What do academies need to know about serious incident reporting
during the coronavirus pandemic?
What Is a Serious Incident?
A serious incident is an event, actual or alleged, which results
in or risks significant:
- harm to beneficiaries (usually pupils for academy trusts),
staff, volunteers or others who come into contact with your charity
through its work
- loss of your charity's money or assets
- damage to property
- harm to your charity's work or reputation.
Whose Responsibility Is It to Report Serious
Incidents?
Ultimately, it is the trustees under the funding agreement who
have the duty to comply with the Charity Commission's advice on
reporting serious incidents to the ESFA. The trustees are, however,
able to delegate functions to the Executive. As with all
delegations, such delegation should be monitored and Executive
decisions should be reported back to the trustees. When a report is
made, it is made on behalf of the trustees and so the
