From Good to Great: How Coaching Can Transform Leadership in Schools

What makes the leap from a “good” manager to a great one? It’s a question many education organisations ask, especially when promoting talented staff into leadership positions. Often, we assume that capability in one role naturally translates into leadership success. But management, particularly in education, isn’t just about technical skill or institutional knowledge. It’s about people, confidence, communication, and the ability to influence and inspire. 

For new and middle managers in non-teaching roles, this leap can be particularly challenging. These staff members often come from operational or administrative backgrounds, finance, HR, admissions, estates, boarding, compliance, and are essential to the smooth running of any school. Yet they’re frequently overlooked when it comes to leadership development. 

This is where coaching comes in. 

Why Coaching Matters for Non-Teaching Leaders 

In many schools, professional development for non-teaching staff focuses on compliance or systems-based training: safeguarding, data protection, policy updates. While these are important, they don’t address the human side of leadership; how to manage conflict, give feedback, hold boundaries, or lead with confidence. 

New managers often find themselves navigating tricky situations: managing former peers, juggling priorities, or communicating across departments. Without support, even the most capable individuals can feel isolated or uncertain. 

Coaching provides a structured, confidential space for leaders to reflect, build self-awareness, and grow in confidence. It’s not about giving answers, it’s about helping managers find their own, rooted in the reality of their role. 

What Makes Coaching Different 

Unlike training, which is typically one-size-fits-all, coaching is completely tailored. It recognises that every leader brings different strengths, challenges, and aspirations to their role. For new and middle managers, coaching can: 

• Build confidence in decision-making and communication
• Develop practical leadership skills for real-world situations
• Provide tools to manage time, pressure, and expectations
• Help manage upwards, as well as across and down
• Foster a mindset of continuous learning and self-development 
   

It also creates space for leaders to explore the bigger picture, how their work contributes to the organisation’s mission, how to align their team with organisational values, and how to grow into more strategic responsibilities over time. 

Coaching in Action: Real-World Scenarios 

Consider a newly promoted Facilities Manager, now responsible for a team and tasked with improving efficiency across the organisation’s estate. They’re confident technically, but unsure how to delegate or navigate difficult conversations. Through coaching, they learn to lead performance reviews with clarity and empathy, build trust with senior leaders, and create a team culture based on accountability and respect. 

Or take a middle manager in Admissions, juggling parent expectations, data management, and interdepartmental coordination. Coaching supports them in setting boundaries, managing competing priorities, and influencing without formal authority, all while strengthening their own professional identity. 

In each case, coaching turns theory into practice. It meets people where they are and helps them move forward with purpose. 

The Ripple Effect of Great Management 

Strong management is the backbone of any successful organisation. When middle managers are supported to lead well, the effects are wide-reaching. Teams become more engaged. Communication improves. Pressure on senior leaders is eased. And most importantly, the culture of the organisation becomes more consistent and resilient. 

Investing in coaching for non-teaching managers also signals something powerful: that leadership is valued across the whole organisation, not just in the classroom. It reinforces the message that every team contributes to the educational experience, and that everyone deserves to grow. 

What to Look for in a Coaching Programme 

But not all coaching is created equal. For coaching to truly support new and middle managers in education, it should: 

• Be grounded in the educational context and culture
• Focus on the specific challenges of non-teaching roles
• Blend practical tools with reflective learning
• Be confidential, developmental, and non-judgemental
• Offer flexibility to respond to the pace and pressures of school life 
   

At The Managers Training Company our coaching is designed specifically for managers working behind the scenes in schools. We understand the nuance of these roles and the leadership demands they carry. Our coaching programmes are consultative, collaborative, and always tailored, because your people aren’t generic, and your leadership development shouldn’t be either. 

From Good to Great 

Great leadership isn’t about knowing all the answers. It’s about having the awareness, confidence, and mindset to lead with integrity, even when the path is unclear. 

For non-teaching managers in schools, coaching offers a powerful way to make that shift from managing processes to leading people. It’s not just about getting the job done, it’s about doing it in a way that inspires trust, builds capacity, and creates positive ripple effects across the whole organisation. 

Because when your managers grow, your organisation grows with them.