Access to your personal files
Source: Suffolk County Council LMS Personnel
Management Guide. (Section D; Policy Document CS6)
All teachers employed by Suffolk LEA have a right to see
their own personal file, in accordance with the following guidelines:
- All requests should be in writing in the first place to
the headteacher or principal (School-based Staff)
- If the appropriate file is held at school/college, the
headteacher/principal should arrange for the individual to inspect it, under
supervision and for photocopies of any documents to be made. (You may be asked
to pay for the copies).
- All references given or received prior to 1st April 1989
should be removed and destroyed before access is granted ***.
- Where access to files held by the Area Office is
requested, the request should be referred to the appropriate Area Education
Officer who will arrange a time for inspecting the file. Such an inspection
will normally be arranged in the employee's own time and must be carried out at
the Area Office or other office where the file is held. Proof of identity may
be required. Personal files will not be despatched to schools.
- Headteachers and principals are reminded that requests
for references in respect of applicants for posts in the department ++,
including those from within the Education Department and other departmens of
the County Counil must contain a reminder as follows: "The County
Council operates a system of free access to personal files. The reference you
supply could therefore be available on request at a later date to the person to
whom it applies."
(*** The 'open file' policy did not come into force until 1989 and so any
material composed before then could have been done under different rules of
'confidentiality'.)
(++ This phrase is correctly copied from the current
Personnel Manual, but "in the department" is misleading. The reminder
applies to all references written by the headteacher / principal / line manager
for any post.)
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