Testimonials
Schools that embed coaching report a positive impact immediately
We help educators around the world embed coaching into their school communities. From fostering empowerment and authenticity to providing a shared language, here are some of their coaching wins.
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
Rugby School
Coaching began at Rugby School with a focus on building resilient and independent thinkers. As Deputy Head Lara Hampton shares, “The impact of coaching spoke for itself.” Since then they have trained nearly all staff in coaching skills, along with parents and students.
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
Merchant Taylors’ School
Coaching began at MTS after Senior Leaders completed our foundational course: The Anatomy. Having witnessed the power of coaching, they enthusiastically partnered with Graydin to develop a coaching culture within the school.
Praise for Coaching
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"Since meeting Graydin's McKenzie and Quinn back in 2016, coaching has grown more and more central to my school, my role and my own life. We quickly saw that coaching could enhance so many of our existing school systems and so we began a journey to create a coaching culture here at MTS. Coaching has been a huge part of my own professional development, giving me the tools and reflective space to progress from the Art and the Review stages of Graydin's training to achieving the International Coaching Federation ACC Qualification. Working with my friend and colleague, Sally Hale, at MTS over the past 8 years to build coaching's reach across the school has been an immensely rewarding journey. Quinn and McKenzie have been there at every step and have adapted, inspired and supported us along the way."
Laura Smith
Director of Teaching and Learning, Merchant’s Taylor School, UK -
"Graydin Coaching, with the invaluable guidance of Mckenzie and Quinn, has made a transformative impact at DLD College London. Their approach, centered on starting with the heart, has deeply enriched our community, fostering a culture of growth, self-awareness, and empowerment among both staff and students. Graydin's expertise and warmth have been pivotal in tailoring sessions and workshops that unlock potential and inspire proactive leadership. Under their leadership, we've observed remarkable developments in our students' confidence and a notable increase in their ability to tackle both academic and personal challenges. Their professionalism, empathy, and innovative coaching methods have been instrumental in nurturing a supportive and ambitious atmosphere at our school. We are immensely grateful for her contributions and eagerly anticipate our continued collaboration with Graydin Coaching."
Irfan H Latif
Headmaster, Royal Hospital School, UK. Previous Head at DLD College London. -
"The impact coaching has had on me is to completely change my approach to managing change and decision making, and understanding my own reactions and emotions towards things that happen in life and work. I love the personal touch that working with Graydin has provided - I feel both Quinn and Mckenzie are always available to support me on my coaching journey and really value the way they uplift all the coaches and recognise the potential in each of us. The biggest impact coaching has had at WA is through how we approach CPD and performance management which is now more developmental than outcome driven."
Ruhina Cockar
Assistant Vice Principal, Curriculum, Westminster Academy | UK -
"In 3 years Woldingham has been transformed into a coaching school with 100 staff trained in core coaching skills over this period. We have had a focus on the staff with touchpoints with pupils to ensure that we can give the best possible pastoral care and ensure that each student is listened to and asked the right question at the right time. All of our Boarding House mistresses are trained and every Sixth Form tutor is similarly trained in coaching. We also have a coaching squad of Upper Sixth girls who coach some of the younger girls. However, we have also coached a number of non teaching staff as we see the value in coaching for staff wellbeing and a coaching approach is built into our appraisal system."
Chris Kellaway
Head of Year 10 and Teacher of Theology, Woldingham School, UK -
"Coaching has made me a much more effective leader, houseparent, colleague and parent. It is the difference between being a listening ear, and genuinely helping someone find their way through a situation, between being enabled to stay stuck or enabled to make progress. As a school, 95% of our teaching staff have been trained in these skills and it is beginning to be embedded in the way we approach our students, from offering coaching around careers to helping the youngest understand their feelings, and teaching our oldest pupils the coaching skills. It changes not just the immediate situation but the mindset with which they approach other situations."
Mairion Goodman
Houseparent, Head of Coaching, Monkton Combe School, UK -
"10% more coachlike is our aim for the current academic year and we are already seeing the difference in the tone of conversations and the relationships between staff and students and eachother. Starting with the Heart and a reminder that listening can be so incredibly powerful are two of the core principles we have learned to apply as a school. As a leader, Graydin have helped me meet the individuals in my team where they are, have the challenging conversations in a way that have been more productive than I ever would have thought and see the opportunities that are afforded through my work in education more completely than ever."
Gavin English
Deputy Head Pastoral, Alleyn’s, UK -
"Coaching has become a habit in making me a more interested and interesting human being. It's helped me to become more curious, and importantly, it's helped me become a more attentive listener. I have found the coaching toolkit being deployed in all facets of my life: as a husband, father, leader and manager. Through the Start With Heart framework, I am more confident in my ability to have conversations; conversations which enable me to ask better questions and authentically develop rapport with the person right in front of me and meet them where they are at. Thank you Team Graydin."
