Why administrative school records are important
Administrative records help schools operate and comply with regulations. They are also used as legal evidence when needed.
School administrative records can also be useful for:
- former students looking for information about their time at school
- historians
- other researchers.
Types of administrative school records
Schools create and keep a range of administrative records, including:
- school council records
- school sub-committee records
- parents' club records (known in the past as Mothers' clubs or welfare clubs)
- official school policies
- school photographs
- annual publications
- school histories
- records of major events
- records of managing volunteers and visitors
- financial records
- incident management records.
School council records
School council records can be useful when looking for information about:
- the school’s 'culture', including the values the school promotes and how it displays those values
- school camps and other events
- school financial records.
Parents club records
Parents club records can be useful when looking for information about:
- parental involvement with the school
- information about major events at the school
- parents' concerns about the school.
School policies
School policies can be useful when looking for information about the rules in place at the school at a given time.
Photographs
School photographs can be useful as a visual record of school life that captures students, teachers and special events.
Publications
School publications, like yearbooks and newsletters, can be useful when looking for information about:
- the school’s ‘culture’
- school camp and other events
- staff and students.
History of administrative school records
School administration and administrative records have changed over time.
Prior to the 1980s, the Department of Education managed school administration. Schools often needed official approval before making decisions outside the classroom.
Department of Education gave schools printed enrolment books and attendance books. Schools had to fill them in and keep them up to date. District School Inspectors used printed books to write notes about their school visits.
From the 1980s, schools began to gain more control over their own management. They started making decisions about staffing and daily operations. This led to the creation of new types of school records. The department also began introducing digital systems. These systems kept some records in central department databases, including:
- all staff records from 2017
- student enrolment and financial records from the early 2000s
- teacher and office staff records from 1985.
Today, schools create administrative records using both departmental systems and local software.
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