Coaching in primary and secondary education in the UK: a rapid review of impact, barriers, facilitators and implementation

Purpose – It is important to understand the way in which coaching is being evidenced and utilised in UK education systems. Coaching models and practitioners have been integrated into the UK education system alongside major policy reforms, making their alignment with these initiatives essential for widespread acceptance and shared understanding within the education community. Design/methodology/approach – This rapid systematic review examines 22 empirical studies to gain deeper insights into the “who”, “what”, “why”, “where”, “when” and “how” of coaching in UK primary and secondary education. This review and report were guided by the Cochrane guidelines and the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. The databases PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed records written in English, by October 2022, involving coaching of primary or secondary school educators in the UK. Following study selection, study characteristics and outcomes were tabulated. Quality of evidence was appraised guided by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality appraisal checklist and narrative analysis was completed. Findings – Recommendations for optimising coaching psychology to better support UK educationalists are discussed, through the lenses of coaching purpose and quality assurance, within the broader context of teacher learning and support. Originality/value – This rapid review of evidence is the first to examine research evidence relating to coaching in primary and secondary education settings specifically in the UK.