Whistleblowing policy: what to publish on your school website
If your school is an academy, your website needs the trust's whistleblowing procedure or a link to it, saying how staff who report wrongdoing are protected.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When it's due
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish the whistleblowing procedure on the policies page on your website, or link to the trust's, explaining how staff who report wrongdoing are protected.
In this requirement
Section 1 of 2
School whistleblowing procedure
The school or trust must publish its whistleblowing procedure, which explains how to raise concerns about wrongdoing and how staff who report wrongdoing are protected; whistleblowing should also be covered in the staff code of conduct.
- Academies: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
1 part- Says how staff are protected when they report wrongdoingMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook
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.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 2.40, Whistleblowing
Section 2 of 2
Trust whistleblowing policy
The trust must publish its whistleblowing policy so staff know how to raise concerns about wrongdoing and how staff who report wrongdoing are protected; whistleblowing should also be covered in the staff code of conduct.
- Academies: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
2 parts- Explains how staff who report wrongdoing or illegal acts are protectedMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Covers low-level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing in the code of conductShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
Academy Trust Handbook
2.40. 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.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ 2.40
Keeping children safe in education
a staff behaviour policy29 (sometimes called the code of conduct) which should, amongst other things, include low-level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 123 (bullet list of safeguarding policies and procedures), page 37
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish a whistleblowing policy?
School whistleblowing procedure: The official sources we check set nothing for maintained schools. Academies must. Trust whistleblowing policy: The official sources we check set nothing for maintained schools. Academies must.
What does a school whistleblowing policy need to cover?
Says how staff are protected when they report wrongdoing; Explains how staff who report wrongdoing or illegal acts are protected; Covers low-level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing in the code of conduct.
When do we need to update our whistleblowing policy?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the whistleblowing policy come from?
It is set out in Academy Trust Handbook and Keeping children safe in education.
Recent changes to the official guidance
Updates to the official sources that affect this requirement, newest first.
15 July 2026 · Academy Trust Handbook
The DfE published the Academy Trust Handbook 2026, which takes effect on 1 October 2026.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
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Official wording that does not apply to schools (1)
2.41. The trust should appoint at least one trustee and one member of staff, who other staff can contact to report concerns.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4