How Often Should You Do Learning Walks?

A Good Baseline

In most schools, a common rhythm is:

• Once per half term for SLT-led walks
• Once per term for subject-specific or themed walks
• Ad hoc for follow-up checks, trust QA, or coaching cycles

That's enough to build a useful picture over time without overwhelming staff.

But frequency depends on:

• School size and staffing structure
• Leadership capacity
• School improvement priorities
• Existing culture (especially staff trust)

More Isn't Always Better

If learning walks become constant or feel like "monitoring," staff will start to close their doors — either literally or metaphorically.

Leaders must ask:

• Are we giving staff space to teach and reflect?
• Do we have time to analyse what we've seen?
• Are we acting on what we learn?

You can't walk your way to school improvement — unless you actually do something with what you've seen.

What Matters More Than Frequency?

• 🧠 Clarity. What's the focus of this walk?
• 📊 Consistency. Are different leaders seeing the same things?
• 🔁 Triangulation. Are we joining up our insights with books, data, and pupil voice?
• 📣 Communication. Have we told staff what we're doing and why?

A one-off walk done well — with a clear focus, honest findings, and meaningful follow-up — can have more impact than a dozen drive-bys with no feedback loop.

Sample Cadence You Can Adapt

Final Thought

If you've got purpose, buy-in, and follow-through — it'll work.
If you don't, even once a year will feel like too much.