There is no statutory regulation of coaching in the UK. Anyone can call themselves a coach tomorrow. This page tells you what I do, voluntarily, to be accountable for the work.
Credentials.
ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC). I hold the Associate Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, the global professional body for coaching, awarded July 2026. The ACC is earned through accredited coach training, assessed client coaching hours, a mentor-coaching process and a recorded performance evaluation, and is maintained through ongoing continuing professional development.
Professional coaching practice. My coaching is personalised, holistic, and grounded in evidence-based practice. I stay current with best practice to ensure a high-quality, reflective coaching experience.
Leadership experience in education. Over 20 years' experience supporting leaders and managers across a range of settings, with particular expertise in education.
Ongoing professional development. I stay connected to professional networks and continue to develop my own practice alongside supporting others.
Supervision.
Coaching supervision is a professional relationship in which a coach takes their casework to a more senior practitioner for review, challenge and developmental support. It is the closest the profession has to a clinical governance mechanism.
I am in regular supervision with [— supervisor's name, qualifications, link if appropriate]. Sessions take place at least every [— frequency, e.g. six weeks / quarterly].
The supervision relationship is itself bound by professional confidentiality. I will not name a client to my supervisor — I discuss patterns, dynamics and my own responses, never identifying details.
If something comes up in our work that I take to supervision, it's because I'm doing my job — not because anything has gone wrong.
Ethics framework.
My practice is governed by recognised professional codes of conduct for coaching and mentoring.
In practice, this means:
- I work within the limits of my competence. I will refer rather than improvise.
- I do not enter dual relationships with clients (no friend-as-client, no client-as-business-partner).
- I do not accept gifts that could be construed as influencing my judgement.
- I disclose conflicts of interest the moment I become aware of them. If a conflict can't be managed, I withdraw from the engagement.
- I commit to continuing professional development — minimum 30 hours per year, audited annually.
Confidentiality — in plain English.
What we discuss stays with me. Period. With four specific exceptions:
- Safeguarding — if you disclose risk of significant harm to a child or vulnerable adult, I am bound to report this. I will tell you first if I can.
- Risk to your life — if I have reasonable grounds to believe you may seriously harm yourself, I may contact your GP or a relevant service. I will tell you first if I can.
- Disclosure of a serious crime — certain offences (terrorism, money laundering) carry mandatory reporting requirements.
- Court order — in the extremely unlikely event of subpoena, I would be required to release relevant records.
If your school or organisation is paying for your coaching, they will be told that sessions are taking place — nothing about content. I will never share what you've said with anyone in your organisation.
Session notes are kept in encrypted storage, identified by initials only, and retained for seven years for professional indemnity purposes — then permanently destroyed. Full detail in the privacy policy.
Continuing development this year.
Updated annually. Most recent twelve months:
- [—] — CPD activity (course / conference / book / training)
- [—] — CPD activity
- [—] — CPD activity
- Ongoing — regular supervision; reading group; peer practice exchange
Influences on my practice.
No-one practises in a vacuum. The lineage that has shaped my work, in roughly the order I came to it:
- Nancy Kline — Time to Think. The architecture of attention, and the radical claim that the quality of your thinking is determined by the quality of attention you receive while doing it.
- Edgar Schein — Humble Inquiry. The art of asking instead of telling, and what it costs us when we forget how.
- Carol Dweck — growth mindset, properly understood (not the watered-down poster version).
- Brené Brown — the work on shame, vulnerability and what makes them livable inside leadership.
- Working with school leaders — years of conversations with brilliant educators taught me most of what I know about working with educators specifically.
If something goes wrong.
If you're unhappy with the work, my preference is that you tell me directly — in session if you can, by email if that's easier. I won't be defensive. I'll be glad you told me. Most complaints resolved at this stage strengthen the engagement.
If that doesn't resolve it, or doesn't feel appropriate, you can raise a formal concern with the relevant professional body:
- Professional coaching bodies — for matters relating to coaching standards and practice
- ICF — for matters relating to ethical standards: coachingfederation.org/ethics
Sessions are not currently bound by mandatory mediation. If we cannot resolve a concern, you may withdraw from coaching at any time — no fees apply for sessions not yet delivered.