Whistleblowing policy
The procedure for raising concerns about wrongdoing, and how staff who report it are protected. Academy trusts must publish it on the trust's website, and whistleblowing should also be covered in the staff code of conduct.
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 is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
Consider publishing the whistleblowing policy or procedure on the policies page, or link to the trust's.
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
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
1 part- Says how staff are protected when they report wrongdoingMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
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§ 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
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
- Covers low-level concerns, allegations against staff and whistleblowing in the code of conductShould
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
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§ 2.40
Keeping children safe in education 2026
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§ para 123 (bullet list of safeguarding policies and procedures), page 37
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the whistleblowing policy?
School whistleblowing procedure: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Trust whistleblowing policy: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools.
When does the whistleblowing policy need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the whistleblowing policy include?
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.
Where does the requirement for the whistleblowing policy come from?
It is set out in Academy Trust Handbook 2025 and Keeping children safe in education 2026.
Changes to the official sources
The sources for this item do not publish dated change notes. Their current versions are listed above.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
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