Information management toolkit for schools

Records Management Policy

Each public authority (including individual schools) should have a records management policy. The toolkit contains a Policy Document that can be adopted in its entirety or adapted to reflect the different needs of different schools.

Records Management Programme

The Records Management Toolkit aims to assist individual schools to manage records throughout their lifecycle. There is advice about managing e-mail to ensure that it becomes part of the vital record. There is information and advice about information security and how to ensure compliance under the Data Protection Act 1998 and information about business continuity to ensure that vital records are not lost or destroyed in the event of a fire, flood, or theft. There is also some advice about how to conduct an information audit.

Pupil Records

Some guidelines about what should be included in the main pupil record have been included and some advice about what information should be transferred on to the next school and how this information should be transferred.

Retention Guidelines

The core part of the toolkit is the retention guidelines which list all the possible records any school, in England & Wales, might produce and the recommended retention periods. Some of these have a statutory basis, others have been agreed in consultation with schools around the country. There are also retention guidelines for Early Years Providers. There is some information about the benefits of using a retention schedule. There are also guidelines about the safe disposal of records.

Download the Record management policy toolkit for schools

View the NSPCC Retention Guidance

Data protection

Visit the Information Commissioner's data protection information; education (includes GDPR guidance) to help you comply with data protection and information law in schools.

Transfer of records form

Download the Transfer of records form that was developed by the Education Safeguarding Advisory Service.