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Julie Tyrell
21-04-2006, 8:36 PM
Though I have made tremendous progess with my Nan's parents (or lack of them), I still am unable to find out where or who my Nan was living with from 1924-1929. I need to find out this so hopefully it will lead me to her missing mother.

I wondered if it was at all possible to access school records, if there is such a thing.

If there are records kept from schools, does anybody know what information is held?

Also, on a similiar thread, hospital records, do they exist??

Or am I still up against the 100yr hurdle??

Thanks Julie

Colin Moretti
21-04-2006, 10:07 PM
Hello Julie

School records - you'll have to enquire at the Record Office in the county where the school was. The 100 year rule certainly doesn't apply to most school records when they've survived, it can be very patchy. I've personally looked at records for my parents schools in London in the 1920s. The information available can be very mixed.

Hospitals - Details of surviving hospital records and their locations can be found at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/ I think that the 100 year rule applies to most patient medical records but not to staff, administration or admission and discharge registers although a shorter period may apply.

Good luck

Colin

Julie Tyrell
21-04-2006, 10:11 PM
Thanks Colin,

You just never know when the tinest piece of information might just knock down the largest of walls.

We can trace our accestors back to the 1600's yet I can't sort out the 1920's very frustrating at times.

Another phone call to the most disorganised archives office in the Uk!!!

Julie

Archives
10-11-2007, 1:51 PM
Hello Julie

School records - you'll have to enquire at the Record Office in the county where the school was. The 100 year rule certainly doesn't apply to most school records when they've survived, it can be very patchy. I've personally looked at records for my parents schools in London in the 1920s. The information available can be very mixed.

Hospitals - Details of surviving hospital records and their locations can be found at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/ I think that the 100 year rule applies to most patient medical records but not to staff, administration or admission and discharge registers although a shorter period may apply.

Good luck

Colin
The 100 year rule does apply to school admission registers and school log books, as they are subject to data protection. However, if you are using them for family history purposes then you should be able to access them, depending on the policy of the archive they are kept in. There is no law saying that schools have to deposit their records - there are probably loads throughout the country kept in ex-headteachers lofts as many saw them as their property, rather than the school's.

Guy Etchells
10-11-2007, 2:55 PM
Where in the Data Protection Act does it mention anything about the imaginary 100 year rule.
1) The Data Protection Act is about accuracy of retained records not secrecy.
2) Under the Data Protection Act sensitive personal data is -

In this Act “sensitive personal data” means personal data consisting of information as to— (a) the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject,
(b) his political opinions,
(c) his religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature,
(d) whether he is a member of a trade union (within the meaning of the [1992 c. 52.] Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992),
(e) his physical or mental health or condition,
(f) his sexual life,
(g) the commission or alleged commission by him of any offence, or
(h) any proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed by him, the disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceedings.


Not the type of records a school keeps about its pupils.

The issue of the mythical 100 year rule (which only ever applied to public records for the period 1966-2000) is total and utter rubbish bandied about by jobs-worths. It does not exist, the 100 year rule was repealed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Cheers
Guy

Archives
10-11-2007, 3:11 PM
Where in the Data Protection Act does it mention anything about the imaginary 100 year rule.
1) The Data Protection Act is about accuracy of retained records not secrecy.
2) Under the Data Protection Act sensitive personal data is -

In this Act “sensitive personal data” means personal data consisting of information as to— (a) the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject,
(b) his political opinions,
(c) his religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature,
(d) whether he is a member of a trade union (within the meaning of the [1992 c. 52.] Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992),
(e) his physical or mental health or condition,
(f) his sexual life,
(g) the commission or alleged commission by him of any offence, or
(h) any proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed by him, the disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceedings.


Not the type of records a school keeps about its pupils.

The issue of the mythical 100 year rule (which only ever applied to public records for the period 1966-2000) is total and utter rubbish bandied about by jobs-worths. It does not exist, the 100 year rule was repealed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Cheers
Guy
Sheesh, sorry! Different archives have different policies covering access, so some do still close records which have personal information in them which may be of a sensitive nature. This can include school admission registers and log books.

Peter Goodey
10-11-2007, 3:24 PM
I think that the 100 year rule applies to most patient medical records

She is talking about a dead ancestor. If the records exist there should be no problem getting hold of them.

Ed Bradford
10-11-2007, 4:13 PM
Guy, please excuse my ignorance of English law. I ask the following so that I might be informed. My question concerns arrest and court records. Here in the States court records are a matter of public record and available to the public unless it concerns a juvenile or the judge has sealed the records for some reason. Arrest records and the results of court trials are usually published in the newspaper. The results of most cases are available online. Is the same thing true in England?

...............Ed