Most teacher discipline records are not open to the public. This is because they include private and sensitive information about people.
To see your own record, even if you are a current or former teacher, you must make a Freedom of Information request.
See Freedom of information requests: Department of Education.
If you are a victim-survivor
If you experienced child sexual abuse at a Victorian school and want to see a teacher’s discipline record, help is available.
For more on teacher discipline records, check accessing school records as a victim-survivor.
For information and support go to Victim-survivor support for former students.
Restricted records – 1940s onwards
Discipline records from the 1940s to today are not open to the public. These records have sensitive details about the accused and the complainant. The department keeps these records private.
Publicly available records – 1860s to mid-1940s
Until the 1940s, there were no specific teacher discipline records. Instead, teachers and the department discussed discipline matters in letters. The department kept these letters in its general correspondence files.
You can find discipline records from the 1860s to 1946 at the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). You can view them in person at PROV's reading room in North Melbourne.
For help with ordering records, see how to get records from PROV.
The department began keeping separate teacher discipline files in 1982. That's when the department took charge of managing teachers and their discipline.
PROV collections with teacher discipline records
Use the VPRS (Victorian Public Record Series) number to search for collections.
Correspondence
Central Registered Correspondence Register: 1873 to 1986 – VPRS 794.
Note: these correspondence files go up to 1986. They do not include discipline matters after 1946, when the Teachers Tribunal began. Records from the Teachers Tribunal are not public. See restricted records.
Special Case Files
Special Case Files created between 1862 and 1977 contain records of important correspondence. These files were grouped by topics that were significant at the time. A matter may have been classified as special because of its size, complexity, or the seniority of the staff managing it. It could also be special if the matters were sensitive in nature.
You can view the digitised register of Special Case Files (VPRS 5676) online at the PROV website. Use this A-Z list to find the names of people or schools and their case numbers (1–1,149) for these files:
- Special Case Files: 1862 to 1946 - VPRS 892/P0. This collection includes teacher discipline records.
- Special Case Files: 1946 to 1977 - VPRS 892/P2. This collection does not include teacher discipline records. That’s because the Teachers Tribunal started in 1946. Records from the Teachers Tribunal are not public (see restricted records).
For more information, see Special Case Files.
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