Coaching

The coaching company The Sixty is also highly recommended. They are executive coaches who have had senior careers at executive level in large-scale organisations across a wide range of sectors. ‘The Sixty’ refers to the invaluable sixty minutes spent in each coaching session. Ros Sweeting is one of the founders of The Sixty and her career as a partner in a law firm as well as Chair of a major HMC school gives her a hugely important perspective which greatly strengthens the value of her coaching sessions. 

The Sixty Coaching

Andrea Berkeley

Andrea has 17 years’ experience coaching senior leaders in a wide range of contexts, nationally and internationally. She qualified  on the Tavistock Executive Coaching programme (EQA Senior Practitioner) after completing initial coaching and mentoring training at UCL Institute of Education, The Work Foundation and with the former National College of School Leadership where she also qualified as a Lead Facilitator. 

Andrea has coached many Heads and Deputies of schools in all phases, in both independent and state sectors – including joint coaching with Heads and Chairs of Governors/Trustees; CEOs of education and health charities and multi-academy trusts; senior leaders in HE and members of the OFQUAL and UCAS directorate. International work includes coaching professionals in the USA, South East Asia and the Middle East. 

Beyond education, Andrea has coached clients in banking and financial services, international development, transportation and urban health and anti-obesity campaigners.  

Her approach to coaching is reflective and creative, challenging yet collaborative. She works ‘below the surface,’ drawing on psychodynamic and systems theory to support leaders in facing change and transition; building personal, team and distributed leadership capability; and age-old issues around taking up authority in role, managing ‘difficult interactions’ and maintaining optimism and sanity in uncertain times.  

She is accredited in the use of several psychometric diagnostic and developmental tools and experienced in conducting 360 performance reviews.  

Andrea takes great pleasure in combining her depth of understanding about people, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics and diversity to help leaders develop the insight, capacity, and confidence to take command of their lives and to maximize their potential in ways they hadn’t anticipated possible.

You can contact Andrea on andreaberkeley@aol.com  

Diana Vernon

Diana has taught in and led schools in the UK, Australia and Hong Kong, providing her with a deep understanding of the nuances and expectations of working in different contexts and in different roles.  Empowering individuals, whether students or staff, has always been at the forefront of Diana’s leadership style. 

As a coach, Diana’s approach is to act as a sounding board and ‘thinking partner’.  She encourages people to think differently about a situation, develop new insights, find their own solutions and take positive action, resulting in better decision making, improved levels of engagement and enhanced wellbeing.  

Diana trained with IECL (Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership), accredited by the ICF (International Coaching Federation), and is a Certified Level 3 Organisational Coach. 

You can contact Diana on dianavernon50@outlook.com

Diana Watkins

Diana is an empathetic and experienced educational consultant and Senior Advisor for RSAcademics. She offers coaching and mentoring support and appraisals for leaders and governors in the independent prep school sector with the aim of helping them to find their own solutions and maximize their potential.  

She specialises in empowering career development for Deputy Heads on their path to headship and other leadership roles with a particular focus on preparing for interview and supporting them through the early days after appointment.  

A former Head and Chair of IAPS, she is a member of the ILM and the ICF (International Coach Federation), having been awarded the Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring ILM Level 7.

Diana can be contacted on dianawatkins@rsacademics.com 

Sarah Evans

Sarah has been head of two schools: a co-educational boarding school and a selective girls’ day school.  She is currently supporting the SLT at a performing arts school.   As Chair of IStip and chairing GSA/HMC Academic Committee for several years, Sarah has worked across the independent sector.  She now chairs a multi-academy trust within the state sector and has chaired the National Teachers’ Accreditation, an Appropriate Body serving the state sector.  Sarah has been a governor of a number of schools, in the state and independent sector, prep, secondary, co-ed and single sex, day and boarding.  Sarah was awarded an OBE for services to education. 

Outside of the educational sector, Sarah chairs a fund-giving charity working with community based organisations.  She has run her own training company.  Sarah is also a registrar for weddings!  

Since leaving headship, Sarah was worked as an educational consultant.  She is experienced in school reviews, appraisals, staff development and recruitment.   She worked extensively as a mentor during her two headships and continues to do so.  Since focusing on consultancy work both inside and outside education, she has been increasingly drawn to the power of coaching.  She has coached executives and CEOs across the commercial, charity and education sectors. 

In her coaching conversations with clients, Sarah creates new ways of approaching issues to allow the client to flourish professionally and gain greater personal awareness. 

Sarah trained with Love your Coaching as a Level 7 Executive coach and mentor.  Love your Coaching specialises in executive coaching and mentoring and offers ongoing support for coaches.  Her Level 7 is validated through ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management). 

Sarah can be contacted via she125@hotmail.co.uk 

 

Andrew Nott

Following his distinguished tenure in headship, Andrew was appointed Chair of IAPS and over the last four years he has steered through major changes and improvements at the association, most importantly developing substantially its services for heads. As part of the role, he visited schools in the USA, Europe and the UAE.  He is an ISI inspector with over twenty years’ experience and is a governor of HMC, IAPS and ISA schools.  He is regularly asked to speak at conferences and training sessions for heads, deputies, registrars and governors.

Through his headships, consultancy, governance and inspection experience, Andrew has a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of best practice and has helped many schools with leadership development, headship recruitment and strategic planning.  With an extensive network in the UK and beyond, Andrew is very well known and highly respected across the independent sector.

As a coach and mentor for head teachers, Andrew strives to build and maintain strong relationships based on trust and respect.  He listens carefully and attentively to learn more about the unique needs and challenges heads face, tailoring his support accordingly.  He keeps up-to-date on the sector, educational trends and best practices in order to provide relevant, valuable and insightful guidance.  He celebrates heads’ successes and offers constructive feedback to help them grow. He collaborates closely with heads on problem-solving to find effective solutions and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of the coaching relationship to ensure it continues to meet the client’s needs.

Andrew can be contacted via andrew@aneconsultancy.com