to wonder if this is really happening? parents are being asked to confirm if their kids are British born.

[someonestolemynick]

A few messages popped up on social media today by parents whose school asked them to confirm if the child in question is foreign born. One friend said this was being done by all schools today.
I don't have kids and am an EU national.
I have been disappointed by the referendum result but have adopted a "Wait and see" approach.
Yesterday's announcements of companies having to list foreign employees coupled with today's rumours is really freaking me out.

Have you been asked today to confirm your child's nationality by their school? Aibu to be fucking terrified?

Meh. I don't see the problem. I thought they would have already had this info tbf.

As a teacher, I'm far too busy to even care about this stuff anyway, so I doubt the teachers will be queuing up to view 'the list'!

Also, most countries already do this.

3 years ago our NHS trust got In Touch and asked us to confirm the same details about our kids.

It's always happened. This isn't anything to do with brexit.

This isn't new where I live (Scotland). We've been asked for this infor every year since I've had a child in school- which is since 2002

As for rounding up foreign nationals and deporting them with ease, the government can't even deport terrorists half the time the hook man took years to get out so it seems unlikely! And why would they want to and where would they get the resources from! Over reaction

We have always had to provide this information for our school.

I have had this too. The school already know this information as its been previously given. They are British born. I filed it with the home school agreement in the bin.

I'm another one who doesn't see the sinister implications of this. Nationality isn't a secret, is it? It's not like anyone is going to suddenly realise that there are 'forriners' in a class that they were previously unaware of. This information will be held on other forms of official record too, such as medical records, won't it?

If I moved to another country I'd fully expect to complete this information on a form.

I have s friend who grew up in 80s Czechoslovakia. She recalls the Russian Army entering schools to check that they were all speaking Russian and not Czech. Is this the type of scenario people are conjuring up? Do we really think that, if they were inclined to round up all non-British-born persons and deport them, they'd not have any means of establishing where anyone was born aside from information given on a school form?

Do you really think they are going to suddenly deport EU nationals ?! Ha more scare stories by the left, its a school Census plain and simple. One that has been planned for nearly a year.

OP have you every filled out a census? There is far more sensitive data in that which funnily enough people don't seem to object to.

Wow. Escape plan is being put into action today

What? Why?

It's just a census. What do you think will happen?

You don't even have DC, you said.

We had the 'checking our info is up to date' form on Friday. I forgot to send it back on Monday and by Monday afternoon had a panicked email from the school asking the dds' nationality and country of birth. They weren't that fussed about knowing how we get to school strangely... 🤔

yes, we had this.

Schools ask for this sort of info all the time, its nothing new or to do with Brexit.

I think it says a lot about the climate of today's society that this is viewed with such suspicion and incredulity. And whilst this does appear to be standard information for school censuses I think this reaction and discussion is completely justified, and not an overreaction at all.

In the wake of such xenophobic and fascist rhetoric being employed by politicians more and more of late, and the discussions of the Tory Party Conference, it's no wonder people are wondering what is merely routine and what is the materialisation of a worryingly right-wing agenda.

Carry on questioning.

We had to answer this question when DH's children were enrolled in school. What's the difference?

Yes, sadly.

I teach and we were sending out forms in August for parents to fill in. It's not as a result of Brexit but it does seem to have come from the rising tide of anti-immigration these past few years. As far as I remember, this is the first one to specifically ask the nationality of the child.

Wow. Escape plan is being put into action today

Tell me where you are going to escape to then? Where is this wonderful Utopia where you won't ever be asked for this sort of information for admin? It's certainly not in Europe, the states, NZ or Australia. Perhaps you might try Somalia or Syria? I hear they're quite lax about these sort of things.

I live in Scotland.

Every year my School sends home a form which asks if my kids are:
British, or Scottish.

I ignore it.

It's appalling. But not surprising.

Oh dear OP, do grow up. Schools have been asked to provide data on Nationality and Place of Birth for the schools census. This new requirement predates 23rd June and if schools have left it this late to ask, that's probably down to their inefficiency and not a post Brexit national xenophobia. School census data like this used to measure things like provision for pupils for whom English is a second language etc. You really think any school sent a letter out saying 'Is your child foreign born?' - probably best not to get your 'facts' from social media in future.

My kids school sends home an information sheet every year that I'm supposed to send back. I've done it once - and only because there was an error I had to correct. They've never chased me up. I have no idea if they've changed or added to the form as I ignore them.

Scaremongering. It is to confirm nationality. I think you'll find most countries do it.

You do realise that we are one of the few countries that does not demand that people carry ID at all times? The UK has been very free.

We had a letter asking us to state the nationality of our children. No other questions at all. When I didn't respond I received a reminder with a deadline by which to return it.

No idea what they planned to do if you didnt return it before the deadline, nothing I suspect, but the letter certainly implied that it was compulsory without stating as such.

Good to see that most people on here are sensible and informed. Some still believe all the drama and love to be outraged. Really - it scares me that people are so ready to believe anything especially if they can use it to either virtue signal or fuel a rant about a pet "cause"

This new requirement predates 23rd June and if schools have left it this late to ask, that's probably down to their inefficiency and not a post Brexit national xenophobia.

I think telling the OP to grow up was rude, and indeed I think you're missing an important point. This requirement may indeed predate Brexit, but concern over it is certainly, certainly more than it would have been had Britain's cultural climate not become tangibly more unfriendly towards "foreigners" during and following the Brexit debate.

Perhaps this in itself is not something out of the ordinary, but isn't it out of the ordinary that normal people (OP is far from the only one, even on MN) would feel so uncomfortable about it? Doesn't it concern you that xenophobia is perceived to be so overt in Britain?