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old school records
Is it possible to get a copy of my old school records (the ones they kept filed away), not the end of term reports?
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The answer is almost certainly 'No'.
I was in secondary teaching from 1975 to 1990. When I first started, old pupil records could stay in the files for years. (They'd eventually be destroyed, simply to create some space). By the time I left, 'data protection concerns' were at the forefront of everyone's minds and it was a strict rule that all records (except, of course, for such things as achievements in public examinations) had to be shredded within 24 hours of a pupil leaving the school.
Chris
PS: Even if you could read what was on the files, you'd probably find that there was very little there. Apart from 'routine' information (such as telephone numbers to contact your parents in the event of an emergency), you might find something like the following:
Age 6: John's mother wrote to state that John was upset because boys and girls had to get changed together for PE.
Age 9: John's mother phoned to say that she was concerned that the stress of going on the school camping trip might lead to a recurrence of his bed-wetting problems.
Age 13: The head teacher reprimanded John after he bought items from fellow pupils while knowing that they'd been stolen them from a local shop.
Age 15: The employer who had accepted John for work experience wrote to state that John is a credit to his school and it was a pleasure to have him working for the firm.
That might not seem much for 11 years but I've seen hundreds of school records and most files contained even less than the content of my example.
Chris
I was in secondary teaching from 1975 to 1990. When I first started, old pupil records could stay in the files for years. (They'd eventually be destroyed, simply to create some space). By the time I left, 'data protection concerns' were at the forefront of everyone's minds and it was a strict rule that all records (except, of course, for such things as achievements in public examinations) had to be shredded within 24 hours of a pupil leaving the school.
Chris
PS: Even if you could read what was on the files, you'd probably find that there was very little there. Apart from 'routine' information (such as telephone numbers to contact your parents in the event of an emergency), you might find something like the following:
Age 6: John's mother wrote to state that John was upset because boys and girls had to get changed together for PE.
Age 9: John's mother phoned to say that she was concerned that the stress of going on the school camping trip might lead to a recurrence of his bed-wetting problems.
Age 13: The head teacher reprimanded John after he bought items from fellow pupils while knowing that they'd been stolen them from a local shop.
Age 15: The employer who had accepted John for work experience wrote to state that John is a credit to his school and it was a pleasure to have him working for the firm.
That might not seem much for 11 years but I've seen hundreds of school records and most files contained even less than the content of my example.
Chris
PPS: Since you posted your question under 'Law', I ought to say that you probably would have the right to see any records which had not been destroyed.
However, the school would have to ensure that they only gave you information relating specifically to yourself. Using my fictitious example, they might have to delete any reference to letters or phone calls from your mother (because this would be infringing her right to privacy). Similarly, they would have to ensure that the reference to shoplifting didn't name the other pupils involved.
Schools don't want to get involved in sorting out all of the intricacies of data protection legislation. That's why they simply work to the principle of 'If it doesn't exist, we can't be forced to disclose it'.
Chris
However, the school would have to ensure that they only gave you information relating specifically to yourself. Using my fictitious example, they might have to delete any reference to letters or phone calls from your mother (because this would be infringing her right to privacy). Similarly, they would have to ensure that the reference to shoplifting didn't name the other pupils involved.
Schools don't want to get involved in sorting out all of the intricacies of data protection legislation. That's why they simply work to the principle of 'If it doesn't exist, we can't be forced to disclose it'.
Chris
I asked for my daughters records after weeks of her being bullied. It said nothing about the bullying incidents themselves just the date and problem which was stated as "bullying". When i complained about the fact the records were not comprehensive enough, i was told that they did not have to show me all the records and so what i had was a "Condensed" version. Doctored, to suit, more like!!
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