Endorsements from teachers
Meticulously tracked candidate satisfaction over the last ten years:
94.6%
“Robin has provided coaching and mentoring for the Dame Allan's executive team over the past six months. His programme is built on years of experience of working with people in such positions of responsibility and the quality of his work is excellent, not only in the individual sessions but also the extensive feedback and notes he provides for further reflection. I would heartily recommend his work for the value he creates in engaging and challenging even experienced leaders to reflect effectively on their work, enabling them to continue to grow.”
Will Scott
Principal Dame Allan's Schools
“Robin is a true professional. Efficient, organised, extremely thorough and very experienced. It has been a real pleasure working with him as an external appraiser. From the moment we met, he achieved the perfect mix between support and challenge and was very easy indeed to get on with and talk openly with, as a professional coach. He has offered significant amounts of sage counsel and advice and I would wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend him to senior leaders from any sector of employment.”
Cris Symes
Second Master, Eastbourne College
“Robin is a brilliant executive coach; everyone I know in the education world who has worked with him and benefitted from his coaching has rated him extremely highly.”
Richard Harman
Chief Executive AGBIS
“Robin is an excellent coach. He has the perfect balance of humour but also pushing you out of your comfort zone. I worked with Robin over several months and his help was invaluable. He helped me grow as a leader, public speaker but also as an individual. I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Niamh Green
Head of Roedean School
“I have really enjoyed my sessions with Robin, he is incredibly insightful and has given some great, practical advice that I'm sure I will use both consciously and subconsciously in the future.”
Vicki McDonald
Bursar and Clerk to the Governors at Dame Allan's Schools
“Robin’s monthly coaching sessions are helpful for developing the skillsets of Senior and Middle Leaders and getting the best out of different personalities within one’s team. It is full of practicable advice. I highly recommend his services.”
Ben Bowles
Deputy Head (Academic) at the Manchester Grammar School
"I am delighted to be able to wholeheartedly commend and recommend Robin for his tremendous support and wise counsel since we had our initial 1:1 in person coaching meeting a number of years ago. He remains a trusted and incredibly supportive colleague and also now friend, and I have greatly benefitted from our relationship. His accessibility and reliability have been unwaveringly consistent, and I have also found his relentless optimism and good humour a constant source of strength. I am sure that you will have a similar experience and I would very much urge you to get in touch with him for an exploratory conversation."
Louis d'Arcy
Senior Deputy Headmaster at Kimbolton School
“I know Robin’s work with HoDs and SLTs. Robin has a unique ability to bring people on. If you are a current or aspiring member of SLT or HoD, I strongly recommend that you consider this as part of your ongoing personal and professional development.”
George Budd
Principal at Moreton Hall
“Robin is utterly professional in his approach; he has wide experience in working with Heads of Department, Deputies and Heads in the independent sector and brings that to bear with tailored preparation for each session. He was a great help to me in developing my Head of Faculty leadership and in preparing for SMT level roles: I thoroughly recommend him to you as an excellent and effective coach.”
Luke Bartlett
Deputy Head (Academic), The King's School, Canterbury
“I wholeheartedly recommend Robin as a coach. His inspiring sessions provide skills and techniques, as well as the motivation to put them into practice, that make a real difference. Sessions are supported by detailed notes which he helpfully emails straightaway. Robin's positive approach and ready sense of humour ensure that sessions are enjoyable as well as illuminating.”
Fiona McLauchlan
Deputy Head & Director of Performing Arts at St Edmund's Prep School
“Working with Robin over what ended up being a twelve-month period rather than four sessions in four months, due to the pandemic, really helped me to reflect on every aspect of how I work, within and outside of school at an important time. His willingness to listen openly, discuss ideas, and offer practical advice & suggestions in sessions that never felt two hours long, along with his open and amiable demeanour, ensured any early scepticism on my part was swiftly cast aside. I wholeheartedly recommend working with Robin.”
David Stone
Head of Sixth Form at Stockport Grammar School
“From day one, working with Robin has helped me to navigate my career choices. His
honest approach is perhaps what I have valued the most throughout our sessions; he doesn’t pull any punches, which is exactly what I needed. Although, what really stands out is Robin’s ability to share lessons through storytelling; narratives that clearly illustrate what I need to do to improve. His ability to effectively coach through various methods comes from a clear understanding of the work I do, which is complemented by a program structure that seamlessly blends each session wonderfully into the next, helping me to properly reflect on our discussions and take concrete actions towards my personal and professional development.”
Andrew King
Director of Public Affairs at Canadian Teachers' Federation
“Working with Robin has been a revelation. Over five busy, productive, practical and enjoyable sessions, I rebooted my thinking on working with people and in stressful situations, I reassessed my time management skills, I thought hard about how I communicate my key messages and I considered my life/work balance. I now sleep better, organise my day much more effectively and I have sorted out the main bugbear in my working day. I feel less like a manager/juggler and more like a leader, with a clear path in front of me. Time with Robin is time well spent. I recommend him unreservedly.”
