You notice when something isn't right with a student. But noticing is only the beginning and nobody taught you the rest.
An 8-week coaching program that gives Education Support staff and graduate teachers a clear, practical way to think and act in the moments that matter most so you can support students with confidence, hold your role without guilt, and go home without carrying the weight of every unresolved situation with you.
You went into this work because you care about young people.
And you do care. Anyone watching you in a classroom can see it.
You notice things. You pick up on the student who has gone quiet, the one who is struggling to focus, the one who seems off today in a way you cannot quite name.
But then what?
What do you do with what you have noticed? When do you step in and when do you step back? What do you say to the teacher, and how do you say it? When does this need to go to the wellbeing team? When does it need to be documented? And how do you support a student who is clearly struggling without taking on so much of their situation that it starts affecting you?
If you find yourself regularly asking some version of these questions, you are not alone. And you are not underprepared in the way some training programmes might suggest. You are simply doing a complex job that nobody gave you a proper map for.
These are not signs that you are bad at your job. They are signs that you are doing a hard job without enough support.The uncertainty is the problem: not you. And uncertainty is something that can be fixed.
The questions most ES staff and graduate teachers carry into work every day sound something like this.
"Am I helping too much, or not enough?"
"Should I have stepped in sooner?"
"Was I right to escalate that, or did I overreact?"
"Why does the teacher seem frustrated with me?"
"I don't know how to write this up."
"I don't want to get in trouble, but I also don't want to miss something."
"I went home thinking about that student all night."
Fiona Mackenzie has spent 35 years doing this work in real classrooms, with real students.
Classroom teaching. Wellbeing leadership. Student transition. Learning support. Indigenous education. New arrivals. Staff mentoring.
She has not built this program from theory. She has built it from 35 years of understanding what it actually looks like to support diverse learners in busy, imperfect, under-resourced classrooms, and from working alongside the Education Support staff and teachers who do that work every day.
Fiona is an Education Coach, Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and Meditation Coach, and holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment.
Her approach is practical, relational and grounded in child-safe student support. She is not interested in giving you more to worry about. She is interested in giving you a clearer way to think.
The Three R’s:
Real Students. Real Situations. Real Strategies.
1. See the Student
You already notice things. This pillar sharpens that skill.
You will learn to look beyond surface behaviour and understand what may be sitting underneath: learning needs, emotional regulation, language barriers, cultural context, anxiety, transition stress, or a student who is simply overwhelmed and does not have the words for it.
This matters especially when supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, new arrivals, students with English as an additional language, neurodiverse students, and students who are experiencing transition or disconnection.
2. Support the Staff, Starting With You
You cannot support students well if you are running on empty.
This pillar helps you understand your role clearly, hold professional boundaries without guilt, communicate with teachers and leaders in a way that gets heard, and protect your own wellbeing: not as an afterthought, but as a professional responsibility.
Being well-supported is not a luxury. It is what makes sustainable, high-quality practice possible. And it is what keeps good people in the profession.
3. Respond with Purpose
Responding with purpose means you are not guessing, rescuing, reacting, or working in isolation.
You are choosing responses that are calm, consistent and aligned with what the student needs and what your role allows. You know when to support directly, when to involve a teacher or wellbeing coordinator, when to document, and when to escalate. And you have the language to do all of it clearly and professionally.
What this actually looks like on the other side
When Education Support staff and graduate teachers are properly coached, the shift is not subtle.
In the classroom:
You stop second-guessing yourself in complex moments. You have a way to read a situation and a language to describe what you are seeing. You feel calm rather than reactive.
With teachers and leaders:
You know how to communicate what you are observing and what you believe the student needs clearly, professionally and without overstepping. You are seen differently because you are working differently.
For the students you support:
They receive more consistent, purposeful support. You are no longer doing your best and hoping. You are doing what you know works.
For yourself:
You leave work knowing you handled the day with clarity. You stop replaying uncertain moments at 10pm. You hold your professional boundaries without guilt. You feel like someone who is genuinely good at a genuinely hard job: because you are.
Grounded in child-safe everyday practice
Child safe practice is not a compliance checklist. It is the foundation beneath everything you do with students every day.
Victorian Child Safe Standard 8 highlights the importance of staff having the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through ongoing education and training.
This program builds your practical confidence in the everyday moments where student support, wellbeing, learning and safety intersect: the moments that do not come with a clear instruction manual.
Staff who complete the program are supported to think clearly about what they are noticing, what the student may need, what their role is, when and how to communicate with the teacher or wellbeing team, and when and how to refer, escalate, document or report.
This program strengthens your practical everyday capability. It does not replace your school's child safety policies, mandatory reporting training or legal obligations.
You do not have to take our word for it. Here is what people doing the same work as you have said about working with Fiona.
“As an LSO in a secondary school, I have worked alongside Fi Mcackenzie for nearly two years. The skills and strategies that I have learnt and have been coached in have a direct impact on student learning and outcomes. Fi has extensive knowledge around wellbeing, not only for the student but also the staff to ensure that wellbeing is prioritised. The way in which Fi presents the information is practical and adaptable for different students and classroom environments. I am able to use the strategies immediately as they are clear and concise. I have learnt a wealth of knowledge over the course of the past two years and look forward to more insights from Fi.
