'Occupation of main breadwinner' on Secondary Form??

It's not a case of how the child is treated, but when they do something unexpected, you can use the big picture to perhaps explain it.

And it has nothing to do with street sweepers. Having parents who fly around the world or work 12 hour days in the city is arguably more challenging.

If you accept that schools are in loco parentis, then it is reasonable for schools to understand the home situation of the child.

I don?t necessarily have a problem with answering this sort of question, but I would want to know why the school require the information ? and no I don?t consider ?we need it for our records? to be an adequate reason

So OP definitely YANBU for asking the question.

MmeBlueberry, perhaps you could explain why a school needs this kind of information and for what purpose? How does knowing what job a parent has give the school a better picture of the child? Or are we to assume that the child is going to be treated differently if the ?breadwinner? is a road sweeper as opposed to, say, a lawyer??

cat I speak from experience - most schools are rubbish at making the most of their parents skills and expertese. There might be the odd week-placement on work experience but that's about it.

The social engineering is not about entry to Secondary school. It is about noting, at the start of Secondary, where they are on the social scale and then seeing where they end up five or seven years down the line (when they becomme a NEET, go to Oxbridge or do something in between).

It is good for the school to get a full picture of your child - for their benefit. Finding out about their home circumstances is not for the titivation of the headteacher.

This thread is so contrary to the one the other day about parents' evenings and how the schools don't take into account the family circumstances when cruelly choosing inconvenient times. How are they to know, unless they know something about the family?

It is very nosey and also potentially illegal. It would certainly be illegal for this question to have been asked before the place was offered or asked on the supplementary form that many faith schools are allowed to have for admissions.

My feeling is to just put N/A on it and see what happens. But I do like OFSTED Inspector, that really would give them something to think about.

It is nosey really but it will be to do with statistical information

I'm amazed at how many forms ask 'Name of head of household?' - sounds like a Victorian parlour game!

"I'd read it as them trying to find links to all sorts of different careers for their work experience placements and careers talks. It would be really useful to have loads of contacts with different jobs."

Hahahahahahahaha. I take it that you have had no contact so far with schools careers advice.

As Gramercy says, it's for social engineering purposes.

Put 'Pimp' - go on: I dare you!

Stupid questions deserve stupid answers imho.

Is there a bit on the form that asks "occupation of pin money earner"?

I don't like the term breadwinner, I never answer that. We have two wage-earners in our household, and I refuse to put either of us as the breadwinner.

I am going into school (primary) soon to tell the kids about my job though (for Science and Technology week), so is ds, I don't mind doing that but wouldn't want to put it on a form. Not without knowing why they needed to know that.

Why the passive aggression? Why not just answer it truthfully?

School is not the enemy.

This bothers me: it smacks of an attempt at social engineering somewhere down the line.

I recently found out that dd's primary school knows parents' educational attainment from the census form. (Obviously last census was a while ago, but they still have some idea, apparently.)

I think parents will be thinking up 'dumbed down' job titles for themselves - eg Chief Executive of Barratts will put down 'builder', or MD of Tesco 'shop worker'.

Was the form printed in the 1950's?

Director of Education for Local Authority?

When I first started teaching, Back in the olden days, parents were asked occupations on the children's registration forms. One child in my class had a dad who was an ofsted inspector and a mum who was a psychologist and was also the chair of governors! No pressure then.

BarryK lol - love that idea!!!

Having putdown our info last year for DD, DH was approached and asked to do part of a careers evening and offer work experience

Who knows... but why do some people think it alright for private schools to ask a whole range of personal questions but not maintained schools

Maybe there are looking for internship opporutnities for their students

Can't see any reason why they would need to know it - but if we are asked that then I'm going with ofsted inspector too

How about 'N/A, we do not live by bread alone'

I don't think ours had that - seems like an anachronistic concept.