In every government-owned or private school, education law demands that essential school records must be kept. There are two types of school records; statutory and non-statutory records. When records are properly kept, they help to reconstruct the history of the school.
The keeping of statutory and non-statutory records is a professional obligation of teachers, school managers and principals. Statutory and non-statutory records provide information for the school head and the teachers, which enables them to plan and prepare their work effectively.
For example, through statutory records in school, an incoming principal can acquire enough information and knowledge about the history of the school, its tradition and problems, as well as its administrative set-up and its relationship with its environment.
Also, statutory records can help a teacher taking up a subject or class from another know where the other one stopped, and also from the assessment recorded by his predecessor, he could have an idea of the average ability of the class and the behaviour of the students.
By definition, schools records are documented statements of facts about persons, events, facilities, proposals and activities in and about the school. These school activities are recorded and stored for retrieval when they are needed.
Thus, school records simply mean those official documents, books and files containing vital information of actions and events concerning school which are kept and preserved in school for utilization when needed. These school records can be numerous and are usually assigned or delegated to members of staff.
Statutory and Non Statutory Records
Statutory records are those prescribed by education law and so must be owned by every school and should be produced on demand by constituted authorities. Non-statutory records are of private use to schools that find them useful.
These school records are important because they serve as major information tools that sustain the school and aid in achieving educational goals and objectives. Records engender teaching competence and maintain the trend in the history of teaching and learning processes.
50 list of Statutory Records in schools
There are different types of statutory records kept in schools. This record may differ depending on the school policies. This thus means, the statutory records kept in school A may be different from statutory records kept in school B. However, the list below is the standard records a school should keep.
- Admission/Withdrawal Register
- Annual Leave Roster
- Assignment Books For Teachers
- Attendance Register
- Cash Book Or Ledger
- Conduct Book Or Punishment Book
- Continuous Assessments Records
- Diary Of Work
- Disciplinary Committee File
- Duty Roster Records
- Education Inspectors Reports
- Ex-Students Records
- Examination Record Book
- Finance Record Books
- History Of The School
- Inspection Report Book/File
- Inventory Or Stock Book
- Lesson Notes/Plans
- Minutes Books
- National Curricula On Different Subjects
- National Policy On Education
- Organizational Charts
- Pupils/Individual Files
- Query Book
- Record Of Building And Physical Development In The School.
- Record Of Pupil’s Academic Performance
- Records Of Clubs Activities
- Records Of Games And Sporting Activities
- Records Of Physical Development In Health
- Records Of Pupil’s Personal Hygiene
- Scheme Of Work
- School Budget
- School Clubs/Societies
- School Diary
- School Impress Account
- School Land Papers
- School Time Table
- Sports And Games Record File
- Staff Records
- Teachers’ Annual Evaluation Reports
- The Attendance Register
- The Logbook
- The School Time-Table
- The Staff Movement Book
- The Subject Syllabus
- Transfer And Leaving Certification
- Transfer Certificate Books
- Visitor’s Book
- Weekly Diary Of Work
10 Non-Statutory Records
- Cash Book
- Confidential Report Forms
- Inspection/Supervision Report File
- Inventory Book
- Punishment Book
- Requisition Book
- School Calendar
- School Magazine
- Staff Minutes Book
- Stock Book