James Bown
Director of Teaching and Learning, Haberdashers Boys' School, UK -
"When I embarked on the Anatomy course in 2018, I could never have imagined the transformative impact it would have on me professionally and personally. The start with the Heart Model unearths the true values and passions of the individual and provides them with the skills to map out a bespoke route in order to achieve them. Graydin’s coaching model equips individuals with skills to become resilient, confident, independent thinkers, who will be empowered to have better conversations and forge better relationships in their professional and personal lives. The coaching resources are flexible and can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes, from encouraging academic ambition, to the untangling of a complex pastoral issue . NLCS are at the beginning of their coaching journey and very excited to watch the impact of coaching unfold. Quinn and McKenzie, the founders of Graydin, and the wider Graydin community, are always on hand to help you develop your coaching muscle. "
Clare Jackson
Assistant Head, Senior Tutor, North London Collegiate School, UK -
"Before undertaking Graydin's coaching courses, I frequently felt burnt out and overwhelmed in my professional life. Students were frequently coming to me with both academic and personal issues that I felt responsible for fixing. Graydin's heart-centered approach has transformed these interactions by giving me the tools and strategies to help them build autonomy and skills in navigating their own paths. This has not only reduced the burnout I had been feeling, but has helped me to build trust and rapport with students in a way that still exudes support and care. Graydin's courses have been the best, most worthwhile professional development opportunity that I've ever undertaken (and I've taken lots). Quinn and McKenzie's ability to develop a course of such high impact, delivered in such a short amount of time is incredible. I am Graydin's self-professed #1 fan because of how it has transformed how I interact with others."
Martina Hannigan
Teacher, Career Education, Senior School & Head of Grade 12, Crofton House School, UK -
"Without a doubt, learning to coach with Graydin has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life. It has not made me perfect, but has made me more coach-like both at work and in my personal life. I now ask better questions of others, and have a wider range of skills to open up what is at the heart of an issue. It has helped me tackle the urge to "fix the person" or offer up advice. In short, It has transformed how I think and work."
Andy Ford
Vice Principal, Berkhamsted School, UK -
"The impact that coaching has had on me is transformational. It has changed the way that I look at situations and how I deal with students. It's a method of empowering others to solve their own problems. I would really recommend all teachers think about learning how to coach. It is something that will enrich the way that they teach enrich the way that they talk to students pastorally."
Ana Henderson
Teacher of Classics, King Edward School, UK -
"Beyond the knowledge and skills the Graydin Facilitators impart, it is their belief in our potential that truly sets them apart. They see the best in each of us, even when we may doubt ourselves and they empower us to embrace our strengths and overcome our weaknesses."
Ezra Muyinda
Resource Centre Manager, Jinja Educational Trust, Ghana -
"Coaching remains the best and most directly useful CPD experience that I have ever had. Most other professional learning that I have done seems either to build upon my coaching foundations or be enhanced by the coaching skills that I have learnt."
Ed Venables
Head, Eagle House, UK -
"Coaching has reinvigorated me and my approach to all aspects of my professional life. Before Graydin, I thought coaching was just a faddish management and leadership tool, but the Start With Heart model has reframed that for me; it reaches into all aspects of education. I never thought before that I could have a coaching lens for classes which I teach. It is an exciting opportunity to plant the seed for others."
Philip Canning
Head of Curriculum, Eastbourne College, UK -
"Usually, I feel that when people come to me with an issue or problem, they want a solution and the pressure is immense because I cannot always have the answers - nobody can. I learned during this course that the 'coachee' knows themselves the best and often they can be supported with open-ended questions to arrive at the best path or answer for them."
Anne-Marie Ohene-Kena
Phase 1 Leader and Pre-Kinder Teacher, DEIB Racial Equity Network Lead, ACS International School Egham, UK -
"Since starting our coaching journey with Graydin back in 2019, St George's Weybridge has gradually embedded a coaching culture. You can really start to see the difference in leadership styles, staff interactions and student wellbeing. Speaking personally, coaching has given me a new challenge but a real sense of purpose that I'm desperate to share with those in my school community. Graydin have supported my own and the organisation's journey every step of the way. We are now really excited about what the next five years of our partnership will bring."
Matt Barham
Head of History, St. George’s Weybridge, UK -
"Coaching has had an enormous impact on our school - it has enabled staff and students to make empowered decisions about what is important to them, and then hold themselves to account. Coaching has helped us develop our culture to be more positive and solution focussed, whilst allowing for autonomy of decision making and actions. We now have the majority of staff trained to be coaches, meaning our approach is 'coach-like' wherever possible. Moreover, we are now training students and parents to be coaches, which means the impact is on the entire community."
