Data Retention Policy
Chik Montessori School Effective Date: September 2026 Applies to: Chik Montessori School, Chik College, chik.ng, the Chik App, and related School digital services
1. Purpose
This Data Retention Policy sets out how long Chik Montessori School keeps different categories of information, when retention starts, and what happens when a retention period ends.
It should be read together with the Privacy Policy (including how long we keep personal information), the Terms of Service (including account deactivation and closure), and the Parent & Guardian Access Policy (including why ending App access does not necessarily erase School records).
Chik handles personal information relating to children, families, and staff. We do not keep information indefinitely merely because our systems can store it. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, personal data must not be retained longer than is necessary for the lawful purpose for which it was collected or further processed. When the relevant purpose has been achieved or is no longer pursued, we reassess whether continued retention is justified.
The periods below are Chik's policy for the categories described. They are not a substitute for legal advice. Financial, employment, safeguarding, and formal education-record periods may also be affected by other applicable Nigerian laws and professional requirements. Categories marked with * need final verification against those requirements before any automated enforcement in the Chik App.
2. Permanent school record vs operational data
Some information forms part of the School's permanent institutional and academic record. Other information is operational — useful for day-to-day administration but not something that should be kept forever.
Permanent school record does not mean that every detail about a student is kept without limit. It means a deliberately limited historical record that the School may retain so it can act as an institution over time — for example, if a former student later asks the School to confirm attendance or provide a formal result from a past year.
Permanent school records may include, as applicable:
- student name and Student identifier;
- dates of attendance and classes or levels attended;
- admission information necessary to identify the student;
- formal results, certificates, or completion records; and
- other information the School reasonably determines must form part of its official historical academic record.
Operational data — such as daily assignments, login events, routine notifications, or timetables from past terms — is retained only for the periods in the schedule below unless a legal hold applies (see Section 8).
3. Retention schedule
| Record | Retention period | Retention starts | Final action | Notes / exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student core profile | Permanent school record | Student leaves | Restricted archive | Limited to permanent school record fields; other profile data follows rows below |
| Admission / enrolment | 10 years | Student leaves | Delete except permanent core | Information needed for the permanent record is retained as part of that record |
| Parent / guardian relationships | 6 years | Student leaves or relationship ends | Delete except necessary history | Does not delete another person's account; see Parent & Guardian Access Policy |
| Attendance | 6 years | End of academic session | Delete / anonymise | |
| Timetables | 2 years | End of academic session | Delete | |
| Scheme of Work | Permanent institutional archive | Superseded | Archive | Curriculum and institutional history |
| Teacher Logs | 6 years | End of academic session | Delete / anonymise | |
| Assignments | 2 years | End of academic session | Delete | |
| Quiz responses (non-formal) | 2 years | End of academic session | Delete / anonymise | |
| Formal results / formal assessments | Permanent school record | Result finalised | Restricted archive | Distinct from routine quiz or practice data |
| Bills | 7 years* | Financial year | Delete / archive | *Verify against applicable tax and accounting obligations |
| Payments | 7 years* | Transaction / financial year | Restricted archive | *Verify against applicable tax and accounting obligations |
| Payment allocations | 7 years* | Transaction / financial year | Restricted archive | *Verify against applicable tax and accounting obligations |
| Receipts | 7 years* | Transaction / financial year | Restricted archive | *Verify against applicable tax and accounting obligations |
| Reversals / refunds | 7 years* | Transaction / financial year | Restricted archive | *Verify against applicable tax and accounting obligations |
| General announcements | 2 years | Publication | Delete / archive | Selected institutional announcements may be archived longer |
| Guardian-access requests | 6 years | Matter closed | Delete | Includes access review and related administrative correspondence |
| Login history | 18 months | Event date | Delete | |
| Security / audit logs | 24 months | Event date | Delete | |
| Closed or deactivated user account | 2 years | Account closure or deactivation | Delete / anonymise residual account data | Does not require deletion of all School records linked to the user; see Terms of Service |
| Backups | 90 days | Backup creation | Automatic deletion | Rolling backup cycle |
* Financial records: The 7-year periods for bills, payments, and related financial records are Chik's working policy pending confirmation against applicable Nigerian tax, accounting, and company recordkeeping requirements.
