This article is for SIMS schools migrating to Arbor via the GroupCall API. It explains which data types are included in the migration and how many years of historical data will transfer, helping schools understand what to expect and how to prepare.
What historical data do we migrate and how does this meet the data retention guidelines?
Our data migration process follows DfE guidance on data retention, as well as best practice advice from The Key. The migration to Arbor via GroupCall includes six years of historic student, staff and guardian data from SIMS which is compliant with statutory data retention rules.
However, it is the responsibility of schools and trusts as data controllers to keep and maintain their records for as long as required whether by statutory compliance or otherwise recommended by DfE guidance. As such, we’d recommend you keep a backup of all your data on file so you can always access it.
We have set out the legal requirements a school is required to follow regarding data contained within their MIS, and separately additional guidance schools can choose to follow in the links below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and where data retention requirements are below 6 years, or do not relate to information not contained within the MIS they have been excluded.
Statutory requirements:
- Section 2 of the Limitation Act 1980 sets out a 6 year data retention requirement
- Regulation 7 of The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 sets out a 6 year data retention requirement
- The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 sets out what is pupil information
DfE guidance refers to section 2 of The Limitation Act 1980, and Regulation 7 of The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, both of which stipulate a six year retention period
Additional guidance:
- UK GDPR: retention and disposal of records (The Key)
- Data record keeping and management (DfE)
- Pupil’s educational record and legislation schools need to adhere to (DfE)
What SIMS data do we migrate?
-
Pastoral groups:
- Year groups
- Registration forms
- Houses
- Pastoral group memberships (associated staff and student memberships)
-
Academic groups:
- Courses
- Teaching classes
- Top-level (parent) courses
- Academic group memberships (associated staff and student memberships)
-
Academic year calendar
- Academic year dates
- Terms
- Holidays
-
Agencies (e.g. doctor’s surgeries):
- Address
- Telephone
-
Behaviour
- Incident
- Location
- Staff & Student involvement
- Follow up
- Conduct
- Positive behaviour
-
Detentions
- Sessions
- Types
- Location
- Lunchtime exclusions
-
Estates information
- Sites
- Rooms
-
Exams
- Candidates (internal and external/private)
- EDI results
- EDI entries
- Invigilation
- Exam structure
- Exam forecasts
- Grade sets
-
Applicants (Accepted applicants only)
- Application details
- Admission details
- SEN status
- SEN need
- Intake season
-
Timetables (current year only)
- Staff
- Students
- Timetable periods
- Timetable pattern
-
Post-16
- Learning aims
- Learning aim enrolments
- Start and end dates
- Core aims
- Programme type
- Completion status
- Hours
- Linked qualification awards
-
Attendance
- Roll call
- Lesson attendance
-
Student records
- Absence
- Attainment
- Alternative provision
- Background information (e.g. nationality, ethnicity, in-care status, asylum/refugee status and traveler status)
- Behaviour record
- Census student funding
- Contact details
- Personal address, telephone and email
- School email address
- Court orders
- Detentions
- Dietary information
- Documents (uploaded)
- Education Health Care Plans
- Education history (previous)
- Educational enrolments
- Exclusions (fixed term and permanent)
- Funding and funding hours
- Parental consents (Arbors default consents)
- Personal Identity fields
- Language abilities and English proficiency
- Meals and Free School Meals
- Medical records
- Medical events
- Medical information
- Medical notes
- Nationality and
- Parental responsibility and guardianship
- Contact details
- User defined record
- Relationship
- Photographs
- Previous names
- Prior attainment
- Pupil premium, including early years pupil premium
- Qualification predictions
- Roll call, absences and current academic year lesson attendance
- School-led tutoring
- SEN and SEN events
- Transportation
- User defined fields
-
Staff records:
- Absences
- Allowances
- Background information (e.g. religion, sex and ethnicity)
- Business roles and positions
- Checks (eg. DBS)
- Contact information (school and personal)
- Address
- Telephone
- Contracts
- Post allowances
- Post salary
- Continuous service
- Dietary information
- Documents (uploaded)
- Emergency contacts
- Identity fields
- Impairments
- Medical information
- Next of kin
- Photographs
- Qualifications
- Education history
- HTLA status
- Qualified teacher status and route
- School workforce census eligibility
- Training
- User defined fields
- Vehicle information
- Working patterns
-
SEN
- SEN events
- SEN needs
- SEN reviews, including participants
- SEN statements
- SEN status
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