Apply for the 2025 CCL cohort at: https://bit.ly/applyccl2025

Are you responsible for leading coaching in your school or are you keen to take on this role soon?

Are you:

• 1.
  Trying to make instructional coaching work (or work better) in your school or across multiple schools?
• 2.
  Wondering what you can do to increase the impact of coaching in your context?
• 3.
  Searching for guidance on how to overcome common challenges to coaching culture and implementation?

The Steplab Certificate in Coaching Leadership is here! We think it’s what you’re looking for.

We will run both an East Coast and a West Coast of Australia cohort in 2025!

Our second Australian cohort launches in January 2025, and there are only 100 places available in cohort 2. Read on to find out more about what’s included and how to apply. We also encourage you to watch the overview video below or via this link.

The Certificate in Coaching Leadership broadly follows the four terms of the Australian school year, with a different focus each term. Below is an overview of the curriculum:

Effective coaches have an expert grasp of quality teaching and learning. In line with this, Module 1 builds a solid foundation for all subsequent modules by ensuring that all participants have rich knowledge in a multitude of pedagogical areas. In this module, participants will also be prompted to begin thinking about their whole-school vision of quality instruction.

In Module 2, participants will be supported to build a broad and deep range of knowledge and skills in support of quality instructional coaching. With practical advice, practice, and feedback provided on everything from gathering classroom data to navigating the trickiest parts of coaching conversations, participants will be scaffolded towards coaching expertise.

Leading an effective coaching program requires the ability to support others in your school to coach effectively. Module 3 prepares participants to do this by introducing principles of effective professional development, and providing time and space to prepare and practice training others in pedagogy and coaching.

Module 4 focuses on designing and implementing systems of coaching in the school context. What will it take to sustainably embed coaching in your school context to ensure long-term benefits for both staff and students?

The Certificate in Coaching Leadership is designed and delivered by an expert team including Ollie Lovell, Rory McCaughey, Josh Goodrich, Ania Townsend and Rachel Sewell.

One-shot professional development often leaves participants feeling excited, but lacks the follow-up required to maintain momentum for long-term impact. The CCL is designed to address this common challenge.

There will be four in-person days throughout the year. Days 1 and 2 sit side-by side in March, and Days 3 and 4 are in July.

In-person Days 1 and 2 will sit between Module 1: Effective pedagogy and Module 2: Effective coaching. The two days are designed to prepare all participants to be confident and competent instructional coaches, ready to make impact in their contexts.

In-person Days 3 and 4 sits at the beginning of Module 3: Leading Coaching, and is centred around principles of effective professional development, how to run group rehearsal, identifying and supporting specific coaching needs in those coaches who we are training, how to use the Steplab platform to have whole-school coaching oversight, designing the right coaching structure for your school, and using cycles of iterative problem solving in your school context.

In between in-person days 1 and 2, and then between 3 and 4, there will also be a networking dinner to provide participants with an opportunity to connect and learn from each other in a less formal setting. Attendance at both intensives is necessary to gain the certificate.

Each fortnight, participants will be provided with a collection of learning materials (readings, podcasts, videos) to support ongoing learning and increasing expertise. This content will then be reinforced through assigned activities and group calls.

N.B. Activities will include recording video footage of yourself teaching or coaching, reflecting on coaching conversations, considering how readings apply to your context, and developing resources to be used in your context.

In addition to intensives, there will also be four small-group calls each term. The purpose of these calls is to support participants to stay accountable to their learning, plans, and progress. Participants from cohort 1 have emphasised the value of these group calls for maintaining momentum, reinforcing learning, and building a strong support network.

Intensives, curriculum content, and group calls will also be supplemented by several webinars spread throughout the year.

There will be a range of assessments throughout the Certificate to ensure your competence in each of the areas. These assessments will be centred around practical tasks and your reflections on practical tasks, such as recording and analysing yourself coaching, creating action plans, and training others in your school context. Assessments must be completed in order to gain the certificate.

To be eligible for the Certificate you must:

• 1.
  Be able to coach someone on a weekly or fortnightly basis from mid Term 1 2025 onwards
• 2.
  Be able to design and lead coaching training for at least one other person (the ‘trainee coach'*) from Term 3 2025 onwards
• 3.
  Can commit to spending 2-3 hours per week on the certificate during term time (This will include some independent tasks such as reading, coaching, planning, and an assignment for each module.)
• 4.
  Can commit to fortnightly group calls throughout terms 1-4 (4 group calls per term). You will be able to select an afternoon or evening slot, Monday-Thursday, to fit your schedule
• 5.
  Can commit to attending the four in-person days (dates and location options below)
• 6.
  *It is also necessary for the trainee coach to be able to coach at least one other person from Term 3 2025 onwards

In-person days (Attend either East or West coast, or a combination thereof)

West Coast In-person days

• 1.
  Days 1 and 2: Mon March 17th and Tues Mar 18th, 2025 – Perth
• 2.
  Days 3 and 4: Thurs July 24th and Fri July 25th, 2025 – Perth

East Coast In-person days

• 1.
  Days 1 and 2: Thur March 20th and Fri March 21st, 2025 – Melbourne
• 2.
  Days 3 and 4: Mon July 28th and Tues July 29th, 2025 – Melbourne

Group Calls (all participants required)

• 1.
  Group calls: 4 each term, each a fortnight apart. A variety of times will be made available, including just after school, before dinner, and after dinner. All relevant timezones will be catered for.

