Coaching
23 Feb 26
How confident do you feel about coaching?
By Emma Woodward (English Hub Lead)
Someone I worked with recently described coaching as “role play”. She said she feels really confident getting involved in child-initiated learning in her Reception classroom – but practising teaching with another adult watching felt very different.
At first, it pushed her out of her comfort zone. But by breaking teaching down into small steps and practising together, she slowly grew in confidence. Before long, she was explaining and modelling some of the steps back to us herself. A great reminder that confidence often comes after we give things a go.
It’s completely normal to feel a bit nervous about coaching, especially when someone is watching or stepping in during a lesson. But coaching isn’t about catching anyone out or pointing out what’s “wrong”.
Coaching is there to help.
It’s simply about supporting staff to become even stronger reading teachers. Even if you’ve taught phonics for years, there’s always something small we can all refine or sharpen. Coaching is no different from team teaching or working side by side – it’s shared, supportive, and focused on improving outcomes for children.
Why coaching matters
The EEF reminds us that for phonics to really work:
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Teaching needs to be systematic and consistent
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Children who fall behind need quick, targeted support
High-quality teaching makes the biggest difference
Coaching helps make this happen by:
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Keeping phonics teaching consistent across all groups
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Supporting subject knowledge (like phoneme pronunciation, blending, and how we respond to errors)
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Helping leaders use assessment information to plan groups, extra practice and interventions
Giving helpful, in-the-moment feedback that improves pace, structure and clarity
Coaching and tutoring
EEF guidance also tells us that small-group and one-to-one tutoring works best when:
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It matches what’s happening in the classroom
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Tutors are confident and well-supported
Sessions are structured and purposeful
Coaching helps by making sure tutoring:
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Is closely linked to phonics assessments
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Uses the same routines, language and expectations as whole-class teaching
