Balancing the Load: The Promise of Reflective Supervision and Executive Coaching in School Leadership
The 2024 Australian Catholic University (ACU) Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey underscores the demanding realities faced by school leaders across Australia. Increasing workload, complexity and the emotional labour involved shine a spotlight on the ongoing challenge of sustaining leaders’ wellbeing within these high-pressure roles (ACU, 2024).
Reflective supervision is becoming recognised as a promising support approach for school leaders. It provides a safe, confidential space where leaders can consider the emotional and psychological challenges inherent in their roles, enhance self-awareness and develop strategies to support both their professional growth and personal wellbeing (Barron et al., 2023; University of Sydney, 2024). Emerging research suggests these reflective practices offer benefits beyond those provided by traditional mentoring or supervision, with participants reporting increased resilience, confidence and improved capacity to manage ongoing stressors (Daniëls, 2023; Miller, 2023).
Executive coaching, while traditionally focused on leadership development and achieving goals, also plays an increasingly significant role in supporting school leaders' wellbeing. Within educational contexts, coaching conversations often revolve around personal stress management, work-life balance and the emotional demands of leadership (Grant, 2017; Passmore & Fillery-Travis, 2011). Both coaching and reflective supervision offer confidential support that can ease feelings of isolation and help leaders process their experiences with greater clarity (Cerni, Curtis, & Colmar, 2010).
During my time as Associate Principal and Acting Principal at Halls Creek—a remote and complex community school—I experienced firsthand just how scarce formal mental health supports were for school leaders. While the role was among the most challenging (and rewarding) of my career, I can now see that my own wellbeing was too often placed last in the pursuit of leading the school. This lack of available assistance highlighted the sense of isolation common in school leadership, particularly in remote settings where resources are limited and leader wellbeing can easily be overlooked. Importantly, in my later years at Halls Creek, engaging in executive coaching became a turning point. It offered structured, confidential support that enabled me to better balance operational demands with personal wellbeing. These coaching sessions were essential spaces to reflect, process challenges, and develop sustainable strategies for leadership.
Subsequently, as an executive coach working with over 50 school leaders, I observed that a substantial portion of coaching sessions with my clients focused on navigating the balance between operational tasks, strategic leadership and personal wellbeing. Through this experience I learned how leaders consistently valued the opportunity for candid, supportive dialogue, highlighting the critical role of structured, confidential coaching and reflective practice in fostering professional sustainability.
Given these insights, isn’t it time to reconsider how the education sector prioritises its school leaders’ wellbeing?
- Rather than deeming reflective supervision and executive coaching as optional extras, should they become foundational components of leadership support? Imagine the difference if regular, confidential reflective supervision sessions were formally embedded within school leader contracts—ensuring all leaders, irrespective of context, had access to structured dialogue focused on sustaining their professional and personal wellbeing.
- How might leadership development frameworks transform if reflective practice, executive coaching and wellbeing were regarded as integrated pillars rather than fragmented initiatives?
- Could funded peer supervision or coaching networks further reduce isolation and build stronger community among leaders, particularly in remote or high-pressure contexts?
- Should policy and funding mechanisms explicitly recognise and resource the emotional labour inherent in leadership, elevating wellbeing from an individual concern to a strategic priority?
- Finally, might deeper research partnerships identify best-practice methods to embed and scale these approaches, crafting evidence-informed supports that meet the evolving demands of school leadership?
These questions represent provocations, not prescriptions. As leadership complexity intensifies, the essential challenge remains, how can we move wellbeing from the margins to the mainstream of school leadership support?
Now is the time to earnestly engage in this vital conversation. Now is the time to take action.
References
ACU. (2024). Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey. Australian Catholic University.
Barron, C., et al. (2023). Reflective supervision and consultation and its impact within early childhood education. Early Childhood Research, 109, Article 102983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.102983
Cerni, T., Curtis, G. J., & Colmar, S. H. (2010). Executive coaching in Australian schools: Teachers' perception and implications for practice. International Coaching Psychology Review, 5(2), 145–162.
Daniëls, E. (2023). Learning to lead: Can group reflection help train school leaders? Research Outreach. https://researchoutreach.org/articles/learning-lead-group-reflection-help-train-school-leaders/
Grant, A. M. (2017). The third ‘generation’ of workplace coaching: Creating a culture of quality conversations. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 10(1), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2016.1262044
Miller, L. S. (2023). Supervisory practices supporting reflective practice in schools. Journal of Educational Supervision, 38(1), 54–68.
Passmore, J., & Fillery-Travis, A. (2011). A critical review of executive coaching research: A decade of progress and what’s to come. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 4(2), 70–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2011.596484
University of Sydney. (2024). Reflective supervision in education. Retrieved July 30, 2025, from https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/study/continuing-professional-development/professional-learning-in-education/reflective-supervision.html
Phil Collins
ACEL WA Branch Executive Member