Should schools remove the address and date of birth columns from the Single Central Record?

The DfE has not stated that this information cannot be recorded on the SCR, we have however reminded schools that any records are subject to both GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and that they should handle any information appropriately.

There is no statutory duty for schools to include the Date of Birth or Address details on the Single Central Record (SCR), however schools and colleges are free to record any other information they deem relevant. Schools may consider it more appropriate to only hold this type of information on personnel files, but it is for schools to determine.

It is likely that schools are recording this information as part of the mandatory identity check. Whilst the single central record must indicate whether identity checks have been carried out and the date on which each check was completed it does not require the schools to record the DoB or address details.