What are school staff employment records

School staff employment records show where and when a person was employed, and other details about their employment.

School staff include both teaching and non-teaching roles. Their employment may be managed either by the department (centrally) or by the school (locally). The type of employment records kept depends on how, when and where the person was employed, and what kind of work they did.

Teaching staff records

Summary teacher service records

Summary teacher service records give an overview of each teacher’s work history in Victorian government schools.

These records have been made in different formats over time and include different types of information. From the early 1990s, this can include a Statement of Service. If you are a current or former teacher and wish to ask for a Statement of Service or other employment records, go to: Employment records for current and former school employees.

Teacher service records can include the following information about each teacher:

• name
• date of birth
• schools taught at (often identified by school number, not the name of the school)
• classification (this relates to the rate of pay, based on assessment, promotion or years of service)
• authority (the date the teacher commenced at a particular school)
• remarks (until 1982, when School Inspector positions ceased).

Other details sometimes included are:

• place of birth
• qualifications
• assessments.

Teacher service history records

The first records of teachers in Victoria were entered in the Teacher Record Books in 1863. These books were in use until 1959. These records are accessible from the Public Record Office Victoria. See How to access school staff employment records to find out more.

Teacher record books were replaced by teacher service history cards in 1960, and were in use until 1982. Teacher service history cards are at the Public Record Office Victoria, arranged into three collections by school type:

• primary
• secondary
• technical.

Due to the age of these records, they are not accessible to the public to protect personal privacy. Individuals may request access to their own record.

The cards were phased out of use in the mid-1980s and replaced by the Teacher Management System (TMS) database. The TMS was often referred to as 'Genius'.

In 1998 this information was transferred to the Human Resources Management System (HRMS).

The HRMS was replaced by eduPay in 2011 which is the current summary system in use in schools and the department.

Teacher lists by school

The Teacher Inventory by School registers, created between 1893 and 1955, give a summary of teaching positions in government schools. They are arranged by school number and list teachers’ names, how long they worked at each school, and why they left.

These records are held at the Public Record Office Victoria. See How to access school staff employment records to find out more.

Detailed personnel files, leave and salary records

Personnel files began in the 1960s and became common in the 1970s and 1980s. Before then, it was not required to keep all employment records for each worker together in one file.

An employee’s personnel file includes a range of information, such as:

• evidence of date of birth and qualifications
• pre-employment and appointment documentation
• evidence of registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (for teaching positions), for more information about records of teacher registration, go to Teacher registration in Victoria.
• evidence of a Working With Children Check (for non-teaching positions only)
• health information
• records relating to probation and salary progression
• performance management records
• leave applications
• authorisations for the payment of allowances or salary changes
• cessation documentation.

The following records are not placed in a personnel file:

• selection process documents
• taxation forms (Tax File Number Declarations and Withholding Declarations)
• workers' compensation claim(s). A separate file is created in the school for any such records (note: where a school-based employee transfers to another location, the file must stay in the location where the injury occurred)
• documentation relating to complaints, unsatisfactory performance or misconduct proceedings.

These records are kept securely by the Department of Education. Because they contain private and sensitive information, they are not available to the public.

Leave Cards

Leave cards were created between 1890 and 1975 to record when teachers took leave. They were also used to confirm a teacher’s leave dates and to show when they were employed.

Salary History Cards

Salary History Cards were created between 1927 and 1982 and contained a complete record of each employee’s:

• classification
• salary
• salary deductions
• entitlements
• work location.

The cards showed the rights and responsibilities of both the employer and the employee. They covered the period during and after employment. The cards were also used for audits.

They were maintained by the department's Accounts Branch. Salary history cards have been used to confirm salary information for teachers. But, they are also used as proof of a teacher's employment periods.

Leave and salary history cards are accessible from the Public Record Office Victoria. See How to access school staff employment records to find out more.

Locally employed relief teacher records

From 1983, schools could hire relief teachers directly through the school council. Records for these locally hired teachers were kept at the school. The records were sometimes called 'local payroll' or 'School Council staff' records.

Since 2017, school council employees have been included in the school local payroll component of eduPay (the department's digital payroll system). This means the department now keeps summary information about these staff in one central system. Schools may also keep their own records with details not stored in eduPay.

This does not include teachers employed through an agency.

Non-teaching staff

The department does not have full employment records for non-teaching school staff before the 1930s.

From the 1930s to 1982, the department’s central payroll office handled pay for non-teaching staff. These records are also incomplete.

Locally employed non-teaching staff

From 1983, schools were allowed to hire their own non-teaching staff. This included teacher aides, office staff and groundskeepers. Records for these staff, sometimes called 'local payroll' or 'School Council staff' records, are kept at the school that employed them.

Since 2017, the department has kept summary information about these staff in a central system.