Change of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/retention-schedule-for-data-processed-by-dfe

Change description : 2026-09-07 12:15:00: Added retention periods for records relating to applications for training or vacancies; exemptions from the early years foundation stage statutory framework; teacher recruitment and retention, used to inform policy development, support analysis and produce national statistics; online forms on Department for Education (DfE) websites; the music hubs programme; and due diligence checks for roles to support DfE, such as experts or speakers. [Guidance and regulation]

Showing diff : 2026-06-09 15:04:16.961609821 +00:00..2026-09-07 11:16:42.409429484 +00:00

Guidance

Retention schedule for data processed by DfE

Guidance to help users identify the retention periods for data processed by DfE.the Department for Education (DfE).

From:
Department for Education
PublishedPublished:
2 December 2025
Last updatedupdated:
97 JuneSeptember 2026 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

DfE retention schedule

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Details

How DfE manages the retention of information in line with business requirements and legal obligations.

Updates to this page

Published 2 December 2025
Last updated 97 JuneSeptember 2026 href="#full-history">+— show Show all updates

  1. Added retention periods for records relating to applications for training or vacancies; exemptions from the early years foundation stage statutory framework; teacher recruitment and retention, used to inform policy development, support analysis and produce national statistics; online forms on Department for Education (DfE) websites; the music hubs programme; and due diligence checks for roles to support DfE, such as experts or speakers.

  2. Updated retention periods for records relating to breaches; census and data collections; Student Loan Company data; policy development and service improvements – evidence gathering through user research; specific research projects; and statistics

  3. Added retention periods for Intercountry adoption cases, Get Information About Schools (GIAS), Student Load Company data extracts, External users of DfE’s Microsoft365 environment, Attendance at breakfast clubs, Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA), Pseudonymised datasets deposited on Office for National Statistics (ONS) and UK Data Service (UKDS) (University of Essex), Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) accreditations, and referrals relating to teacher misconduct.

  4. First published.

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Update history

2026-09-07 12:15
Added retention periods for records relating to applications for training or vacancies; exemptions from the early years foundation stage statutory framework; teacher recruitment and retention, used to inform policy development, support analysis and produce national statistics; online forms on Department for Education (DfE) websites; the music hubs programme; and due diligence checks for roles to support DfE, such as experts or speakers.

2026-06-09 16:04
Updated retention periods for records relating to breaches; census and data collections; Student Loan Company data; policy development and service improvements – evidence gathering through user research; specific research projects; and statistics

2026-02-26 15:52
Added retention periods for Intercountry adoption cases, Get Information About Schools (GIAS), Student Load Company data extracts, External users of DfE’s Microsoft365 environment, Attendance at breakfast clubs, Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA), Pseudonymised datasets deposited on Office for National Statistics (ONS) and UK Data Service (UKDS) (University of Essex), Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) accreditations, and referrals relating to teacher misconduct.

2025-12-02 10:00
First published.