I would highly recommend Fi Mackenzie.” - Anita Lidgett
"Working with Fiona has completely transformed my teaching. I can now see the subtly signs of students who are overwhelmed or in need of learning support before they start shutting down. Since incorperating some of her strategies into my lesson plans, my students have grown both socially and academically. Teaching these classes has reminded me that education can be incrediblly creative and fun!" - Anna P
“Fiona has a wonderful ability to combine warmth and support with highly effective and practical advice. She made me feel capable. Her guidance had a lasting impact on both my teaching practice and confidence as an educator. Fiona quickly became someone I admired professionally. As a beginning teacher I aspired to develop the strong content, knowledge, leadership skills, classroom management and positive classroom relationships that Fiona demonstrated so naturally everyday.
Years later, after teaching across a range of schools and classrooms, I found myself facing an exceptionally challenging cohort of students. Despite having significantly more experience by that stage, I was struggling. Fiona supported me providing practical, realistic strategies that I could implement immediately within my classroom. Even more importantly she empowered me with the confidence to make meaningful changes and trust my professional judgement.
I continue to share Fiona's strategies and insights with my university education students. I encourage future teachers to seek out mentors and professional support throughout their career, just as I did. The support Fiona provided me, especially during a difficult period was invaluable and it continues to influence my practice and the advice I now give to others entering the profession.” - Sara Wise - Educator/Business owner.
8-Week Coaching Program
This is a professional investment. Here is how to think about it.
There is a version of the next year where you keep navigating the uncertain moments alone, carrying the questions home, hoping that instinct and care are enough.
There is another version where you have a clear framework, a practical language for your role, professional boundaries you can hold without guilt, and the kind of calm confidence that comes from knowing exactly what to do when it matters.
The gap between those two versions is what this program is designed to close.
Single Module
Pick the one module that speaks to what you're navigating right now and work through it in your own time.
Individual modules 90 mins + 1 community coaching call. (
Bonus - access to coaching for the term).
$127.00
Bundle of 3 Modules
Three connected modules that build on each other — enough to genuinely shift how you work, without a long commitment.
Bundle - 3 modules made up of -
i) De-escalation/Self Regulation and (What to do in the moment)
ii) Supporting our most vulnerable Students (Notice to Next Step) +
iii) choice of 1 other module (Self Care or Effective Learning tools).
The Signature Experience
8 modules of online learning, structured to be completed alongside your regular school role
Practical tools and reflection prompts you can use in your work immediately
1 live group coaching session with Fiona
1 live Q&A session
12-month access to extended coaching support and ongoing Q&A
Your school may fund this for you.
Many schools allocate professional development budgets specifically for Education Support staff and graduate teachers. If your school does, this program is a straightforward fit: it is directly aligned with child-safe practice requirements, staff capability development, and the kind of practical, immediately applicable learning that PD budgets are designed to support.
If you are not sure whether your school has PD funding available, it is worth asking your principal, wellbeing coordinator or business manager. We are happy to provide a program overview and a formal quote for your school to consider.
Not ready to commit? Start with a free conversation.
Fiona offers a free 20-minute Discovery Call for individuals who want to understand whether this program is the right fit for where they are right now.
This is not a sales call. It is a genuine conversation about your role, your school context, and the specific situations you are navigating. If the program is right for you, you will leave with a clear picture of what the 8 weeks would look like. If it is not the right fit, Fiona will tell you honestly and, where she can, point you toward something that is.
The call is free. There is no obligation to proceed.
You went into this work because you care.
That has never been the problem.
The problem is that caring without a clear framework is exhausting. It is unsustainable. And it is not fair on you, or on the students who deserve someone calm, confident and purposeful in their corner.
This program does not change who you are. It gives you what you were never given: a clear, practical way to do what you are already trying to do.
See the student. Support the staff: starting with you. Respond with purpose.
Disclaimer
The information, professional learning, coaching, and resources provided through this website are general in nature and are designed to support the professional practice of Education Support staff, Learning Support Officers, and school staff.
They are not intended as legal advice, medical advice, psychological advice, or therapeutic intervention, and should not replace school policies, mandatory reporting obligations, child safe procedures, professional judgement, or guidance from school leadership and relevant professionals.
All strategies, tools, and learning shared are intended to support safe, practical, and purposeful responses in educational settings. As every student, staff member, and school context is different, the information provided should be applied with professional discretion and adapted to the individual needs of the situation.
Participation in coaching or professional learning does not guarantee specific student, staff, or school outcomes. The purpose of this work is to build confidence, clarity, and practical capability, and to contribute to staff wellbeing, student wellbeing, and stronger access to learning.
Where concerns relate to risk, safety, mandatory reporting, mental health, or wellbeing needs, participants should follow their school’s procedures and seek guidance from the appropriate leader or qualified professional.
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