Info Guides and Resources
RM Toolkit for Schools - May 2008
The Records Management Toolkit for Schools has been created to assist public sector schools in their compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Independent schools using the toolkit will need to bear in mind that certain parts of the toolkit will not be relevant to them.
The toolkit has been comprehensively revised and some additions have been made and some changes have been made to the format of the document. The information below outlines what can be found in the toolkit with links to the relevant documents which can then be downloaded and amended electronically for use in the school. All the changes made in Version 3 are documented in the version control document below [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS02]
All comments and amendments relating to the Records Management Toolkit for Schools should be sent to Elizabeth Barber at elizabeth.barber@kent.gov.uk.
The Records Management Toolkit for Schools now contains the following sections, which are provided as individual fact sheets for ease of reference.
Records Management Policy
Each public authority (including individual schools) should have a records management policy. The toolkit contains a policy document [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS03] which can be adopted in its entirety or adapted to reflect the different needs of different schools.
Records Management Programme
The Records Management Toolkit aims to assist individual schools to manage records throughout their lifecycle. There is advice about creating information management systems, including some basic questions to think about when creating records [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS04]. There is advice about managing e-mail to ensure that it becomes part of the vital record [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS05]. There is information and advice about information security and how to ensure compliance under the Data Protection Act 1998 [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS06]. There is also information about business continuity to ensure that vital records are not lost or destroyed in the event of fire, flood or theft [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS07]. There is also some advice about how to conduct an information audit [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS08].
Pupil Records
Some guidelines about what should be included in the main pupil record have been included and some advice about what information should be transferred on to the next school and how this information should be transferred [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS09].
Retention Guidelines
The core part of the toolkit are the retention guidelines which list all the possible records any school, anywhere in the country, might produce and the recommended retention periods. Some of these have a statutory basis, others have been agreed in consultation with schools around the county [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS10]. There is some information about the benefits of using a retention schedule [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS11]. There are also guidelines about the safe disposal of records which may include transferring records to the local archive office [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS12].
Closed School Guidance
There is some general guidance about needs to be done with records when a school closes or amalgamates with another school in the same area [RecordsManagementToolkitRMS13].
