Accessing pupil records

The Council and its schools must keep information on the progress of each pupil.

All pupils in West Dunbartonshire will have a pupil progress record (PPR).

Your child's progress record will contain a variety of information, including:

• address
• emergency contact details
• pupil's educational progress, for example test results
• achievement information, e.g. any positions of responsibility your child held in the school 

This record may contain information from many services:

• nursery
• schools
• psychological services
• careers service
• community education
• further education

Your child's record may also keep a note of other information, for example, about the pupil's medical history, family background, and any other information that they need to know to ensure each pupil receives the best possible education.

The way in which the information is stored will vary between schools. Some will store all the information on computer, while others will keep a mixture of electronic and paper records.

The information in your child's progress record will only be used for the purpose of supervising their educational development. Pupil records will be retained by the final school your child attends for a period of five years.

Access to pupil's records

You and your child have the right to see their school records.

Our authority has an open approach to pupil records. Therefore, we hope that an informal discussion with the appropriate member of staff would meet your needs.

If you wish to make a formal request, then this should be made to the Head Teacher or appropriate Head of Establishment.

Once you have sent a request then:

• the school should provide access to the record within 40 days
• there is no duty on the school to provide a copy, but the Head Teacher can agree to this and there may be a small fee (maximum £10)
• if records are inaccurate then we will change the record if we are sure that the new information is correct.

School records will not be disclosed if:

• the record would give information about another pupil
• the record holder believes that disclosure would cause serious harm to the pupil in question or to someone else
• the record holder believes that disclosure might affect the prevention or detection of a crime.

You should make a formal written request for any information held on your child's record if it relates to health issues or information from the Reporter to the Children's Panel.

If your request for access or change of a record has been refused, you can appeal in writing within 28 days.