Access the file the school has on us

[jmspbro]

I presume the school has a file on us, which again I presume (I hope) is treated with utmost confidence with only the head and deputies having access.

Do I have the right to view the file?

Why do you need to? Any particular reason?

When you say us - do you mean you as a family? As far as I know, Schools v rarely have files unless there is a reason. (school Govenor). You can ask to access your medical notes so I imagine the rules would be the same.

Yes you do, as any other file with you personal data displayed.
You must expect to have to make an appointment and not just expect it on demand.
you have to give them fair warning, from what I remember.
just call them and ask, usually within the week/fortnight depending on how often the person is there who has authority to access the file.

I'm assuming it will be standard stuff anyway. Emergency contacts, medical stuff (inhaler, nut allergy etc.) consent forms for trips out/allowing photography. Nothing sinister

By us, I mean us as parents.

Reason? We had a 6 month spell of SW involvement in our family (their file is now closed). However, the school were involved. There has been some changes at the school and I would like to know what is being held for new senior staff to read.

ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-6-rights/subject-access-request/

You have the right to request, they have the right to redact some of the information and occasionally to actually refuse the request. They can also charge for the information and it may take around six weeks to process.

You can, I think, get a copy of everything they hold that you are entitled to. I stress the last bit because there are exemptions. If you don't think you've got all you are entitled to, you can ask the information commissioner's office for an opinion. You can also go to court to get access. No idea on your personal circs or what they might consider appropriate to withhold (if anything ). www.ico.org.uk.

Yes you can ask for your child's information. There may be a charge and there is a time frame they must adhere to depending on how the information is stored eg in a database etc. You have to request it formally and in writing.

There is some information you will not have access to that may be omitted or redacted. Information such as ss involvement and the personal notes of teachers or information that includes other individuals.

I'd doubt there's anythimng dodgy in writing, as most people are smart enough to keep that stuff verbal. And anything controversial will be redacted.

However you'd get a feel for how much is redacted.

You could go for a straight talking 'clean slate' type meeting with the new senior staff to clear the air? If done in a non confrontational way it may be a positive? Or just keep your head down and wait for time to heal...

I'm assuming you attended meeting with SW and someone from the school (plus other professionals)?
The school will have copies of any reports that were shared with you at these meetings. The report will be kept in a secure file accessible only to the head teacher and the designated child protection teacher.

They don't have to share any report that could place a child or member of staff in danger which I assume wouldn't be an issue.

If you are looking for social services reports, they will fall under the third party exemptions and you will not be allowed to see them (assuming the school follows protocol). Anything written by the school you should be allowed to see Some stuff may be redacted or summarised for you.

Odyssey what is the third party exemption you mention? When I have done a SAR I was (or should have been) sent everything they had relating to us including reports from third parties. They were quite free with the black pen redacting every name in sight though.

Organisations have up to 40 (calendar) days to respond to a SAR. There is a seperate right to see school records for maintained schools. This takes up to 15 school days but I believe is more limited.

I thought that they wouldn't disclose certain reports if they felt that it would put the child at risk? eg if child had disclosed stuff? Not sure who decides though.

When I accessed ss files (adult ss not childrens though), I received a massive pile of random stuff, bits of pieces of documents, fragmented forms etc. which shows how bad their filing systems are more than anything else!

But interestingly, every single meeting between the social worker and her manager were redacted. I still wonder what they were scared of me seeing, the odd one of two meetings I could understand, but every single one? All blacked out with pen and photocopied...

I kind of like to think the manager couldnt open Her/ his mouth without saying appalling things... Like calling everyone peons or worthless trash... And they had someone else trailing behind them everywhere they went apologizing and scribbling with black marker...

I suspect the reality is that the manager 'took against' the idea of the public being able to see what they wrote so insisted on their words leaving no visible trace, even the ones that read 'running late see you in 5' etc...

Yes, the redacting is just mad! They blacked out every name (managers, teachers etc.) in one report which I needed to use so I went through it writing them all back (I obviously knew who they all were so daft to redact them in the first place). A couple of months later I got it back via another SAR and they had gone through it all again redacting all the names I had written back in.

I also agree that local authority file keeping seems rubbish; minutes of important decision-making meetings never written up, other decisions not recorded and apparently most discussions done in person, deleting emails and relying on memory rather than record... Or perhaps they didn't send everything they should have....

Miscellaneous notes of supervision sessions are usually redacted automatically as social workers need to be free to discuss things such as their own emotions etc. with their managers without worrying how it will be read in the future. It may not have said anything interesting!

There are very few exceptions and they should apply very narrowly, sometimes inexperienced people do it and get a bit happy with the black pen.

Good point. They weren't supervision meetings though, they were meetings where funding levels for carers were decided on, so where critical decisions were made which were then not justified afterwards by due process and no one seemed to quite know where or why the decisions had been made...