Our Impact
Allow us to showcase the transformative experiences and success stories shared by teachers and education staff who have benefited from Leadership Edge's exceptional coaching services. Here, you will find inspiring narratives that highlight the profound impact on staff wellbeing, staff retention, and overall school improvement.
These testimonials serve as a testament to the invaluable support provided by Leadership Edge and the positive changes it has brought to individuals and educational institutions. We invite you to explore the stories shared by passionate educators whose lives and careers have been positively influenced by the outstanding coaching services offered by Leadership Edge.
Feedback from Programme Participants
Source: 268 Respondents (Jun 2024-Nov 2025) across all 3 Tiers of Coaching Accreditation Programmes.
There were no respondents that answered "Disagree" or "Strongly Disagree".
EXPECTATIONS: When other staff are coached in this way I believe it will have a positive impact on:
Individual Impact
Workload Management:
Head of PE and SCITT, PolyMAT
Head of PE and SCITT, PolyMAT – “It has been the busiest point in my career and it has been of benefit to have the coaching at this point. On the surface it does not seem logical to have yet another thing to do when you are busy however in practice it has actually proven to be the best time. The sessions forced me to reflect on what is and is not working well and consider possible solutions. By taking the time to express difficulties, I could think through them in a logical and clear manner. Being asked questions about why or how and drill into detail in particular areas was helpful in creating action plans and reduced the feeling of being so overwhelmed.”
Solutions-Focused Mindset:
Headteacher, The RISE Partnership
“I was not given time to “wallow” in a problem or negative way of thinking but pushed forward through a challenge... I can see that without this challenge, nothing would change and I would be stuck. Learning the skills to be a coach will be valuable to support the workforce; to empower them to make better choices and to develop resilience.”
Reduced Stress:
SENCO, Inclusive MAT
“Taking part in coaching has had a profound impact on me personally and professionally. The sessions have taught me how to approach a problem and work towards solving it in a reflective and considered way. Using a structured approach, as Leadership Edge do, has significantly reduced my stress levels and given me space to think through a problem effectively. It has worked every time.”
Motivation & Engagement:
Chief People, Talent & Culture Officer, INOVA MAT
"I have found it one of the most enlightening experiences that I have had in life. Professionally, it promotes self-esteem/self confidence in a way that develops further your engagement in your own development and performance (allowing you to like it and love it!)… Personally, I am happier (at work and at home) and I am more motivated to continue to make a difference."
Trust & Belonging:
Music Teacher, Manor MAT
"This programme is about so much more than just discrete coaching – the techniques spill gloriously into how you talk to yourself, how you guide your pupils and in how you speak to your partner and friends. The very fact that nobody has been forced into coaching and no confidentiality has been breached will lay good foundations for trust in that we “do what we say”. We have proven that coaching is there for people who are willing to participate and those who have, have gained a great deal from it."
Amandeep, Teacher
To be really listened to in a work situation is an unfamiliar feeling. Quite often it is clear that someone is hearing your words but not listening to them. During this session, I felt like I was understood and that my thoughts mattered.
Chelsea, NQT
Coaching is something that helps you to become a judge of your own ability but understand that to develop you need to understand your goals and work towards them gradually.
Kim, Teacher
I have always been quite a reflective practitioner however, having the opportunity to discuss my thoughts and to have someone to question and extend my thinking to higher level is having a positive impact on my confidence and self-belief. This is also having an impact not only in my job but in my personal life too.
Organisational Impact
Empowering Leadership:
Will Smith, CEO, Greenshaw Learning Trust
“Leadership Edge are responsive and deeply focused on ensuring a positive experience for all involved. It has been an opportunity to reflect on the impact I have on those around me, and ultimately the impact they have within our organisation. As a leader, I can see the benefit of this more reflective, empowering approach to the relationships in our organisation.”
Building and Embedding Skills:
Gina Donaldson, CEO, Rainbow Education MAT
"The Leadership Edge Coaching Accreditation Programme is the antidote to directive leadership. It shifts your focus from simply providing answers to building self-sufficient leaders across your Trust. The programme’s strength lies in its practical, supervised structure, forcing you to move beyond theory and embed critical skills like Deep Listening and Powerful Questioning. This direct practice is the only way to genuinely combat your past tendency toward reactive solutions, ensuring you cultivate a strategic, curious, and behaviourally flexible coaching style that ultimately multiplies the capability and autonomy of your entire leadership team."
Recruitment & Retention:
Manny Botwe, HT, Tytherington School and ASCL President 24-25
“Working with Leadership Edge has been overwhelmingly positive and has played quite a crucial role in our retention and recruitment strategy, as part of our ‘people first’ strategy. Participants on the programme report higher levels of job satisfaction, happiness within their role and are much more likely to either gain promotion or stay at the organisation. It’s given them a greater sense of agency and autonomy and allowed them to be bolder in their decision-making. Other staff are noticing and saying, “we’ll have what they’re having!”.” Leadership Edge are a fantastic organisation and have done a great deal of good for our school, and the system more widely.”
School Improvement:
Hayley Guest, CEO, Manor MAT
“We develop coaching expertise through the Leadership Edge three-tier process of coach development, empowering our coach leaders to help colleagues develop and improve. Our focus on embedding a coaching culture has built capability and capacity across a range of areas of school improvement. The investment in providing a safe space for our staff team to be heard, reflect and be proactive in developing themselves, their teams and their school creates the conditions for sustained and meaningful improvement. A school is the product of its culture and unless you get under the skin of it, you will only ever apply school improvement plasters.”
Staff Togetherness:
James Roach, CEO, Inclusive MAT
"I would highly recommend the Leadership Edge programme to others because of the impact it has had. Our Trust leadership team have done this as a group and there has been a strength and togetherness by undertaking it in this manner. Ultimately, it has been transformative for me and for our Trust… Our Edurio staff survey shows we’re 33% above national average for staff happiness.”
Value for Money:
Matt Freeston, CEO, LEARNERs’ Trust
“The programme provides a ‘double whammy’ opportunity for coachees to receive high quality coaching whilst also being supported to develop skills that will impact on others. The value for money proposition is far greater than in a simple one to one coaching arrangement.”
Video stories
Download our Case Study of School Improvement here