Examining Coach

The criteria required to be an Examining Coach are:

• To be a Croquet England Associate.
• To have very good interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to form rigorous but constructive judgements, and a genuine desire to help and support others.
• To hold a Graded Coach qualification in both AC and GC and to be a Grade 2 Coach or above in at least one code.
• To be recognised by the Croquet Community as a respected, active and outstanding Coach.
• To act as an impartial judge of coaching ability. This carries with it an obligation to display ethical behaviour, and to perform and behave with consistency, accuracy, objectivity and the highest sense of integrity, in order to encourage and develop confidence in the professionalism of croquet coaching.

The role of the Examining Coach is:

• To carry out Assessments of prospective coaches using the approved examining process, and recommending candidates for a particular coach qualification.
• To report the results of any Assessments promptly to the Chair of the Coaching Committee, together with a recommendation for the candidate to be approved or to be encouraged to undertake further development.

In order to ensure that they examine only within the limits of their own expertise, Examining Coaches are empowered to assess candidates up to and including a standard 'one grade lower' than the level of qualification they themselves hold. For example:

• A Grade 2 AC Coach may assess a Grade 1 AC candidate but cannot assess a prospective Grade 1 GC Coach or Grade 2 or Grade 3 AC Coach.
• As Club-Level Coach accreditation covers both AC and GC, Examining Coaches need to hold Graded Coach status in both codes.
• Grade 3 Coaches and Examining Coaches are appointed by the Coaching Committee.

Examining Coaches will normally be expected to be present throughout the course or process. Where exceptional circumstances mean this is not possible, the other parts of the course or process must be led by an experienced and trusted assistant of proven quality, with the Examining Coach being present for a minimum of a full day including face-to-face final assessment of candidates.

To become an Examining Coach, the candidate must meet the criteria set out above and the application must be endorsed by the relevant Federation Coaching Officer. Applications are made to the Coaching Committee Chair. Approval is not automatic; candidates may be appointed, or may be encouraged to further develop their skills, expertise or experience. Once an appointment is confirmed by the Coaching Committee, the nominee's name will be added to Croquet England's list of Examining Coaches.

To help ensure that the Register of Examining Coaches remains up-to-date, new appointments will be for a five-year term. Terms of office for Examining Coaches who have a strong track record of success in the role and who are willing to continue can be renewed with minimum formality.