School children should not have access to each others records.

[MitsubishiWarrioress]

DS has come home on a state.

He had massive anger management issues for several years (he is now 12), but we have worked really hard and apart from pre -teen angst I am very proud of the progress he has made in learning to control his anger.

His Junior school were not massively supportive and when we had CAMHS and SS involved, they denied he had any issues that affected him at school. However today, DS's senior school class mates have accessed his file, and the junior school had put it on record that he had SEN and that he had behavioural issues. He has been teased about this today and in his words feels betrayed and let down by the teachers at his old school.

Apparently it is relatively easy to access each others files at school.

Is this normal? DS has admitted to looking at other's, which I think is equally wrong.

Would the junior school not have had to tell me what they were putting on his file?

Is it likely that I will be able to appeal for this to be taken off. In DS's first parents evening, he got a glowing report and it was a testimony to the clean start and break that he had made.

He was so unhappy at junior school at one point that he refused to go. It was insinuated that he was manipulative and fabricating the bullying that was taken place. He was't. I want to nip this in the bud as soon as possible to keep him on the even keel that he has achieved.

He is so sad tonight and feels he is being shadowed by the past.

That is astonishing.

In the school my friend teaches in, the teachers aren't even allowed to access this type of information!

How have they accessed that information?

That's terrible! Surely a breach of data protection legislation. I'd want to know how that sort of information could be made public.

How could this happen?

I've only experience of working in a Primary school, but all pupils written date is locked away in a filing cabinet.

Theres no way a pupil should be able to get access to it.

Major confidentiality cock up. The school should shut down their computers till it's sorted out.

your poor poor DS
I think you need to arrange a meeting with the head.

My DS1 primary school were useless at this sort of thing, I once got a lot of paper work from them (DS1 was being badly bullied) and it had a section that clearly said not for parents viewing, it contained all the records of meetings they had had with the bully and his family, every word there in black and white, and a list of children who were on meds and why and who was getting LSA/ CAMH the lot

they shouldnt have access, unless someone has hacked the filing system.

you need to complain asap, i can only imagine the teachers and head have no idea this has happened.

Absolutely agree with tiggy. Email the school NOW and follow up tomorrow.

how awful, your poor son.
how are the kids physically accessing each others records?
do the teachers know this is going on?

I once saw a GP's referral letter by accident relating to a boy in ds1's class, that was accidental but still pretty poor of the school. At least that was a one-off, this sounds like a major system failure to me.

I agree. The school probably don't have any idea and will be just as shocked.

As to the old records from the primary school. They were just recording information as they saw it. Doesn't matter that they were incorrect and it's not sensible to edit the records retrospectively. They tell a story of how your son has progressed and also how his old school were not supportive of his needs. His new school will be wise to what goes on in their feeder primary schools. They will know that some are on the ball and some aren't.

If a doctor made a mistake we wouldn't expect the NHS to go back an alter the records to only show how another doctor got it right because (a) it would be a cover up and (b) it shows the history of what has happened so someone else doesn't make the same mistake.

DS seems to suggest it is common practice, and in his opinion, the teachers are aware of it...

I will ring tomorrow.

If the teachers are aware then they are idiots because they are breaking the law. End of.

fair point sbq, I think that was a knee jerk, defensive, reaction on my behalf for my DS,records should not be changed...just not viewable by all and sundry.

"I once saw a GP's referral letter by accident relating to a boy in ds1's class, that was accidental but still pretty poor of the school. At least that was a one-off, this sounds like a major system failure to me."

You ar right,it is not quite the same to see something by accident than to actually take the steps to go through someonnes files.

If the school is aware of it and does nothing to stpo it it is truly very bad practice and has to be stopped, I have no idea how though. Complain to the LEA?

I entirely agree MitsubishiWarrioress and I would have been seriously put out if it had happened to by DS. The school owe your DS one hell of an apology.

Definitely this is going to be a huge breach of their Data Protection registration. You need to speak to the Head and get it sorted asap. I should think the Head will be horrified.
p.s. Don't bother complaining to the LA until you have followed the school complaints procedure. The LA will just refer you back to that, because 9 times out of 10 the complaint can be resolved to the satisfation of the parent without the need for things to be taken further.

Depending on what the school tells you, you may find it helpful to contact the office of the Information Commissioner for advice on getting things put right.

Message withdrawn

Teachers alone should have access to that info...anything else is craziness! (I speak as a teacher.)

They definitely shouldn't have access to other pupil's files. Complain.

As for what was recorded in primary school-if the school put your son on the SEN register, they should have informed you of this. They should have explained why it was done and gone through his Individual Education Plan with you. The only time this doesn't always happen in my school is if parents don't come in for parents' evenings or attend appointments, in which case a copy of the IEP has to be sent home. If this didn't happen with you, you have a right to complain about the primary school as well.

Actually, in my school (large secondary), all this data has recently been made available to teachers using their electronic registers.

teachers have to log on, but it is possible to leave the system runing. if you left the classroom for some reason (to talk to someone outside), and forgot to lock your computer, it is possible pupils could look at someone's files. however, they'd have to move damn quick and know exactly what to press,which is unlikely in my school.

The importance of 'locking' laptops was stressed to us when we did the training, but it is a timebomb waiting to happen...

I would find out from your child if this is what happened - it's very unlikely students would have access to hard copy files in a filing cabinet.
The other thing students might see lying round are the SEN lists we get given, which have 'Confidential' written in large letters on the front, although all it does is list students who are on the register.

If your child has been registered as having some SEN need, you should have been called in for a review during this school year. if not, i would phone and ask to speak to the SENCO (Special Educ needs co-ordinator) and arrange a meeting about it.