Is my occupation relevant to Ds education?

[chocolateandcoffee]

I got my Ds enrolment forms for primary school yesterday.

One for the questions was Mothers and Fathers occupations

Tbh I don't see the relevance of this question and I think it pangs strongly of my school days when doctors and solicitors children were treated as superior beings.

Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of what I do as is Dh. We have both worked hard to get were we are.

Aibu to Leave this space blank on the form, I am not going to voice my concerns to the school as I believe in picking my battles. Dh says to put down our occupations, I think it's none of there business and has no relevance to my Ds care or education. So who is right?

It's one way of collecting information on socio-economic status/class groups, to see how diverse the school is in terms of who comes to it. They can do this off postcodes as well. But I can't imagine you are obliged in any way to share this information if you don't want to (but it isn't so they can prefer the doctor's children, I really don't think so).

Mothers scholastic attainment is linked to children's educational attainment.

Not sure if job title is the best way to gather this information though.

Here in Belgium not only do the schools ask for the parents' highest educational qualification and occupation, but on the health forms for the children, they ask the parents' weights! Now that question I left blank.

It is likely either for demographic purposes or to identify children from deprived backgrounds. We ask this on antenatal booking forms for the same reason - I hate asking! I certainly don't care when someone leaves it blank.

some school build parents' occupations (along with postcode demographic) into predicted grades.The secondary school my DB teaches at uses a formula which includes this info.

put ofsted inspector

I asked about this before as I was asked for my husbands occupation in a form and wasn't sure why and didn't want to fill it in. It was to record the social group, make sure all groups were included etc and this was deduced from the main earners occupation. I didn't fill it in and nobody had any issue with me leaving it blank.

:o @ 'ofsted inspector'

They do not need to know. But why does it bother you to write it. Why is it exactly a secret.

"why does it bother you to write it. "

Because it's intrusive and because I suspect it's a bureaucratic info-collecting and pie chart-drawing exercise rather than anything to do with enhancing educational standards. I'm already uncomfortable about how many databases and lists we all appear on given the way it can be hacked and misused. I'd like the details of my child's life kept private unless the information is absolutely essential

I would leave it blank.

May be to see if there are skills or anything you might be able to offer in the future?

Or may be just part of their statistic info.

TBH I think it is just a standard question. It certainly wouldn't bother me for school to know.

I'm pretty sure it's for DFEE statistic bean counting Cogito... Although I see from their data protection registration my local school say they will transfer the details to pretty much anyone in the world, which means I will being including a note refusing such use of the data when the time comes.

Maybe it's a way of making sure that the school isn't only taking solicitors' and doctors' children.

I'd put Ofsted Inspector for one and Lawyer for the other.

That'll learn 'em

I don't really see why it's an issue. Why should it be a secret. Perhaps it's helpful for the teacher to check it when little Johnnie insists his dad's an astronaut or the England wicket keeper! My teacher couldn't keep a straight face when I told her what my dad did! He worked for a large organisation with a subsidiary that made rubber products long before Richard Branson moved into production !!

you should ask what they use the data for, my understanding ot the data protection laws are that you have to justify why you are collecting the information and what you are going to do with it.
The organisation I work for stopped collecting peoples ages/dates of birth on forms as we could not justify doing so and if opened us up to people claiming we had discriminated based on that information (we didn't discriminate but we could have done).

My sons school had a form where you had to put who lived in his household. I figured it was none of their business, so left it blank. They have never mentioned it.

I would cross it out rather than leave it blank

DD's nursery asks for parents occupations on the form you fill in with all their details. I thought it was a fairly standard form question, I got asked it when I was admitteed to hospital as well. Really can't see why it would be an issue to tell them to be honest. Are you a stripper or something maybe?

It might be handy as well if you work in a big company and have a common name. If need to get hold of you and they ring through to reception and ask for Joan Smith, then reception might say, oh we have four Joan Smith's, what department, and they'll know to say marketing or whatever.

As mummytime says, it is for the schools benefit, i.e if you were an artist then you could go in and help with projects etc. I don't think it's anything to get your knickers in a twist over.

I disagree. I think it's intrusive. It's like when the water company asks you for your date of birth when you are trying to pay a bill.
I always say no, and they get really pushy, saying "it's for security" at which point I offer to not pay the bill, and they suddenly don't need that "security" anymore.
It's astounding how much random information various institutions keep on us.
Rebel!

Is this a maintained school or independent? Very odd to be filling out a form- I thought they were all done through LEA's admissions these days?

Go on put stripper I dare you

I know you think it's none of their business but the school might find the information helpful. It's not unusual to get a less than reliable response from a child as to what job their parents do.

I know my DCs school ask parents in to talk about their jobs/interests. They've had most of us in at one time or another. I spoke to the kids about cycling in Vietnam, another talked archaeology and my DH has been teaching the teachers how to take better photos.