Who Should Do Learning Walks?

Who Typically Leads a Learning Walk?

In most schools, learning walks are led by:

• Senior Leaders – Headteachers, Deputies, and Assistant Heads
• Middle Leaders – Phase leaders, Heads of Department or Subject Leads
• Trust Quality Assurance Teams – Especially in Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), where external visibility and consistency are key
• Peer Leaders or Coaches – In coaching-based models or collaborative school improvement setups

You might also involve:

• Safeguarding or SEND leads (depending on focus)
• Governors or Trustees, where appropriate and pre-briefed
• External reviewers, such as school improvement partners or advisors

It's Not Just About the Title

Having the right people do the walk isn't just about seniority — it's about professional trust and clarity of purpose.

Ask:

• Do staff see this person as fair and knowledgeable?
• Are they walking in with curiosity, not judgment?
• Have they been briefed properly on the focus and what to look for?

One bad experience — someone scribbling notes while frowning in the corner — can create a year's worth of nervousness.

What About Cross-Role Walks?

Cross-role walks can be really powerful. For example:

• A literacy lead walking through maths lessons to see how vocabulary is taught
• A curriculum leader exploring pupil engagement in PE or music
• A trust-wide subject network conducting learning walks in linked schools

This cross-pollination sparks rich professional dialogue, exposes blind spots, and shows that learning is everyone's business — not just one person's remit.

A Note on Training

Learning to lead a learning walk is a skill.

Everyone involved should be trained on:

• How to observe without judging
• What kind of notes to take
• How to stay focused on the theme
• What not to do (e.g. give feedback to the teacher on the spot)

This helps ensure the process is consistent, respectful, and useful — for everyone involved.

Summary

Staff will get behind learning walks when they:

• Know who's coming
• Understand the purpose
• Believe it's about improving the system — not monitoring individuals

Choose people who walk with professionalism, curiosity, and clarity — and you'll get real insights, not just polite compliance.