Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure for Schools

The policy and procedure contained within this document is founded on the following principles:

• that employees and workers have a legal right to report their concerns if they have a reasonable belief that wrongdoing may be occurring, or may have occurred, within the School
• that the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects employees and workers from reprisal, victimisation or harassment at work if they raise a concern that they reasonably believe is in the public interest
• to encourage employees and workers to raise serious concerns within the School initially, rather than overlooking a problem or whistleblowing directly to an outside organisation
• to encourage and enable individuals to raise concerns about any aspect of the School’s work and receive feedback on any action taken without fear of reprisal
• to ensure that individuals receive a timely response to their concerns
• not to discriminate against any individual in the application of this policy and procedure on the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, maternity and pregnancy, race, caste, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, other grounds protected by law (e.g. part-time worker status, trade union membership or HIV positive status)