Data Archiving - how long to keep for

[timbo343]

Every year we move year 11, year 13 and old staff data off the servers to either external drives or to DVDs for archiving but how long are we to keep this data for. I still have data going back to 2005 on CDs which i'm sure we don't really need to keep do we?

[Danp]

15 years.

[Oaktech]

RM Toolkit for Schools - Information and Records Management Society gives you all the information you could ever need.

[timbo343]

Ok, thanks, but when i say data, i mean things like their save areas.

[featured_spectre]

7 years as standard when I was in schools. Had an external HDD for each year group (the entire area never exceeded 500GB). Last day of school, their stuff was copied to the HDD, if students wanted anything, I put it on a USB stick, sold it for £5 (with the HTs and finance ladies permission).

[localzuk]

We keep pupil data for about 1 year after they leave.

 

Staff data simply doesn't get deleted. Nearly every time someone leaves and someone takes over, the data goes into the new person's account.

 

For things like SIMS/FMS data, we archive yearly, so we have 2 years worth of electronic data. Email as a general rule is simply not kept, unless it relates to something which we do have to keep - in which case it is exported/printed and attached to whatever that requirement is (financial records, pupil records etc...).

 

In general, anything that legally has to be kept for longer is printed and stored in our archive room.

[enjay]

We keep student MyDocs folders for a year; staff MyDocs folders (as @localzuk says) don't ever really get deleted.

[Gibson335]

Hmm...our staff folders go when we close down their accounts...normally within a half term of them leaving. When students leave their folders get deleted along with their accounts...again within half a term. Essentially, the only fall back is the summer EOY backups.

[tekins]

All leavers, staff & student have work backed up to a 1tb NAS, then areas deleted from network, these backups are kept indefinitely, I suppose when the box gets full I'll have a clear out.

[enjay]

When students leave their folders get deleted along with their accounts...again within half a term.

What about students who leave part-way through Y10 or Y11 - they might need coursework at their new schools. Also, I've been advised before to keep all coursework until after results day, as the student may want to appeal the result (generally, the teachers keep copies of this elsewhere, though).