Chapter 1: Permanent and long-term temporary records
Permanent records
These are public records with the highest value to the Victorian community. They provide evidence of significant school activities and decisions and provide a summary of student interactions with the state.
Examples of permanent records include student enrolment records (such as hardcopy pupil registers and enrolment data in CASES21), formal class photos and school council records. Refer to the School records retention guide (staff login required) to identify other types of permanent value records.
Permanent records must not be destroyed or unlawfully removed from school custody.
When permanent records are no longer needed, schools must contact the Records and Mail Services team on 1800 359 140 or archives.records@education.vic.gov.au to arrange the transfer of these records to the State Archives where they will be kept in perpetuity.
Permanent school records
- Summary student enrolment records (hardcopy example: pupils register or enrolment cards; digital example: enrolment data captured in CASES21 database)
- Formal class photographs
- School council meeting documents (for example, minutes, agendas, reports, correspondence tabled at school council meetings)
- School magazines and year books
- School merger committee meeting documents
- School history (for example, histories written for anniversary celebrations)
Historical permanent record types (these are no longer created but your school may still hold them in storage)
- Corporal punishment registers
- Inspector’s report books
- Parents club/‘Mothers’ Club’ meeting papers prior to 1980
- Teacher time books
Long-term temporary records
Long-term temporary records are very important as they provide proof of accountability, transparency of decision-making and administrative processes and can uphold an individual’s rights and entitlements.
These are high value records which must be retained for long periods of time but may be destroyed after the minimum retention period has been met. For example, student health and wellbeing records and visitor logs must be retained for 75 years and school policies must be retained for 20 years.
| Description | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Incident or allegation of child sexual abuse | 99 years |
| Student health and wellbeing records (file, single instance, assessment report, file notes) | 75 years |
| Student camp/excursion attendance | 75 years |
| Student class attendance (summary data as captured in CASES21 database) | 30 years |
| Work experience records | 30 years |
| Description | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Asbestos management plan/records of asbestos removal | 100 years |
| Staff personnel records/file | 100 years (from date of birth) |
| Visitors log | 75 years |
| Diary/note book used to manage student-related matter | 75 years |
| Workers compensation/rehabilitation/return to work file | 30 years |
| Incident/injury report (involving staff only, no students) | 30 years |
Refer to the School records retention guide (staff login required) to identify and apply minimum retention periods to records.
Managing permanent and long-term temporary records
Digital records
Schools must ensure:
- long-term sustainable formats are used when creating permanent and long-term temporary digital records
- the minimum metadata requirements outlined on the Digital recordkeeping guidance page are applied.
Hardcopy records
Schools must ensure that:
- permanent records are stored securely onsite and not stored with any commercial storage providers including Approved Public Record Office Storage Suppliers, unless authorised by the department (schools can contact Records and Mail Services on 1800 359 140 or archives.records@education.vic.gov.au at the department to discuss issues with storing permanent records securely onsite)
- new hardcopy records are created using materials that allow these records to survive. For example, avoid using thermal paper (where heat sensitive paper is used to print information, often used for receipts) as these will degrade and fade over time.
Reviewed 04 October 2024