Now pupils to get 'life coaches'

One more teenage "must have" is about to be imported from the world of business and showbiz celebrity - the life coach.

No self-respecting Californian businessman would be without one. Now 20 boys at a north London comprehensive are about to encounter one of the biggest names in the business.

Fiona Harrold - described as "the UK's leading life coach" - charges £250 an hour to help the rich and famous "take control of their lives". After Easter she will start work, for free, on 14 and 15-year-old pupils at William Ellis School in Highgate, aiming to improve their motivation.

Ms Harrold linked up with William Ellis because her own son is a pupil there. Over a 12-week course, "coaches" will establish the children's values and goals. Then each will sign a "contract" committing themselves to their achievement.

Couldn't parents or teachers do that just as well? "The value of the coach is that they are someone quite removed from children's lives," Ms Harrold said. "Teachers are authority figures and parents are parents. From a teenager's perspective, both have their own agendas."

Ms Harrold is bearing the cost of the William Ellis pilot scheme. If it succeeds she will seek sponsorship to extend it to other schools. The Prince's Trust, the charitable foundation backed by the Prince of Wales, was already interested, she said.

At William Ellis School, deputy head Jeremy Pratt said the project was "very exciting".