1. Scope
This policy explains how long information in AkademicNest is kept, what happens when a subscription ends, how deletion works, and what deletion cannot undo.
Retention is decided by two parties:
- The school decides how long to keep its pupils' and staff's records. It is the controller and may have its own legal obligations.
- AkademicNest decides how long to keep the operational records it holds as controller, such as audit records, page views and payment records.
2. Current position
At present, AkademicNest does not delete records automatically.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Automatic deletion of records | Not yet in place |
| Audit records | Kept without a fixed deletion date |
| Page view records (including IP addresses) | Kept without a fixed deletion date |
| Result lookup records (IP address and browser type) | Kept without a fixed deletion date |
| Expired sessions | Not yet removed automatically |
| Recycle bin or undo | Not available. Deletion is immediate and permanent |
| Uploaded files after a record is deleted | Some files may remain in storage after the record they belonged to is deleted |
| Bulk export before deletion | Not yet available |
| Self service account deletion | Not available. Only the AkademicNest Team can delete a school |
Until the schedule in section 3 is applied automatically, records are held for as long as the subscription is active and until deletion is requested.
3. Intended retention schedule
This schedule is not yet applied automatically. See section 2.
3.1 While a subscription is active
| Category | Retention |
|---|---|
| Pupil, staff and guardian records | Kept while active, as the school directs |
| Academic records, results, attendance | Kept while active, as the school directs |
| Website content, news, events, gallery | Kept until the school removes it |
| Result tokens | Kept until they expire or are used up |
| Digital signatures | Kept until replaced or removed |
| Payment records and receipts | 7 years from the transaction (financial record keeping, [TO BE CONFIRMED] against Nigerian requirements) |
| Support tickets | 3 years from closure |
3.2 Operational and security records
| Category | Intended retention | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Audit records | 2 years | Long enough to investigate an issue, without keeping an indefinite record |
| Page views with IP address | 90 days, after which the IP address is removed and only totals are kept | An IP address is personal data, and usage trends do not need one |
| Result lookup records | 12 months | Covers a full academic year in case of a dispute about who viewed a result |
| Session records | Removed once expired | An expired session serves no purpose |
| Rate limiting counters | A few minutes | Already temporary |
| Application error logs | 90 days |
3.3 After a subscription ends
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Lapse or non renewal | Administrative access is locked. Records are kept, not deleted. |
| Grace period of 90 days (proposed) | The school may renew and continue, or request a copy of its data |
| After the grace period | The school is contacted before any deletion |
| On the school's written instruction | The school's account and records are permanently deleted |
We do not delete a school's records automatically when a subscription lapses. Academic records are often what a school most needs to keep, and a payment issue is not a reason to lose a pupil's history.
3.4 Longer retention
Records may be kept for longer where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, to establish or defend a legal claim, or where a regulator or court requires it. Such a legal hold suspends deletion for the records it covers.
4. What deletion does
4.1 Deleting a pupil, member of staff or guardian
This removes the record together with related records such as attendance, scores and allocations. Deletion is immediate and permanent and cannot be undone.
A photograph attached to the record may remain in storage after the record has been deleted.
4.2 Deleting a school
A school is deleted by the AkademicNest Team on request, after confirming the school's name. Deletion removes:
- the school and its pupils, staff, guardians, academic records, website, subscriptions and payment records;
- its administrator accounts;
- their active sessions and any pending password reset requests.
A record of the deletion, including a count of what was removed, is kept by AkademicNest.
Uploaded files, such as photographs, logos, gallery images, signature images, payment receipts and conduct report attachments, may remain in storage after the school has been deleted. A school that wants these files removed should say so in its deletion request.
4.3 Deactivation is not deletion
Deactivating a pupil frees a pupil place and prevents sign in, while the record and its history are kept. This is usually the right choice for a pupil who has left. Delete a record only when you intend to remove it permanently.
5. Requesting deletion
5.1 Pupils, parents and staff
Please contact your school, not AkademicNest. The school decides what is recorded about you and can act on your request directly. AkademicNest cannot delete an individual's records without the school's instruction, because that would mean changing a school's records against its wishes.
A school may lawfully refuse where it must keep a record, particularly an academic record.
5.2 Schools
Contact AkademicNest at support@akademicanest.com. We will confirm that the request comes from an authorised person before acting.
Before requesting deletion, obtain a copy of anything you need. Deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed. Because bulk export is not yet available, please allow time for us to arrange a copy.
5.3 Response times
We aim to acknowledge a request within 5 working days and to act on it within 30 days, or to explain why more time is needed. Statutory deadlines take priority over these targets.
6. Backups
Where backups exist, deleted information may remain in them until they expire. Restoring a backup to recover one school's data would also restore other data deleted since, so backups are restored only for disaster recovery.
7. Data export
A school cannot currently download all of its records at once from within the platform.
Report cards and ID cards can be generated and printed, results can be downloaded with a result token, and the AkademicNest Team can arrange a copy of a school's records on request. We intend to add a self service export.
8. Contact
| Deletion and retention requests | support@akademicanest.com |
| Data protection enquiries | support@akademicanest.com |