Helen Lawson
Head of Lower School at Stockport Grammar School
“The work done by Robin was excellent and certainly achieved the required goals. Robin's approach was very professional, but at the same time also at a personal level which allowed the key points to covered in depth.”
Paul Wranek
Bursar at Ipswich School
"At the recommendation of a friend, I took a bespoke leadership coaching course with Robin. I had just taken a new management position and needed some immediate training and guidance for improving my leadership skills. Over the last 2.5 years since our sessions concluded, Robin has continued to be a resource of spot-on advice and guidance as part of his complementary post-session support. Periodically, I have sought his assistance with thinking through and managing specific situations with colleagues as well larger project management. Additionally, he has given feedback on drafts of my resumé, a cover letter, and networking emails during my recent job search. Throughout the leadership course and subsequent support, I have found Robin to be savvy and wise, whose advice I can trust. My investment in the leadership training has been well worth it."
Karen Bryner
Education Specialist at UNICEF
“Having been a Headmaster for 20 years it was high time to examine and reflect upon my role in some detail. I wanted an experienced professional who could guide and support me on this introspective journey. Robin proved to be the ideal partner. He quickly established a rapport which allowed us to have a continuous dialogue which was challenging, insightful and, ultimately, very rewarding. I feel sure his background, experience and expertise make him a suitable partner for any form of leadership coaching or group facilitator function.”
Michael Connolly
Headmaster at Cranmore School
“If you are at the stage where things are going well in your career, but it is difficult to get specific feedback on what might work better, consider engaging Robin to help. I found his sessions interesting and insightful, giving me some new strategies to both respond to others and how to approach specific situations. Beneficial and very much focussed on me and my organisation.”
Donna Harris
Senior Deputy Head at Stockport Grammar School
“The Leadership coaching from Robin is excellent. It was totally focused on my needs both from a personal perspective and developing my management skills. It provided me with a range of skills to use in all aspects of life and has given me the skills I needed to improve my leadership. Not only have I seen the improvements in my performance as a leader, but my employers have also seen the improvement within weeks of starting the coaching. I now have the skills so my future development as a leader is in my hands. Thank you Robin for your guidance and support.”
Andrew Dighton
Facilities Manager, Wisbech Grammar School
“Over the past six months, Robin has been my professional mentor. His critical eye has helped me define career goals, together with the road map to achieve them. He worked with me as I explored current professional strengths and development targets and his mentoring has had palpable impact on how I discharge current responsibilities. He has been with me every step of the way as I prepared for a challenging interview and is at my disposal via telephone and email for the next years. If you are looking for leadership performance coaching, you should consider OvationXL.”
John Field
Head of English at Norwich School
“Robin is an excellent coach and his training sessions were informative, creative and highly motivational, as well as being really enjoyable. At any stage of one's career, taking the opportunity to work with someone like Robin would be invaluable.”
Patrick Mulvihill
Development Director at Uppingham School
“Robin is a successful management consultant - fully motivated and interested in his work. He is well disciplined and able to handle what is often a considerable workload. Being able to professionally prioritise tasks is essential, given the long hours that so many of us have to work. He is among the best of management consultants. He can climb even the steepest learning curve quickly. Robin comes into a new organisation, gathers information, assesses the challenges and facilitates the identification of choice of practical solutions. He possesses terrific analytical and problem-solving skills. Robin is able to develop a trusting relationship with senior staff quickly and easily. He is a good listener and has excellent spoken and written communication skills. Robin is a hardworking, top-performing client-oriented professional. He has my highest recommendation, and I am happy to furnish more details if you would like additional information. I am someone who has benefited from adopting his knowledge practically. Seeing is believing.”
Habtemichael Seifu
Senior Accounts Officer at ETUCE
“Robin's services have been incredibly helpful in seeing past historical and current setbacks, to move forwards in a productive way. He has given me many recommendations to get the best from my and other team members skills to progress our work. I believe that we will be able to achieve better results due to working with Robin. Thank you.”
Nikki Brown
Development Director at Ipswich School
“I warmly recommend working with Robin. He can quickly recognise your professional strengths and help you use and develop them.”
Claude Carroue
Communications Officer at Education International
“Robin is an inspirational, extremely effective professional coach with a realistic approach and excellent communication skills. His sessions are well structured targeting strategic areas for development. Robin is incredibly efficient, and his feedback is impressive and almost immediate. I highly recommend his services and plan to continue working with him in the future.”
Seema Singh
Head of Design & Technology Department/Co-ordinator of LEITHS,
Young Enterprise Link Teacher at Downe House School
“Robin provides you with great ideas to develop your skills in your professional role. He makes you think about how you can improve yourself and how to get the best out of others.”
Jane Basnett
Director of Digital Learning at Downe House School
“Robin has proved that coaching matters even in the situations where one could be sceptical and reserved from the outset.”
Guntars Catlaks
National Centre for Education, Latvia, Head