4. Safeguarding and custody records
Safeguarding and custody information is too sensitive for a single fixed number in a general table. Retaining it too briefly could harm a child; retaining it indefinitely without justification creates its own privacy risk.
| Record | Retention period | Retention starts | Final action | Notes / exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding records | According to Chik Safeguarding Records Retention Schedule | Case closure and/or student leaving, as applicable | Secure restricted archive, then confidential destruction | Separate schedule maintained by the School; not governed by ordinary operational periods alone |
| Court orders / custody documents | Duration of relevance plus defined post-expiry period | Order expires or student leaves, as applicable | Restricted archive, then confidential destruction | Retained only while relevant and as required by law or School safeguarding procedures |
Until the Safeguarding Records Retention Schedule is published separately, requests about safeguarding retention should be directed to the School through official contact channels.
5. Photographs and media
“Student photographs” covers different purposes. Retention follows why the image was collected, not merely that it is stored in the App.
| Category | Retention period | Retention starts | Final action | Notes / exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student profile photo | While enrolled plus 1 year | Student leaves or image replaced | Delete | Administrative use only |
| Classroom / activity photographs | 2 years after academic session ends | Session end or purpose ends | Review, then delete or archive | Delete where no ongoing educational or institutional purpose |
| Publicity / social-media photographs | Per consent and stated purpose | Consent ends, purpose ends, or student leaves | Delete unless archived as official history with appropriate basis | Governed by publicity consent records |
| Official historical photographs | Permanent institutional archive | Event occurred | Archive | e.g. graduation, prize-giving, documented School history |
| Publicity consent records | 6 years after consent ends or student leaves | Consent ends or student leaves | Delete / archive | Evidence of consent and scope |
6. Communications
For messages and similar communications, content and purpose determine the record category — not the fact that the communication was sent through the Chik App.
| Category | Retention period | Retention starts | Final action | Notes / exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routine parent–school communication | 2 years | Last message in thread | Delete / archive | General administrative messages |
| Academic / student-record communication | With relevant student record | Per student record rules | Delete / archive / permanent record as applicable | Retained with the student information it supports |
| Financial communication | 7 years* | Financial year / matter closed | Restricted archive | *Same financial verification as Section 3 |
| Complaint / dispute communication | 6 years | Matter closed | Delete / archive | |
| Safeguarding communication | Safeguarding schedule | Matter closed | Per Section 4 | |
| Access / privacy request communication | 6 years | Request closed | Delete / archive | Includes DSAR and access-review correspondence |
7. Staff and employment records
Staff records involve employment law and professional obligations that require separate verification before Chik publishes final fixed periods or automates deletion.
| Record | Retention period | Retention starts | Final action | Notes / exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff employment profile | To be confirmed* | Employment ends | Delete / archive except institutional record where justified | *Pending employment-law review |
| Teacher activity records (operational) | 6 years | End of academic session or employment ends | Delete / anonymise | Does not include formal records required as part of permanent school or employment record |
When confirmed, staff retention periods will be added to this policy or to an employment-specific notice published by the School.
8. Legal and administrative holds
A scheduled deletion, anonymisation, or destruction may be temporarily suspended where the relevant information is reasonably required for an ongoing:
- safeguarding matter;
- complaint or investigation;
- legal claim or court proceeding;
- regulatory or data-protection request;
- audit or financial dispute; or
- other legitimate administrative or legal matter.
Information subject to a hold is retained only for as long as the reason for the hold continues. Once the hold ends, the record returns to its ordinary retention schedule.
Retention expiry + active hold = do not delete.
9. What happens at the end of a retention period
At the end of an applicable retention period (and when no legal hold applies), Chik will review the information and, as appropriate:
- delete it where it is no longer required;
- anonymise it where statistical or historical information remains useful without identifying individuals;
- archive it with appropriately restricted access where continued retention is justified; or
- retain a limited record where it forms part of the School's permanent institutional or academic record.
This aligns with the approach described in the Privacy Policy on retention and disposal.
10. Internal records retention schedule
This public policy summarises categories and periods for parents, staff, and other users. Chik also maintains an internal records retention schedule with more technical detail (systems, owners, lawful purposes, and enforcement actions). That internal schedule is used for School administration and may guide future automated retention in the Chik App. It is not published in full on the website.
11. Changes to this policy
Chik may update this policy when School operations, applicable law, safeguarding requirements, or the Chik App change. Material updates may be communicated through the App, chik.ng, or other appropriate channels.
Where a category is not yet ready for a definite public period, it may be omitted from the schedule above until the School has confirmed the rule.
12. Contact
Questions about retention of personal information should be submitted using the contact process in the Privacy Policy. Questions about access to a student should be handled under the Parent & Guardian Access Policy.
Chik Montessori School
Data Retention Policy • September 2026