Thomas Tallis School

Learning Walk Protocol

Learning Walks are not observations of teaching and do not form part of the appraisal process or capability procedures. Their purpose or focus will not relate to the performance of an individual but will be centred on students and learning. As such they are a developmental and constructive whole-school improvement activity which promote reflective practice and help to spread best practice – something that is central to the improvement of teaching and learning over time.

  1. Learning Walks are an informal ‘health check’ on students and, as such, teachers must not be required or feel the need to make any changes to their normal lesson practice. Learning Walks are an informal, supportive and brief visit to a lesson by a senior or middle leader in the school in order to support colleagues and students and to celebrate achievement.
  2. They should be agreed with teachers so that they know the date, time and focus of the Learning Walk and who will be conducting it.
  3. Learning Walks will be conducted with minimum disruption to teachers and pupils.
  4. Learning Walks will be undertaken in a supportive and professional manner.
  5. A maximum of two colleagues will be involved in a Learning Walk at any one time.
  6. Those teachers whose classes are visited will be provided with any written records which have been made during the Learning Walk.
  7. There shall be no evaluation of an individual teacher during a ‘Learning Walk’.
  8. Teams of staff can agree to carry out their own learning walks within their own area to investigate a particular area of their collective practice – for example the quality of feedback to students, behaviour for learning strategies or the performance of particular groups of students such as boys or FSM students. These areas may be directly linked to the departmental SEF and action plan and therefore, they are a flexible tool for use by staff to ‘take the temperature’ of learning and teaching. They are not graded against the Ofsted Schedule, and any information collected during their conduct will be generalised around the focus that each set of walks takes.
  9. If any member of staff is concerned that a ‘Learning Walk’ has not followed the correct protocol then they should notify their Principal Line-Leader or a member of the SLT at the earliest possible opportunity.