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<\/div>All set for your INSET day?<\/h3><\/div><\/div>
Our safeguarding INSET pack 2025\/6 is here, and it\u2019s yours for free! Packed full of valuable resources to help make your next INSET day run smoothly and successfully. Download your free INSET pack here<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowing is a term used to describe any circumstances by which someone reports wrongdoing at work to the relevant authorities in order to protect other colleagues, the general public, or students if it\u2019s within a school environment. The concern can relate to something that has happened, is happening, or that the individual fears may happen in the future. In general, it involves a worker seeking to expose malpractice or unethical activities within their organisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to specify, however, that not all complaints are regarded as whistleblowing. To be categorised as whistleblowing, an issue must be of public interest, not just a personal grievance. Whistleblowing is about \u2018putting something right\u2019 which will benefit others, rather than a concern regarding your individual interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, you can find some instances of wrongdoing which it would be appropriate and advised to blow the whistle about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of these instances of wrongdoing pose a serious threat to the safety of children within a school environment and thus neglect school safeguarding obligations. To learn more about what your safeguarding duties are as an educator, read our article on Safeguarding Responsibilities of School Staff.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Breaking the Law<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Any form of criminal offence, such as fraud or corruption for example, conducted within a school environment should be reported to the relevant authorities. Any activity that breaks the law is likely to threaten the safety of pupils or staff, or at the very least damage the reputation of the establishment. Thus, it\u2019s in the public interest that criminal activity does not go unreported.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Covering Up an Unlawful Act<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly to reporting any activity which breaks the law, it is also appropriate to inform authorities of any accomplices or accessories to a crime. Having knowledge of an illegal activity and not reporting it is an offence in itself, so it\u2019s advised to blow the whistle on anyone who fits this description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neglecting Duties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Neglecting your duties in a school environment can have serious consequences and thus this is considered to be a wrongdoing severe enough to warrant whistleblowing. The neglect of duties may include poor supervision, the use of dangerous equipment, inadequate or damaging SEND support, or failing to provide a suitable education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maladministration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This form of wrongdoing involves any activity that results in a school not complying with the requirements for assessment and delivery of qualifications. It generally centres around examination and learner records, for example submitting incorrect test data, allowing students to use devices or textbooks during exams, tampering with student work, or changing assessment judgements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaching Confidentiality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an education environment, the rules around storing personal data are very strict. Thus, tampering with or sharing this data is a serious offence. Examples of wrongdoing in this category may include sending personal data to the wrong person, sharing sensitive medical records, unauthorised access to information and altering or deleting data files. The misuse of private data can cause major safeguarding issues as well as legal repercussions. You can learn more about how to prevent any breaches of confidentiality within the education sector in our guide to Data Protection in Schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowing is essential in schools because it helps to protect everyone \u2013 students, staff, parents, the board, and the wider community \u2013 from wrongdoings that could have wider consequences or cause public scandal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blowing the whistle helps to find mistakes and frauds so that they can be corrected as quickly as possible and the people involved in the wrongdoing can be apprehended. Furthermore, the knock-on effect of this is that colleagues and other people within the educational environment are less likely to conduct any form of malpractice as they are aware of the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n In addition to the wider umbrella of preventing wrongdoing, there are several other benefits of whistleblowing in schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When misconducts are left unreported, they can not be resolved and thus pose various risks to the school When misconducts are left unreported, they can not be resolved and thus pose various risks to the school such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These consequences can be extremely costly in terms of finances and the school\u2019s image. Whistleblowing helps to minimise these costs and allows schools to manage their risks more quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowers usually have an insider\u2019s perspective on the issues they\u2019re reporting, and can therefore provide details and insights that an external source may not have access to. Whistleblowers may be the only ones with enough access to information to accurately report wrongdoings with evidence that allow the case to stand and eventually be resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By encouraging whistleblowing, a school gains more trust from its employees as they know that any concerns will be taken seriously and that they are working in an ethical and safe environment. It is widely known that an open and honest working culture usually forms better working relationships and dedication, which in turn increases productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the greatest benefits of whistleblowing in school is that it provides the opportunity to identify and deal with issues quickly, whilst they\u2019re still in an early manageable stage. When information is shared directly to the relevant school team they can help resolve the issue immediately before it escalates, thus potentially preventing severe damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowing helps to support safeguarding in schools by protecting students from wrongdoing that may cause them harm. Our Safeguarding Children in Education<\/a> course helps to support this by teaching learners to identify when abuse and neglect may be happening to a student and how to respond appropriately to concerns.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n AA school should establish a whistleblowing procedure to ensure that all members of staff are aware of the appropriate channels to raise a concern, provide reassurance that they can raise concerns without fear of reprisal, and, wherever possible, to ensure that the procedure is confidential unless specified otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two types of whistleblowing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a thorough whistleblowing policy and procedure helps to encourage internal, rather than external, whistleblowing, which is preferred as it means problems can be solved easily and smoothly within the organisation without involving external parties who may create a public spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A written school whistleblowing policy aims to provide avenues for individuals to raise concerns and receive feedback on any action taken, ensures that whistleblowers receive a response to their concerns and that they are aware of how to pursue them if they are not satisfied, and reassures whistleblowers that they will be protected from possible reprisals or victimisation for raising an issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A comprehensive school whistleblowing policy should include the following sections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to Raise a Concern<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This section should detail a list of potential whistleblowing scenarios and outline who the whistleblower should report to if they identify one of these issues. This should include names and contact details of all relevant school authority figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, this section of the policy should describe the school\u2019s preferred method of raising a concern, for example a verbal or written complaint, and what should be included in the whistleblower\u2019s report. Often, this will include the background and history of the concern along with names, dates, relevant places and the reasons for the concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investigating