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Governance and Structure

​​​​​The University Executive Committee is responsible for all matters associated with the development and management of the university.

Records Retention Schedule

Last updated: 21 February 2023

This Records Retention Schedule provides generic guidance on the retention of common records generated by the University of Gloucestershire in the course of its normal work.

The following template should be viewed as a guide in determining the retention periods for particular document types. The retention periods noted in the template are largely derived from JISC best-practice documents although in some cases the suggested retention periods have been adjusted to University’s requirements.

Staff should refer to the JISC Higher Education Records Retention Schedule (please see ‘Printable RRS’) at the following link for a more granular breakdown of records by function, activity and record group:
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/records-retention-management

Staff can also refer to JISC guidance on records management at:
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/records-management

Schools and Professional Services departments should use this template to inform their local decision making regarding retention and refer to the JISC guidance at the links above for further advice. Retention periods may vary from the template where there are particular legislative/statutory requirements.

Document TypeActivity TypeRetention Period*
Records documenting
the institution’s
governance
arrangements.
Records documenting information
that defines the governance
arrangements of the organisation,
as well as those documenting the
business of statutory[Council]
committees (agenda, minutes /
supporting papers)
Permanent
Records documenting
the institution’s
relationships and
responsibilities to
statutory bodies and
in meeting its legal
responsibilities.
Records documenting
information that:
• The institution is legally obliged
to provide to the funding and
statutory bodies
• Underpin the institution’s
arrangements in meeting
legislative requirements (e.g.
health and safety strategies / equality and diversity policies)
Permanent
Core student data
held in student records system.
Personal identifiers and final
award details (including
confirmed module result data)
Permanent
Records documenting
the institution’s
strategic and
corporate plans and those defining
relationships with trade unions.
All corporate / strategic level documents (both at institutional
and functional level) for example:
• Strategic Plan
• Research / Teaching and
Learning Strategy
• Risk / Performance
Management Plans
• Agreements with Trade Unions
• Details of Funding Allocations
Superseded
+ 10 years then review
for archiving
value
Records documenting
the institution’s
regulations and policies.
Records documenting the establishment of all key
policies and regulations,
including those related to staff
and student behaviour.
For example:
• Academic Regulations
• Tuition Fees Policies
• HR Policies
Superseded
+ 10 years then review
for archiving
value
Records documenting
the handling of
enquiries made
by those
external to the
institution (statutory).
Records documenting enquiries
and requests from individuals/organisations.
For example:
• Freedom of Information
requests
• Subject access requests
• Correspondence with
Information Commissioner’s
Office
Last action + 3 years, then
destroy
Records documenting
relationships with
collaborative partners.
Records relating to cooperative
partnerships and collaborative
arrangements with other institutions.
End of
partnership
+ 6 years, then
review for
archiving value.
Records documenting
the organisation’s
financial management
arrangements.
Records detailing University’s
accounts, payroll handling,
procurement, tax
arrangements, investments, insurance management etc.
End of current
financial year + 6 years, then
review for
archiving value
Records documenting
assessment and non-assessment related
advice given to students
and decisions made
about a student, including documents that support
the decision making.
Records documenting the conduct and results of:
• Course and Module /
Award Boards of Examiners
• Disciplinary hearings
• Academic appeals / student complaints
• Fitness to practise
• Notes from ‘advisory’ meetings with tutors
• Assessment offence hearings
• Assessment feedback documents (not the assessment itself)
• Admissions documentation
Last action on case, or formal
confirmation of outcome by appropriate body
or, completion of
award+ 6 years,
then destroy
Research Degrees.Records documenting the agreement of
proposals, supervisions, the conduct of
formal assessment undertaken and
submission of final artefact.
Completion of
award + 6 years,
then review for
archival value
Records documenting
the institution’s
procedural
arrangements for its
operations, and the
work of non-statutory
committees (e.g. not
University Council
committees).
Records documenting the establishment of key operating procedures.
For example:
• Records documenting the
conduct of the business of
a non-statutory committee (agenda, minutes,
supporting documents)
• Procedures for the validation and review of taught programmes
• Procedures for undertaking
administrative tasks in a student’s programme
Superseded + 5
years then review
for archiving
value.
Records documenting
the review, analysis,
monitoring and
performance of
operations.
Records documenting the establishment and use of activities used to monitor the
impact or measure the performance of particular activity. For example:
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys
• Performance Management Reviews
• Retention analysis
NB: If data not anonymised,
it must meet requirements
set out in ICO
anonymisation guidance
to comply with
Data Protection legislation
Current Year + 5
years then review for archiving
value
Records documenting
the handling of
non-statutory
communications with those external to the organisation.
Records documenting general
communications with those external to the organisation and the internal handling
of related responses.
For example:
• Press release
• Marketing campaigns
Last Action + 2
years, then
review for
archival value.
Records documenting
the planning and
completion of
specifically defined
activities, and the
completion of day-to-day administrative
tasks.
Non-strategic / non-sensitive
administrative information (not required to be retained
for external reporting
purposes) documenting the
design, organisation, operation and summary results of a specific set of activities for a
defined end point:
• Induction Programmes
• Open Days
• Examinations
• Award Ceremonies
Completion of
activity +1 year,
then destroy
Records documenting
the handling of
enquiries made by
individuals/organisations
external to the
institution (non-statutory).
Records documenting enquiries, public
complaints and
requests from individuals/organisations. For example:
• Reference requests
• Complaint by resident
Last action + 1
year, then
destroy
Records documenting
membership of
professional associations
and maintenance of
accreditation.
Records documenting the establishment of corporate
or individual (institutionallyfunded) membership of:
• Professional associations
• Institution’s official representation on
committees of other organisations in
the sector
• Attainment and maintenance of
accreditation under an independent quality management scheme.
Termination of
membership
+ 1 year, then
destroy
Assessments (taught
students).
Work submitted by students for assessment:
• Assignments / Examination scripts /Portfolios / Dissertations
(these are assessments held by the assignment room)
Mark confirmed
by Board of
Examiners + 3
months, then
destroy
Assessment (taught
students).
Samples of assessed work include:
• Coursework
Examination scripts
• Major/final year projects
(samples should comprise good, intermediate, bare-pass and fails)
Current

year +5 years, then destroy

Please refer to the Human Resources Management Records Retention Schedule** for retention periods relating to the following activities:

*At the end of the specified retention period, departments are required to record what has happened to a document (retained for archival value or destroyed) and when the action happened.

** http://www.glos.ac.uk/docs/download/Retention-Schedule-Human-Resources.pdf

Records which may be routinely destroyed

As a rule, the following types of records have no significant operational, informational or evidential value. They can therefore be destroyed as soon as they have served their primary purpose.

Examples

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