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England

Whistleblowing procedure

Official wording, responsibilities and review duties.

Evidence link

Back to School Policy Checker

Requirement and scope

Choose the governance type; academy and maintained duties differ. Choose a phase; confirm age and provision conditions.

Maintained school

Expected [1]

not stated in the source. Website publication: not stated in the source. Check access and disclosure duties separately.

Source-established phases
Primary, Secondary, All-through, Special
Source-established school types
Mainstream school, Special school
EYFS condition
No separate EYFS condition stated
Accountable
Governing body [1]
Approval
Governing body agrees and establishes the procedure [1]
Operational owner
not stated in the source
Review cycle
set by the school

Independent schools and pupil referral units are outside this catalogue’s supported governance mapping.

Academy or free school

Procedure [2]

Must publish. Website publication within the stated scope. [2]

Source-established phases
Nursery, Primary, Secondary, All-through, Special, 16–19
Source-established school types
Mainstream school, Special school, 16–19 academy
EYFS condition
No separate EYFS condition stated
Accountable
Board of trustees [2]
Approval
Board of trustees agrees the procedure [2]
Operational owner
not stated in the source
Review cycle
set by the school

Independent schools and pupil referral units are outside this catalogue’s supported governance mapping.

Maintained guidance says every school should have a procedure; the academy handbook requires agreement and website publication.

Academy scope: the trust, including nursery and 16–19 provision.

Official wording

7.21 Whistleblowing

The governing body is responsible for agreeing and establishing their school’s whistleblowing procedure. Every maintained school should have a whistleblowing procedure. Maintained schools should: appoint at least one member of staff and at least one governor, who other members of staff can contact if they wish to report concerns ensure that all staff know about the school’s whistleblowing arrangements and who to contact in the local authority where a staff member feels they need to report to someone outside the school

Maintained schools: governance guide · Reviewed 2026-10-26

2.48 Whistleblowing

2.48. The board of trustees must agree a procedure for whistleblowing, and publish it on the trust’s website, to protect staff who report individuals they believe are doing something wrong or illegal.

Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026 · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Effective from 2026-10-01

Introduction: framework for academy trusts in England

In this document the Department for Education (DfE) provides an overarching framework for financial governance, management and other controls, for academy trusts in England. Compliance with the requirements set out in this document is a condition of the funding agreement between each trust and the Secretary of State for Education. Trustees, accounting officers, principals, senior leaders and others with responsibility for governing, managing or auditing an academy trust must understand this handbook and adhere to its contents.

Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026 · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Effective from 2026-10-01

Sources and updates

Official evidence reviewed 2026-10-26. Check the source edition and conditions before acting.

  1. Maintained schools: governance guide

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2026-07-15T15:01:39+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    e52a8a3de45c63b134d0ebf973be1ac134e940f50648449b0251fde69c0d7046
    Official content identity
    5e3468ca-6e6f-4b22-926e-9f851ba2d630
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    1d3f2f6c58228e0a50a9591032bcf659d1f5c1c9da375fc1053abb88fdb64829

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maintained-schools-governance-guide/maintained-schools-governance-guide

    Track updates in the Roundup

  2. Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2026-10-01T17:10:06+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    ad2559992226a334a2828591e101fcfe1db3d1dd48688d2d0f8a0214048db073
    Official content identity
    b46f9647-508d-4957-a5ab-3278eb3097c8
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    763afdb8c6be71b41e0fca881a61a15f59665de5c9f2f1b86a16e006d806474e

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2026-effective-from-1-october-2026

    Track updates in the Roundup

  3. Whistleblowing procedure for maintained schools

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2014-08-28T11:50:00+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    40891aeaaa4fae1559837d32eaf418a0cb9d45cad916e8a07ca9be99772dbd51
    Official content identity
    5feb4a0e-7631-11e4-a3cb-005056011aef
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    5f16211ea74ded33467c76d043292ad1f535f2b653077bd844c21752671fe738

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/whistleblowing-procedure-for-maintained-schools

    Track updates in the Roundup

  4. Academy trust handbook

    Reviewed edition matches. Publication version matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2026-10-01T17:10:06+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    244c9c292d6c5576b940a8984cae4bae6de04154ec5a7e3cb2d3a8a0dc4358f9
    Official content identity
    d161e23e-4003-47d9-b91e-5b3cf94009d7
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    cf241133bde58424b3efc7200c72233d60e381b125dd7809901ae8ef5128e907

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook

    Track updates in the Roundup

Guidance, not legal advice. Local checks are not a compliance judgement; other duties may apply.