Dan Rosen
Head of Secondary, St. George's British International School, Dusseldorf, Germany -
"Graydin has been invaluable in helping me develop my professional practice in a direction which I had been curious to explore for a great deal of time. The content and facilitation of the courses were of an excellent calibre and have provided me with the necessary confidence and competence to help drive a positive coaching culture in my school. It has shaped the way I interact with pupils, parents and colleagues but also the way I approach my own personal reflections. I feel privileged to be part of the Graydin community."
Lorenzo McLellan
Year 6 Teacher & PS Maths Lead, The British School of Milan (Sir James Henderson), UK -
"We refer to this as a CPD course - that feels an inadequate term for two days which have provided a set of keys and tools, as well as a new set of approaches, that already feel like they have seeped into my consciousness and my approach to interactions and decision-making. I’m very grateful to have had the chance to take this course, and very grateful to have been in the hands of such an expert leader and facilitator. It has been extremely valuable. Its possibilities and utilities seem manifold and powerful. I would like to take it further and to see my school train more people in coaching."
David Leigh
English Head of Faculty, King Edward School, UK -
"Graydin coaching has had a profound impact on my professional role as a tutor of pupils. I have had some hugely deep and meaningful conversations with a range of pupils which has prompted many of them taking much more responsibiliy for any issues they are facing, helping equip them with the tools to navigate any difficulties that teenage life throws at them and the confidence to be honest, open and come up with strategies and solutions to benefit them moving forward. It has made me a much better listener in all areas of my professional and personal life and this has been especially impactful with the staff I manage."
Becky Bownas
Director of Educational Research, Hurstpierpoint College, UK -
"The facilitation of professional and personal learning from Graydin is truly unique. Via their blend of design and personality, Graydin expertly model their coaching approach and, in doing so, take you on a deep, deep, journey of self reflection and development. The learnings have had a positive and immediate impact on both myself and my workplace. At first, I had reservations about virtual delivery but Graydin have mastered this, too, and I would go as far to say that it is the highest quality professional development that I have ever experienced."
Iain Sachdev
Education Director, Inspired Education Group, Italy -
"Since I first took part in a Graydin course, coaching has given a totally new dimension to my work as a teacher. I now facilitate courses myself, and love my work as Coaching Lead. My role has enabled me to connect with colleagues beyond my department and across all areas of the school in a truly meaningful way. Coaching is now starting to filter into all areas of school life, undoubtedly enriching our conversations and relationships."
Ruth McCann
Teacher and Coaching Lead, Abbot’s Hill, UK -
"Coaching with Graydin opened my eyes to being a good listener and understanding that the coachee has the answers within them. It's the coach's job to ask the right questions to help the coachee come to their own understanding. Coaching made me a better department chairperson and helped me in my new job as a leader in communications at my school. I really enjoyed working with Graydin and highly recommend them."
Stephanie Trautman
Assistant Director of Communications, Detroit Country Day School, USA -
"Partnering with Graydin allows me to draw on their experience and resources to create programming that resonates with my school community. Leading Graydin programs also keeps my coaching muscles in shape and helps me use my coaching lens in my work and with my colleagues. That lens centers connection and curiosity and supports internal motivation, creativity, and collaboration."
Christina Young
Director of Student Life, Riverdale Country School, USA -
"The impact that coaching has on my life and upon the lives of others cannot be underestimated. Coaching does so much in helping one see through the busyness and confusion of an issue, it provides the coachee with the tools to move forward by gentle yet deep questioning and probing, enabling all parties to connect fully with each other."
David Kendall
Headteacher, QEH Bristol, UK -
"I felt like I was receiving a big, warm hug in every class, coaching practice, and interaction with McKenzie and Quinn. They created an atmosphere in which I was comfortable enough to let my guard down, which enabled me to open myself up to learning. The Graydin materials are so beautifully presented, both in print and in person, that I easily soaked up the information and put coaching into action quickly. I was so inspired by my experience with Graydin that I got bit by the coaching bug, and now run my own coaching business. I'm happy to report that I see great results from my coachees, and I love the coaching process!"
Rebecca Strauss
Riverview Life Coaching, USA -
"It's risky when you tell staff that this is the best CPD they'll ever do but in the case of this training, it's true. The Graydin team made the entire experience excellent and staff have been using the tools in the area we intended (student development). Even more telling is the myriad of other places in the school, staff have found coaching to be the best tool they have."
Lucy Morehead
Assistant Head, Staff Development, JAGS, UK -
"Working with Graydin has been the most inspiring and enriching professional development experience I have had! Not only I believe that their coaching model is truly revolutionary, but Quinn and McKenzie have been the true embodiment of what the company is all about. From the early stages of engagement with them, through to the support offered at the end of the courses, their passion has been contagious and it is clear that they really care about what they do and the message they want to share."
Maria Pia Maggioni
Teacher of Modern Languages, UCS, UK
Case Studies: Impact of Coaching
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