Reflective, research‑informed coaching that empowers teachers and leaders to grow with confidence, clarity, and agency.
Why Coaching With Education in First Gear?
Coaching should feel developmental, transformative, and grounded in real practice—not evaluative or performative. Our approach is built on creating the conditions for genuine professional growth: empowerment over direction, reflection over prescription, growth over judgement, and agency over compliance.
Coaching with Education in First Gear is shaped by a set of clear principles. It is:
- A model built around empowering not imposing, supporting educators to lead their own growth with confidence and clarity.
- A practice shaped by listening before leading, adapting with intention, and designing coaching that genuinely fits your community.
- A philosophy grounded in equity not exclusivity, ensuring high‑quality coaching remains accessible for schools.
- A belief anchored in agency over compliance, recognising teachers, leaders, and children as the drivers of meaningful change.
This is coaching that helps educators shift into the right gear for purposeful, sustainable development—support that builds traction, strengthens identity, and creates real momentum.
As director of Education in First Gear Ltd, I have the following coaching credentials:
OLEVI‑Accredited Coach
As an OLEVI‑accredited coach, I bring a high‑challenge, high‑support approach that promotes deep professional reflection and transformative thinking. My coaching is rooted in:
- Professional trust
- Rigorous dialogue
- Empowering educators to lead their own improvement
Experienced ITE Mentor
With extensive experience mentoring trainee teachers, I specialise in:
- Developing reflective, confident practitioners
- Supporting the transition from theory to classroom practice
- Building professional identity and resilience
- Guiding trainees through the complexities of early career teaching
Lead Mentor in Initial Teacher Education
As a lead mentor, I support schools and mentors to:
- Build consistent, research‑informed mentoring cultures
- Strengthen coaching practice across teams
- Develop shared expectations and coherent approaches
- Embed mentoring as a driver of professional learning
School Development Lead
My work as a school development lead brings a strategic lens to coaching. I support leaders and teams to:
- Navigate change with clarity and purpose
- Strengthen curriculum and pedagogical coherence
- Build sustainable professional cultures
- Align coaching with whole‑school improvement priorities
This combination of roles means I coach with a deep understanding of teacher development, leadership, and school‑wide change.
Each associate comes with their own experience within coaching which is unique to their background and experience
Support can take many forms, including:
- One‑to‑one coaching
- Leadership coaching cycles
- Coaching for teams or subject leaders
- Coaching linked to CPD or school development work
- Online or in‑person sessions
- Short‑term or ongoing programmes
Whatever the format, every coaching relationship is shaped around your context, your goals, and your practitioners—creating the traction that strengthens professional identity and fuels sustainable improvement.
What Coaching Can Support
Teacher Development Coaching
For early career teachers, experienced practitioners, or those navigating change.
- Building reflective habits
- Strengthening classroom practice
- Developing confidence and professional identity
- Navigating challenges with clarity and support
Leadership Coaching
For middle leaders, aspiring leaders, and those stepping into new responsibilities.
- Leading teams with confidence
- Managing complexity and change
- Developing strategic clarity
- Strengthening communication and influence
Coaching for School Development
For leaders seeking to align coaching with improvement priorities.
- Embedding coaching within school culture
- Supporting curriculum and pedagogical change
- Developing leadership capacity across teams
- Creating coherence between vision, practice, and professional learning
Coaching for Practitioner Research
For teachers and leaders engaging in inquiry or evidence‑informed development.
- Designing meaningful inquiries
- Making research usable and accessible
- Reflecting on findings and next steps
- Building a research‑engaged culture
Get in touch!
Coaching with Education in First Gear Ltd is flexible, responsive, and designed to meet the realities and lived experiences of educators, whatever the setting.
Book a coaching conversation in today:
Professional learning that strengthens practice across all educational settings
