How can I get my primary school records from 30yrs ago?

[Zssn]

Dear all,

I hope you are well.

I am in a huge predicament, due to no fault of my own.

Does anyone know how I can get my entire primary education records, from my birth until now please?
This is 34 years of education record please.

Any help greatly appreciated

Is this for an adult ND diagnosis op? I’m afraid I doubt they will have been kept, but no expert

“Your own school recordsThese records are not held at The National Archives
If you left school more than seven years ago, your school records, including academic reports, examination results and attendance registers, may have been securely destroyed. There is no legal obligation for schools to hold your records for longer than 25 years from the date of your birth.
If you are trying to trace your school records, try contacting:

• The school itself (if you left the school in the last seven to ten years)
• The local county education authority
• The local county archive or record office“

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/schools/

Legally I think it’s 6 years after you’ve left.

Contact the school? But it’s unlikely.

This is to prove I went to primary school until age 10, as my mum burnt every record of mine.

Op, if you can tell us why you need them maybe the MN collective mind can help with other ideas.

@Zssn Why do you need to prove you did this? Immigration status?

Because as I have no contact with my mother due to severe abuse, and unfortunately I cannot prove she had settled status in the UK prior my birth. I may need to register from birth to be British. If I cannot get these, I may need to do a life in the UK test, despite having been educated up to a masters degree.

If you are needing proof that you attended a school were there any official class photos that you would be on? If you don't have copies your former classmates might (ask on local Facebook etc) or the school (if it still exists) might have copies. Schools don't keep records but will often keep the formal class photos or they will know which photography company they used and if that company is still around they may have a copy of the original.

Do you think the council/borough I was at as a child, would have the primary school applications my parents submitted to them at the time?

@Needmorelego that’s a very good idea.

Op what about accessing a copy of your gp medical records? This might show your address etc when you were that age?

Schools generally only keep paper records for 6/7 years. However, if they have an electronic database that may go back from when it was first started. Off the top of my head, I’d say sometime in the 1990s is when these started.

You got loads of good advice on your thread yesterday - why ask again?

NorthCliffs,

Thank you.

Sorry

Yes, I did. But that was to see if I can prove settled status from my mum somehow, and today I got a call from a manager at HMPO who said, that they said the only option I have is to do register by birth. Then he said, I need to do a UK life test and an English B1 test unless I find this evidence.

I am just mortified , so finding out the easiest way to get anything now - as I must register , but trying not to do the tests as I have been here my whole life.

I tried to get my high school records from 1999 for security clearances. They don't keep records for more than ten years (not UK). I doubt any UK school will keep them for that long.

But you have a UK birth certificate?

I would start by getting a copy of your full birth certificate. That will show where and when you were born.

Can you get to the school? They should have a school log book, which would include the date you joined and the date you left. It would likely include the reason you left.

If tge school still exists you could start by ringing them.

You can request them from the local authority that your school was under.

I just received my sons record.

It was not complete to be honest but there were school reports and applications to nursery, primary and secondary.

If you log onto your online gp records it may show childhood vaccines (mine does anyway) would that do it?

I’ve had this kind of request at schools I have worked at in the past and unfortunately have been unable to help as the records just don’t exist anymore. I’ve never heard of a school log book. I wonder if the council might have better records from school allocations and applications?

I don’t think you can, sorry. I used to work in a sixth form college and we’d get reference requests (usually just proof of attendance) from employers. We only held six years worth of records.

One we got was from a high street bank, requesting proof of attendance for a student that had left in the 1980s (this was around 2010). Their DM rang up (former student was abroad) shouting and saying we were costing them a job but I just had to explain that no one keeps records for 30 years! Some employers are (IMHO) unrealistically strict.

Won’t GP records and birth certificate be good enough?

NorthCliffs,

Yes, this is what I too do not understand. I have emailed my immigration solicitor, but understandably off until new year.

The HMPO manager said , that there is no way of knowing if I was outside of England until 10 years old, and then came back to do secondary school at 11 years old.

I hope the HMPO manager made a mistake , but I am just finding out just incase.

I doubt your school records exist but things that may well:-

1. gp records - could show you regularly attended. Your old records from previous gps should be back scanned.

• if you came to us our PM would do a private letter (chargeable) that’s factual and states notes reflected registered at x and y surgeries between a and b dates. Presented on x dates with….. - that would show continuity.

2. immunisation records - childhood imma record if you had them may still have been kept by either school vaccine team or gp surgery. Here there is an email to get a copy.

3. contact your old school.
   -They may have pictures from school years past
   -check the website and you might be lucky that there is still a teacher there who taught you, if so they might write a confirmation letter?

4. local newspaper - do you ever remember being pictured from school, plays, Sunday school or brownies that you were in?

5. any social work involvement as a child? They may have you records still?

6. Church or Sunday school attendance?

sorry if they are all avenues you’ve tried

I think if you have lived here your whole life and speak English fluently then the life in the UK test, with a little revision, will be fairly straightforward. Are you sure you need to do the English language test if your undergraduate degree was taken in the English language (i.e. any subject but exams etc all taken in English)?

Hopefully you will find evidence and it is crazy that you have to go through this but friends who have taken the tests have found them fairly straightforward.