26 June 2026
Mrs Tania Carrilero, Director of Coaching
Sixteen Sixth Form students recently took part in Woldingham’s one-day coaching course. This is an engaging and highly interactive course that enables students to develop key coaching skills, including effective questioning, active listening, and the importance of remaining genuinely curious to encourage meaningful conversations. The students also had the opportunity to practise coaching with one another, building both confidence and communication skills in a supportive environment.
From September, our new coaches will use their skills to support younger students across the school and will play an active role in our Brain Breakfast events, helping to foster positive relationships, wellbeing, and a culture of listening and support across year groups.
As another aspect of our commitment to developing a coaching culture across the school community, I delivered a 90-minute online Introduction to Coaching session for parents, which explored teenage brain development, introduced Woldingham's coaching programme and provided an overview of the Graydin coaching approach. Parents learned practical coaching techniques, including how to listen more effectively, ask engaging and meaningful questions, and use non-directive, non-judgemental conversations to support their daughters. Through discussion and practice, parents gained simple, practical tools to encourage greater independence, problem-solving, and resilience at home. This initiative reflects Woldingham’s commitment to working with parents to develop a coach-like approach that empowers young people to navigate challenges with confidence and build lifelong resilience.