Guidance

Whistleblowing procedure for maintained schools

What schools maintained by the local authority should do when setting up their whistleblowing procedure.

Applies to England

Every school maintained by the local authority should have a whistleblowing procedure. Whistleblowing procedures protect staff members who report colleagues they believe are doing something wrong or illegal, or who are neglecting their duties.

Information for employees on ‘blowing the whistle’, including a definition of whistleblowing, is available.

Whistleblowing procedure

Governing bodies of maintained schools are responsible for agreeing and establishing the school’s whistleblowing procedure.

You should base your whistleblowing procedure on your local authority’s procedure. Ask your local authority for a copy of their whistleblowing arrangements and tailor them to fit your school’s circumstances.

You 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.

Your governing body minutes should include a record of:

  • your school’s whistleblowing arrangements
  • the people in and outside the school that staff members should report concerns to

Informing staff

You should inform every member of staff of your school’s whistleblowing arrangements.

You should also tell school staff who they can contact in the local authority in case a staff member feels they should report to someone outside the school.

Every staff member, including temporary staff and contractors, should know:

  • what protection is available to them if they decide to report another member of staff
  • what areas of malpractice or wrongdoing are covered in your school’s whistleblowing procedure
  • the different routes available to them for reporting a concern, including who they can approach both in the school and in the local authority

Further information

If you need any support or advice on whistleblowing, you can contact Protect.

Updates to this page

Published 28 August 2014

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