a Disclosure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to outline in a whistleblowing policy how the school will respond to concerns raised. This may include a deadline for when the school promises to acknowledge the complaint by, for example within 3 days. <\/p>\n\n\n Understandably, the action taken may vary depending on the complaint and this should be stated within the policy along with a list of responses that may be taken under various circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confidentiality Agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Confidentiality can be complicated in the case of whistleblowing, but a good policy should contain a section explaining that all concerns will be treated with confidence and that where possible the identity of the whistleblower will not be revealed if that is their wish. It should also state, however, that in some scenarios it may not be possible to keep the whistleblower\u2019s identity disclosed in order to resolve the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about what confidentiality in childcare is, why it\u2019s important and confidentiality policy in childcare in our article: Confidentiality in Childcare<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safeguards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This section of a whistleblowing policy serves the purpose of acknowledging that the decision to speak up about an issue can be a difficult one. It should include written reassurance that there will be no reprisals for speaking up against malpractice or wrongdoing within the school, and that any harassment or victimisation will not be tolerated. Furthermore, it is advisable to detail methods of support that will be available in the case of any difficulties experienced as a result of raising a concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to a whistleblowing policy, it\u2019s advised that all schools have a comprehensive safeguarding policy too. You can find an example template of one of these created by our education experts in our article on Creating a Safeguarding Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although internal whistleblowing is often preferred, it is also possible for an individual to inform Ofsted of any concerns they have regarding activity within their school. Ofsted can act on any relevant information provided to them and are able to advise on what actions they may take, providing the issue relates to a child that may be at risk of harm, a failure in safeguarding practice, concerns that children aren\u2019t receiving the right quality of care, or that regulatory requirements aren\u2019t being met.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although a school should have a whistleblowing policy to help protect their employees, an individual may choose to blow the whistle to Ofsted if they feel their organisation is likely to ignore the issue or fail to take action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When whistleblowing to Ofsted, you will be asked the following questions:<\/span><\/p>\n Following this, a concern will be reviewed by Ofsted, who may choose to refer the issue to a child protection team, bring forward their next inspection, or undertake a compliance visit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can whistleblow to Ofsted by:<\/span><\/p>\n If you would like further support in identifying whether a scenario is likely to place a child at risk of harm, you can learn more about safeguarding issues along with examples of these in our <\/span>Safeguarding Scenarios and Answers for Education<\/span><\/a> article.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n In June 2025 the government published guidance on how to make a whistleblowing disclosure about academics and post-16 providers to the Department for Education (DfE). The process is much the same as whistleblowing to Ofsted.<\/span><\/p>\n You can make a disclosure directly to the DfE if you are:<\/span><\/p>\n When whistleblowing you must give the DfE the full details of the school so that they can investigate. This includes the full name of the setting and the address and postcode. Without this information the DfE cannot investigate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The manner in which you make a disclosure to the DfE will depend on the type of setting you are in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n Schools<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n To complain or make a disclosure about an academy trust or free school you can use either of the following options:<\/span><\/p>\n Colleges and independent training providers<\/b><\/p>\n To complain or make a disclosure about a post-16 education or training provider you can:<\/span><\/p>\n Once the DfE has received your disclosure they will:<\/span><\/p>\n Once a formal investigation has begun the DfE will not engage in conversation with you to ensure that your confidentiality and anonymity is protected and that nothing is done that could potentially undermine the legitimacy of the outcome of any investigation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n Whistleblowing can be a scary thing to do so it helps to be certain on where you stand legally to provide confidence that your actions won\u2019t face unjust repercussions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), an amendment to the Employment Rights Act 1996, protects whistleblowers by law, preventing unfair dismissal or any detriment from their employer that arises from the worker making a protected disclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n To receive this legal protection, a whistleblower must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although most workers are protected under this law, it is important to note that this does not include self-employed individuals or volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the guidance published in June 2025, only employees continue to be protected by law if they make a disclosure directly to their employer. Disclosures made to the DfE by volunteers may not receive the same protections, however the DfE will always protect the identity of any whistleblowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowing is an essential and effective way for schools to identify any wrongdoing within their organisation. Despite its benefits, however, it can be daunting for an individual to blow the whistle due to fear of facing harassment or even dismissal for doing so. This is why it\u2019s so important for a school to have a thorough whistleblowing policy and procedure to show encouragement of speaking up against wrongdoing and to protect those who have the confidence to do so.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whistleblowing is important for schools to identify any wrongdoing within their organisation. Learn more about whistleblowing policy and procedure in our article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":76660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[81,75],"class_list":["post-76648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-education","tag-safeguarding-children"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n
\n\n\n\nWhat is Whistleblowing in Schools?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Teacher](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/whistleblowing-in-schools.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nExamples of Whistleblowing in Schools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy is Whistleblowing Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Teacher](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/whistleblowing-in-schools2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMinimises Costs and Risks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Allows Detailed Insight Into Issues<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Creates an Open Working Culture<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Prevents Issues Escalating<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>Want to Learn More?<\/h3><\/div><\/div>
\n\n\n\nWhistleblowing Policy and Procedures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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School Whistleblowing Policy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Students](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/whistleblowing-in-schools3.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n How to Whistleblow to Ofsted
![\"drop](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/down53.png\")
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\n How to Whistleblow to the Department for Education
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\n Schools, colleges and independent training providers
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\n<\/span>Department for Education
\nCheylesmore House
\nQuinton Road
\nCoventry CV1 2WT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n\n\n\nAre Whistleblowers Protected by Law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Early](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/whistleblowing-in-schools4.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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