Live Webinars (all participants required)

• 1.
  Module 1 Launch: Thurs February 6th, 2025. 7-9pm AEDT
• 2.
  Module 2 Launch: Thurs May 1st, 2025. 7:30-9pm AEDT
• 3.
  Module 3 Launch: (N/A, in-person days instead)
• 4.
  Module 4 Launch: Thurs Oct 16th, 2025. 7:30-9pm AEDT
• 5.
  Closing/celebration webinar: Mon Dec 1st, 2025. 7:30-9pm AEDT

• 1.
  $4,550 + GST for participants from a school already signed up to Steplab.
• 2.
  $4,950 + GST for participants from a school without an existing Steplab account. This price also includes the minimum 4 Steplab user licenses required for the course.

The application process is as follows:

1. 1.
   Complete the application form here
2. 2.
   We will then contact your principal to ensure that you have full support and release for the required training dates
3. 3.
   Following this, we will provide you with the booking link that can be used to register for the course. Your position is secured upon payment.

We hope to see you on the Certificate in Coaching Leadership!

Please direct any questions to [email protected]

Hear what the participants of the 2024 cohort have to say about their experience!

"The Steplab Coaching Certificate has been the most effective, developmental, collaborative, and practical professional learning I have ever participated in. The combination of online learning, face-to-face sessions, and practical assignments provided a range of opportunities to engage. St Bede’s has developed strong foundations of an instructional coaching program, built the capacity of lead coaches, and fostered a positive coaching culture. We have successfully conducted over 235 observations and feedback cycles. This has been the most positive and practical learning experience of my career."

- Breen Fox, St Bede's Primary School

"I am always searching for how I can improve. Over the years, I have cobbled together bits and pieces of things, reinventing the wheel repeatedly. The CCL course has really clarified my thinking and provided me with a usable framework: Responsive coaching!"

- Chris Guy, Elizabeth Vale Primary School

"The Steplab CCL program has given me a profound understanding of how instructional coaching, professional development, and school improvement are interconnected. The course has directly influenced my vision for Hammond Park SC, particularly my goal to embed instructional coaching across the college over the next two years to support staff growth and improve student outcomes."

- Hayatti Miller, Hammond Park Secondary College

"I have found this to be a very transformative experience. There are simply too many lessons that I will be taking away to list. I feel like my day to day teaching, understanding of good leadership and effective professional development have been shaped, clarified and focused so significantly, that I am finishing the year in a completely different place to where I was at the beginning."

- Lisa-Marie Schneehage, Banyan Fields Primary School

“I am incredibly grateful to Steplab for the knowledge and professional learning I have gained this year. My understanding of instructional coaching has grown significantly, and I now realize my role is essential in driving change. The process of gathering and analyzing lesson evidence and testing hypotheses has become much more granular and specific. I am also more effective in modeling and rehearsal, ensuring the best outcomes for my teachers. CCL has been the highlight of my professional learning journey. Ollie and Rory have created a program so thorough that improvement is inevitable. Thank you, Steplab!”

- Kelly Plunkett, Challis Community Primary School

“The CCL has been a game-changer for me. It gave me the knowledge, frameworks, and confidence to build coaching teams and lead whole-school change effectively. I’ve applied what I’ve learnt this year to my current school and will use these skills in more depth next year. The CCL has expanded my capacity to lead change and been pivotal in my professional growth.”

- Natalie Edwards, Springside Primary School

“Engaging in the CCL course throughout 2024 has deepened my appreciation for precision. Being specific about curriculum, skills, and goals transforms ambiguous aspirations into tangible, measurable behaviors. The CCL has fostered a challenging yet nurturing environment where learning happens through doing, reflecting, and sharing. I thought I knew a lot about instructional coaching, but the CCL has stretched my understanding and shown me how much more there is to learn. I especially loved the group calls.”

- Zoei Nixon, Serpentine Primary School

“Module 2 was where I really started to find my feet as a coach. I struggled with imposter syndrome, feeling too young or inexperienced, but pushing through gave me so much confidence. By the last group call in Module 4, hearing my group reflect on the value and knowledge I brought to the table was incredibly reaffirming. The confidence and interpersonal skills I’ve developed will benefit me professionally and personally in so many areas of my life.”

- Olivia Hall, Challis Community Primary School

“Since starting the Steplab CCL, my knowledge of effective instructional coaching has improved considerably. I now embed key mechanisms that efficiently and effectively improve practice into all coaching conversations and PLCs. This course has helped me build teachers’ knowledge incrementally, making coaching feel safe and supportive. It has been one of the most impactful professional development courses I’ve completed.”

- Maxine Galante, Challis Community Primary School

"The Steplab process, backed with evidence-based research, has changed the way I think about teacher improvement. The course not only changed how I see support for Teacher practice but also other supportive professional development such as the frequency of PD required, the sequence and process of effective PD and, most importantly, the need to have shared understanding through cooperation and collaboration."

- Allie Oweis, Nepean Christian School

"This course has been, by far, the most engaging and beneficial professional learning I have completed in over 15 years in education. The way we have applied what we've learned through Steplab—first in our classrooms, then at whole-school professional learning sessions, and finally in contributing to the creation of a playbook—has been truly transformative for us."

- Jacqueline Attard , Springside Primary School