Contents

Summary

This standard details how to create, maintain and archive records in the department.

WarningYou are breaking the law if you do not meet this standard.

Categories

The categories applicable to this standard are:

Information and Data Management
  • Data Lifecycle

Purpose

Records management is the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.

Archiving is the practice of identifying data and information that is no longer active and moving it into long-term storage. Archival data and information is stored so that at any time it can be accessed and brought back into service.

How to meet this standard

What all DfE staff, including consultants, contractors and third party suppliers must do

  1. Adopt good records and information management practices when processing, storing, and managing departmental records and information.
  2. Keep accurate official records and handle information as openly as possible within the legal framework, following the Civil Service Code.
  3. Manage DfE records, wherever these records are and whatever form they are in. Individual employees do not own records, but they are responsible for managing them.

What the Departmental Records Officer (DRO) must do

  1. Lead on departmental compliance with the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended), related legislation and the recommendations set out in this policy.
  2. Ensure that information worthy of historical preservation is identified and transferred to The National Archives (TNA).
  3. Engage with business areas to ensure that they are implementing relevant retention and disposal policies and storing information in appropriate repositories in line with the guidelines set out in this policy.

The Records Management Team supports the DRO in managing paper and digital records; facilitating the review and transfer of records of historical significance to TNA.

See the Gateway to Data Compliance (DfE Intranet) for details on how to apply this standard.

Declaring conformance with this standard

Conformance with the standard must be recorded every 12 months.

Owner and contacts

Standard owner
Saheel Sankriwala
Chief Technology and Data Officer
Other point of contact
DDT Standards
Team