The Avicenna Foundation is a national charity committed to supporting high-potential undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. Its mission is to develop future leaders by providing structured support, mentorship and development opportunities throughout students’ university journeys.
The Foundation required a delivery partner with:
- Deep experience in education and leadership development
- The ability to work with diverse cohorts across multiple universities
- A values-aligned approach to social mobility and widening participation
- Capacity to deliver long-term, high-quality coaching at scale
Coaching in Education was appointed as the flagship leadership development and coaching delivery partner for the Avicenna Foundation.
CiE is responsible for:
- Designing the leadership development framework
- Delivering structured leadership programmes across cohorts
- Providing long-term 1:1 coaching for high performing undergraduate students
- Supporting scholars’ personal, academic and professional development
- Working closely with the Foundation’s leadership and trustees
CiE’s role extends beyond delivery to include programme design, quality assurance and strategic input.
CiE developed a bespoke, multi-year leadership development and coaching model tailored to the needs of Avicenna scholars.
Key elements include:
- Structured leadership development sessions aligned to a clear curriculum
- Regular 1:1 coaching focused on self-awareness, confidence and progression
- Reflective practice through journaling and goal-setting
- Support for academic transitions, employability and career readiness
- Strong safeguarding, boundaries and quality assurance processes
The approach balances structure with flexibility, allowing scholars to receive personalised support while maintaining consistency across cohorts.
Through this partnership, CiE has supported multiple cohorts of undergraduate scholars across a range of universities.
Outcomes include:
- Increased confidence, leadership capability and self-belief
- Improved clarity around academic and career pathways
- Sustained engagement with development over multiple years
- Positive feedback from scholars, coaches and Foundation leadership
- A scalable and sustainable model for long-term leadership development
The partnership demonstrates how coaching can be embedded effectively within widening participation and leadership programmes.
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Why This Partnership Works
This partnership has been successful because of:
- Strong alignment of values and mission
- CiE’s education-led coaching expertise
- A long-term, relational approach rather than short-term intervention
- Clear governance, safeguarding and accountability
- Ongoing collaboration and refinement
