Big Changes to School Archives in Victoria: What You Need to Know
The Department of Education’s School Records Reform Program (SRRP) is now underway, and it marks a major shift in how government schools across Victoria manage their archives.
Through this program, the Department is identifying and removing permanent and long-term temporary (LTT) records from Smart Stack systems in schools. These records will be carefully boxed, labelled, and transferred to the Department’s storage provider, for secure long-term preservation.
What’s Not Included
It’s important to note that short-term temporary records (records that have to be retained for <15 years) and time-expired records remain the responsibility of schools. These are out of scope for the Department’s removal program. That means anything with a retention period under 15 years will continue to sit with the school.
Why this matters for schools
Once the Department has removed permanent and LTT records, schools will be left managing only the shorter-term documents. This creates the perfect opportunity to:
Review your local archive room – clear out what’s expired or unnecessary.
Put better systems in place – to ensure compliance and make retrieval easier.
Engage experts – Smart Records Group can help implement a tailored archive solution for your school so you stay on top of compliance moving forward.
Next steps
The SRRP is a unique chance to reset your school’s recordkeeping. With the permanent and long-term records now securely managed offsite, it’s the right time to build a modern, well-organised system for everything that stays.
At Smart Records Group, we’re ready to help schools make the most of this transition. Get in touch with us to discuss how we can support your school’s compliance and archiving needs.
Current Customers
We are working with the department to ensure a smooth transition for your records. If you have already been visited by DE, click on the button below for help with updating your database!
