Why coaching and mentoring for staff needs to be at the heart of the further education sector

By Rachel Whitton, Curriculum Manager: Professional Studies & Education at Warrington & Vale Royal College and Research Further Scholar

In my original blog in April 2024, I focused on the “why” of coaching and mentoring in FE, and so I wanted to revisit this topic and discuss the “how”. I was fortunate to attend network meetings at two northern colleges last autumn, where I met with fellow like-minded professionals equally passionate about creating good coaching and mentoring networks. It was inspiring to be in an environment where leaders and teaching staff were committed to fostering this within their organisation, and furthermore to listen to inspirational guest speakers who shared their experiences of coaching and mentoring in further education. These network meetings offer opportunities for practitioners to engage in meaningful reflection on our own experiences and contribute to shaping coaching and mentoring in FE practice. My own organisation, Warrington and Vale Royal College, will be hosting a third event in March 2025, building on the positivity experienced to date. My peer, and fellow Research Further scholar, Stephanie Whitley Marshall from Truro and Penwith College, will be sharing her experiences on developing and leading a mentoring and teacher development programme for early career teachers (ECTs).

My original blog questioned whether, if the literature and research on coaching and mentoring in business highlights how effective C and M can be in the current climate, the FE sector needs to be taking the value of coaching and mentoring more seriously. I stand by my earlier statement that robust mentoring and coaching should be embedded within the heart and culture of any FE Institution. It is both refreshing and reassuring to be a part of these networks establishing a shared culture of good practice, which is taking place regionally. It is even more important now that the new Diploma in Teaching FE and Skills (DiT) is being rolled out across the UK, replacing the former DET qualification. Supporting our trainee teachers to become competent, confident and reflective practitioners needs effective coaches and mentors to help them to develop their practical skills and to apply theory to practice in the classroom/workshop settings - especially those who are navigating the challenges of entering the profession, quite often straight from their trades. The Hobson Report (2015) discovered that the overall quality of mentoring in FE was inconsistent across institutions. Lack of time, significant workloads and a lack of formal training made it difficult for mentors to provide meaningful support. Furthermore, institutional constraints, such as funding and staffing issues have also limited the capacity for high-quality mentoring in teacher training.

However, it is clear that there is a need for systemic change in 2025. Over the years, there has been a growing recognition by policymakers and professional bodies that robust mentoring is crucial for maintaining high teaching standards and improving learner outcomes. A significant proportion of FE teachers enter the profession without any formal teaching qualifications, relying on their industry expertise and learning on the job, by engaging on teacher training qualifications available at their own institution. I applaud the changes to the new DiT programme, as it recognises that consistent, structured mentoring is essential. Not only does this new City and Guilds qualification require both a subject specific and a pastoral mentor to support our trainee teachers, but both mentors must be allocated sufficient time (a minimum of 30 minutes each a week) for that support to be given. An approach far less reliant on the good will gesture of mentoring seen in previous years, or optional approach to this fundamental support requirement. Mandatory mentoring will encourage ongoing reflective practice, supporting our trainee teachers to critically assess and improve their teaching practices over time, thus raising the overall quality of teacher education in the FE sector.

To support these changes, institutions should focus on creating a culture of trust and support in teacher training, as opposed to focusing on accountability measures. Effective mentor training and investment in mentoring programmes is needed to ensure trainee teachers are able to benefit from a reliable and consistent support system. The ETF offers some great resources to help set up mentoring schemes. Furthermore, one could argue that all staff in the FE sector benefit from mentoring support, it is not just about improving teacher retention, but to ensure we nurture professionalism in a rapidly evolving landscape of the FE sector. So, we should look beyond initial teacher education programmes and ensure that coaching and mentoring is truly embedded in every corner of our institution.

Bibliography

ETF. (2025).Mentoring Training Hub. Retrieved from:

https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/professional-development/mentoring/training-hub/

Department for Education. (2025). Diploma in Teaching Further Education and Skills: Qualification framework. Retrieved from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-initial-teacher-education/diploma-in-teaching-further-education-and-skills-qualification-framework

Hobson, A.J., Maxwell, B., Stevens, A., Doyle, K. and Malderez, A. (2015). Mentoring and coaching teachers in the further education and skills sector in England. Retrieved from:

http://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/mentoring-full-report.pdf

Hobson, A.J and Maxwell, B (2020). Mentoring substructures and superstructures: an extension and reconceptualisation of the architecture for teacher mentoring.

Retrieved from:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02607476.2020.1724653