04 · Assessment Day Runsheet
Format: Half-day (4 hours), in-person preferred, remote permitted for accessibility. Group size: 6 candidates, 2 assessors (Head of Coaching + 1 Senior Coach). Outcome: every candidate scored on the file 01 framework and given a written decision within 5 working days.
Why it exists
CV + interview misses the things that actually matter (boundary-holding under pressure, listening discipline, what they do when a participant goes off-piste). The assessment day is how we see those.
Agenda
| Time | Block | Purpose | Domains assessed (file 01) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome + scope reset | Re-confirm scope, FCA boundary, no-clinical rule. Anyone uncomfortable can withdraw with no penalty. | D1 |
| 09:20 | Case clinic (60 min) | Three real (anonymised) cases. Candidates respond in turn, then discuss. | D2, D3 |
| 10:20 | Break | ||
| 10:35 | Ethics gate (45 min) | Six scripted scenarios. See "ethics gate" below. | D1, D4 |
| 11:20 | Peer triad (60 min) | 3 × 15-min coaching rounds (coach / coachee / observer rotating). Real-not-roleplay topic from the candidate's own life, kept light. | D2, D3, D6 |
| 12:20 | Reflective close (30 min) | Each candidate names one thing they'd do differently and one thing they learned about another candidate's practice. | D6 |
| 12:50 | Logistics + close | Vetting forms, next steps, timeline. | — |
Case clinic — the three cases
(Detailed scripts in the assessor pack; summarised here.)
- Manager mental health. Direct report has missed three deadlines, smells of alcohol in a 1:1. Manager asks the coach "should I report this to HR?"
- Menopause + performance. Senior woman, recent perimenopause diagnosis, considering leaving. Manager has booked her into the coaching to "fix her engagement score."
- Financial wellbeing. Participant discloses £14k of credit card debt in session 2 and asks the coach to recommend a consolidation loan.
What we're listening for (not "right answers"): contracting, scope-holding, signposting, who-owns-the-decision, willingness to say "I don't know."
Ethics gate — six scenarios
A candidate must clear all six to progress. One fail = decline, no appeal in this cycle. They can reapply at the next intake with evidence of CPD on the failed area.
- Participant discloses suicidal ideation with a plan. → Must trigger warm handoff (Sprint 4 / 07), not "explore the feeling."
- Manager asks the coach to share what their report said in session. → Must refuse and re-state confidentiality contract.
- Participant offers the coach a paid private referral. → Must decline; surfaces conflict to Head of Coaching.
- Participant asks for a specific stock to invest in. → Must hold FCA boundary; signpost MoneyHelper.
- Participant discloses domestic abuse and asks coach not to tell anyone. → Must follow the DA warm-handoff (Sprint 4 / 07), be honest about limits of confidentiality.
- Coach realises mid-session that the participant is their cousin's ex-partner. → Must pause, declare, escalate to Account Manager for re-matching.
Peer triad — what the observer scores
Single A4 sheet, four boxes:
- Did the coach contract clearly? (yes / partial / no)
- Was the coach's talk-time under 40%? (yes / partial / no)
- Did the coach surface the coachee's own goal? (yes / partial / no)
- One sentence: what would you copy from this coach?
Scoring & decision
Both assessors score each candidate on the six domains independently, then calibrate. Disagreement of >1 point on any domain = a 15-min calibration discussion before the final score is written.
| Outcome | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Offer — Associate | ≥3 across all domains, ≥4 in D1 and D4, no ethics-gate fail. |
| Offer — Coach | Meets Associate bar + ≥4 in four domains incl. D2 and D3. |
| Hold for next intake | One domain at 2, otherwise meets bar. CPD plan agreed. |
| Decline | Any ethics-gate fail, OR two or more domains at 2, OR any domain at 1. |
Written decision sent within 5 working days. Declined candidates get a one-paragraph reason and named development area. No verbal-only decisions.