high levels of stress and many school leaders feel unprepared to cope with the emotional challenges they are facing on a daily basis during the Covid19 crisis. This coaching will allow the Deputy Head or Assistant Head to focus on their own personal wellbeing , as well as learning strategies and advice that they can share with staff and pupils in their pastoral roles.

Also see our article for School Leaders on managing the Stress of Covid19

Deputy Head Wellbeing Coaching Aims

This is remote, private 1:1 Headteacher wellbeing coaching where the participant and the coach work through simple, practical techniques that help them de-stress from challenging situations. Individuals will learn to identify positive and negative changes in their psychological, behavioural and physical wellbeing symptoms.

The primary objective of the coaching programme is to identify negative changes in our psychological, behavioural and physical wellbeing. This awareness of our physical, emotional and behavioural responses is the start of positive change implementation. The task then is to be either proactive in our response to these changes, or be reactive to reduce the negative impacts.

Proactive measures might include the conduction a Stress Audit, identification of Triggers Analysis, a Professional Skills Audit to establish professional suitability and a Wheel of Life exercise to establish work-life priorities. Similar proactive measures will also include developing awareness of changes along with the introduction of quick and longer-term strategies to reduce stress and improve wellbeing such as Visioning and Acceptance Strategies.

Reactive measures may include Open Coaching, Solutions Focused Coaching, Goal Coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Headteacher Wellbeing Coaching Programme Outline:

Recommended duration of coaching

Four online sessions are recommended as a starting point. Delivery of sessions a week to 10 days apart is optimal.

Coaching session 1: Assessment of status, goals & professional competencies

Collection of data to establish current wellbeing, wellbeing aims, current baselines and future wellbeing goals. Use of professional competencies such as Johari’s window exercise.

Coaching session 2: Identification and awareness of negative emotions & behaviours and how to replace them with positive practices

Developing awareness of negative emotions, physical responses, and behavioural change such as avoidance and procrastination.

Identification of current positive practices that alert us to better wellbeing

Coaching session 3: Proactive strategies & reactive measures to deal with stress

Introduction of various proactive strategies that allow us to take control of a situation. These are both immediate and longer term. The client is encouraged to experiment with strategies suited to personality and needs

Introduction of various reactive strategies that allow us to deal with compromised wellbeing. these are mainly immediate and coupled to reflective thinking to reduce future incidences.

Coaching session 4: Establishing work-life priorities & balance

The client is encouraged to review their wheel of life and identify their work-life balances, to review the effectiveness of their current proactive and reactive strategies. This awareness and re-tuning will enable the client to be more independent.

enquiries@jmcinset.com

020 8531 4182

enquiries@jmcinset.com

You might also be interested in our Executive Coaching for Headteachers & School Principals

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