Requested school files in their entirety

[mummymooch]

Hello , I’ve had issues with the pastoral management in my child’s secondary school.
Before I complain to the governors I requested the files .
The files are electronic and PW protected - they have no records of meetings is this normal?
There is no record
of anything by classes etc

Am I legally entitled to any record they have of meetings etc ?

If your child is over 13 they have to request it, because it’s their data, not yours.
As PP have said, most schools now only use pupil’s initials in emails to avoid having to trawl through them all. We use SIMS as our database; it has an automatic SAR report that it produces at the press of a button; most parents are very disappointed by how dull the information actually is. Very little is ever formally written down; we don’t typically minute meetings or phone calls.

Yep another reason we use initials or first names only.

@Sockpile

How long do schools hold data for? My DS left in July, would the school still have information on him?

Schools have to hold information for years. I think until the child is 25. Longer if SEN.

Thanks @Cakeybake, I’ve been dithering AIBU whether to make a SAR request but it looks like there’s no hurry.

Schools have to hold information for years. I think until the child is 25. Longer if SEN

Primary schools only retain pupil records while the pupil remains at the school, then the record follows the pupil to secondary school (most- they also keep attendance records for 3 years for example)

Secondary schools keep the records for 25 years after the pupil's date of birth.

@TheHoptimist

Schools have to hold information for years. I think until the child is 25. Longer if SEN

Primary schools only retain pupil records while the pupil remains at the school, then the record follows the pupil to secondary school (most- they also keep attendance records for 3 years for example)

Secondary schools keep the records for 25 years after the pupil's date of birth.

That's not quite right. For some types of information, schools have to retain the information until the child reaches the age of 75. Primary schools retain their own information and give copies to Secondaries- they wouldn't trust the secondaries to retain the info on their behalf!

The best course of action, regardless of complaint, is to follow the complaints procedure. This will be displayed and will clearly set out timeframes and show the escalation process. It will serve you well to follow this process. I say this as a school governor.

That's not quite right. For some types of information, schools have to retain the information until the child reaches the age of 75. Primary schools retain their own information and give copies to Secondaries- they wouldn't trust the secondaries to retain the info on their behalf!

I dont agree with that.
Very many records are transferred to secondary schools and copies cant be retained by the primary school.

What records were you thinking that primary schools retain?

@Hercisback

Yep another reason we use initials or first names only.

@Hercisback

In connection with work, I send / receive emails about school pupils

I often just use initials or date of birth, for data protection, but are you suggesting this also makes it less likely parents would see it?

Yes it would, because schools search full names for SAR. They can't give part names as it could be the wrong child. Same with initials.

@TheHoptimist

That's not quite right. For some types of information, schools have to retain the information until the child reaches the age of 75. Primary schools retain their own information and give copies to Secondaries- they wouldn't trust the secondaries to retain the info on their behalf!

I dont agree with that.
Very many records are transferred to secondary schools and copies cant be retained by the primary school.

What records were you thinking that primary schools retain?

What information do schools keep until the student is 75???? I can guarantee that's not the case, having converted the archives at my school into an electronic one in the last couple of years. Anything over a certain date was shredded and disposed of. Now the electronic files are deleted when students reach a certain age.

Thanks everyone , the response re missing information was as follows ….

“ This will be because meeting schedules and records are not retained as part of a students school records.

Many thanks,”

I shall take the advice for my next step … I’m very grateful for all responses . 😊

@hercisback Using initials or first names doesn't make information outside the scope of a SAR. If the individual is identifiable from the context it should be included as will be personal data.
I'm sure it's what people do but it's not compliant with data protection law.

Op maybe try asking specifically for the minutes you are interested in.

I'm quite shocked that posters are implying schools use initials so they don't have to provide information. Parents have a right to information about their child.
OP our school kept a record of meetings about pastoral issues on file. They often varied from what had happened but they were on file and were provided when we asked.

Depends on the type of meeting.

Using initials was recommended by a GDPR and SAR training person. Logistically it would be impossible to work out which information was about which child using a search.