Outleap Data Retention Policy (School Template)

Status: Approved baseline template. Durations below are Outleap default retention periods and should be reflected in contract terms.

1. Purpose

Set clear retention windows, deletion triggers, and governance controls for personal data processed through Outleap.

2. Scope

Applies to student, teacher, school-admin, and operational records within Outleap platform processing.

3. Default Retention Schedule

Dataset	Example content	Default retention period	Notes
Account and directory metadata	User IDs, role, school linkage, login metadata	Contract term + 12 months	Supports investigation, access history checks, and controlled offboarding
Evidence Bank entries	Structured evidence, skills tags, supporting context	End of current application cycle + 12 months	Keeps reusable evidence available through the active cycle while limiting long-tail storage
Draft statements (unsubmitted)	In-progress Q1/Q2/Q3 text	End of current UCAS cycle + 12 months	Keeps continuity for late applications/resits while limiting long-tail storage
Submitted statements + published feedback	Submission snapshots, feedback output, status history	End of UCAS cycle + 24 months	Supports school quality review and post-results support
Reference workflow records (where references enabled)	Reference drafts, accepted edits, finalised reference exports	End of UCAS cycle + 24 months	Retain only where references are enabled for the school
Non-university workflow records (future scope)	CV, cover-letter and competency-answer workspaces are in development and are not part of current processing. Retention windows would be agreed before any such workstream is enabled for the school.	Not processed today	Listed for completeness only; not a current retention category
Admin/audit records	Role changes, publish actions, reminder actions	24 months	Supports accountability and incident review
Reminder and notification metadata	Send timestamps, milestone flags, delivery metadata	12 months	Operational evidence only; avoid storing unnecessary message content
Safeguarding-linked workflow notes (if used)	Restricted staff records	Per school safeguarding policy	School policy takes precedence for child protection obligations

4. Deletion Triggers

Delete or archive according to agreed policy when one of the following occurs:

• Retention period expires.
• Contract ends and handover/export window closes.
• Valid erasure request applies and no overriding legal basis exists.

5. Deletion and Archive Method

• Remove records from live application datasets.
• Allow managed backup lifecycle to expire per platform backup controls.
• Record deletion actions in auditable operational logs where applicable.

6. Access During Retention

• Role-based, least-privilege access only.
• Regular review of admin/staff access rights.
• Immediate removal of access when no longer required.

7. Legal Holds and Exceptions

Data may be retained beyond baseline periods where required for:

• safeguarding duties,
• active complaints/disputes,
• legal or regulatory obligations.

Any extension should include rationale, approver, and review date.

8. Governance and Review

• School owner: [Name + role]
• Supplier owner (template): Jesse Merrigan (Director, Outleap Limited), hello@outleap.io
• Last reviewed: [YYYY-MM-DD]
• Next review due: [YYYY-MM-DD]

9. Related Documents

• Data Processing Agreement
• DPIA
• AI Safety Policy
• School records management and safeguarding policies