ILM coaching qualifications

The best qualification for both skills and credibility

ILM coaching qualifications are the route of choice for most professionals in the UK, and are extremely effective for education professionals

The Institute of Leadership and Management is the largest body in the UK offering workplace qualifications to professionals. Their focus and specialism in coaching and leadership makes them ideal for education professionals.

The levels (3,5,7) are independently set by Ofqual, which gives a guarantee of both quality and consistency.

Course structure essentials and support essentials

We know how time poor many teachers and leaders are, and how important it is that training they receive is of high quality. What we do to help this for our coaching qualifications includes:

Although each ILM programme differs in length and in specific content, they all share these elements:

Although this may sound formal, it often is a comfortable process, rich in learning opportunities and suitable for engaged education professionals.

We have been delivering ILM coaching qualifications to school leaders since 2015. We understand how important it is to learn the relevant skills that can be applied straight away in your school setting. And we will be delighted to help you advance your coaching skills to a high level.

ILM level 3 certificate in effective workplace coaching

The ILM L3 certificate is suitable for first line managers (heads of department or pastoral leads) who may be new to coaching. The focus is on understanding coaching definitions, learning coaching skills and being able to apply them in the workplace. ILM L3 graduates typically are able to coach their department members well on daily and longer term goals and challenges. We offer this as an in-school/in-cluster programme.

ILM level 5 certificate in effective coaching

The ILM L5 certificate is suitable for middle leaders or leaders with some experience. You may still be new to coaching, but your leadership skills will help you take this slightly more advanced courses. ILM L5 graduates typically are able to plan a series of coaching sessions with each of their coachees, and can comfortably coach people within their teams, or other people within the school. We offer this both as an in-school/in-cluster programme and an open programme for individuals to book onto.

ILM level 7 certificate in coaching for leaders and senior executives

The ILM L7 certificate is suitable for senior leaders, who are likely to have had some exposure to coaching. It is an advanced programme, and helps leaders to learn how to coach to a very high standard. ILM L7 graduates become some of the best coaches around, and are relatively few and far between in the education sector. Typically they can coach most people in schools, and indeed elsewhere. They will be able to coach people on their long term goals and aspirations, and be able to help people overcome challenges, or work through difficult circumstances. We offer this both as an in-school/in-cluster programme and an open programme for individuals to book onto.

Which course is right for me?

The brief descriptions above, plus the information on our flyers may help you to decide which may be the right programme for you. We are always happy to talk through options, so feel free to give us a call.

We find that the ILM L3 is suitable for:

To see if the ILM L5 or the ILM L7 may be suitable for you, take the quiz below.

Many of our coaches in training have made video testimonials after they have finished the programme. Have a look at some of their comments.

Coaching is quite common in the education sector and there are some pockets of outstanding practice. This is especially true when teachers and leaders have committed to learning coaching skills well.

If you want to excel, stand out from others and use coaching well to support colleagues and students alike, then taking on an ILM coaching qualification is a great thing to do.

And as well as being able to coach well, you may find that your coaching skills will impact on other areas. Often teachers and leaders who are skilled coaches report that they listen better, ask better questions and hold back from talking too much.

All this has a great impact on their teaching, their leadership and other relationships. The hidden benefits of coaching become visible.