To not want to provide my DC nationality and country of birth to school?!

[SoDownSoGone]

What will the government do with the Country of Birth and Nationality?! AIBU to not provide this info?!

he HO knowing your child's nationality and place of birth is not relevant to their education or provision of their education

So you're happy to take the education? You just feel free to be weirdly cagey and obstructive in return?

Here in the US they want to know household income and languages spoken in the home. They don't care about your nationality. This data is used by the school district to qualify for government and charity grants. It isn't necessary to provide it but when this was explained everyone submitted the data and our school district received a bunch of funding to assist with additional help because it turned out that more than 50% of families with children attending the local school in our town don't speak English at home. Number one language isn't Spanish, it is Hebrew followed by French, Mandarin and then Spanish.

If the data is being used for any other reason apart from the betterment of the education of children I would write on the form - 'Refuse to supply this information'.

15% pay 40p band, 7% are educated in independent sector. Roughly half.

But you stated you paid more tax than she'd paid in her lifetime. Just a ridiculous claim.

Some European countries send police into schools to collect refugee children for deportation so I can understand why this might be sensitiv

We're not those countries Lunde. The UK doesn't do things like that and is nowhere near in danger of thinking about starting.

I just do not understand why where a child is born and/or their nationality is relevant to the department of education.

Really, OP? Can't you think of ANY reason at all? How about for calculating how many children in a given class or school will have English as an additional language and will require translation help/help with English?

Actually:
Some European countries send police into schools to collect refugee children for deportation

Which countries?
It sounds more like something the US does.

Obtaining ethnicity data for health purposes

What health purposes?

Why has nobody commented on the link posted by Pestilence earlier? Schools are under a duty to ascertain the nationality of the pupils as there is a small category of children who are NOT entitled to free education here - those from outside the EU here on a short-term visit (eg those on a tourist visa), and those in the UK on a "Study Only" visa which they obtained in order to access private education in the UK. The children continue to be educated by the school even if they fall into those categories but the school has to inform the Home Office - I guess it's to stop a form of visa fraud perpetrated by applying for a Study Visa (for an english boarding school, say), then staying with a relative and attending a nearby state school when in fact the child in question has no right to the free education nor even to be in the country other than to attend a private school. I guess otherwise we would open up our education system anyone in the world with a relative or friend (or host they could pay) in the UK which I doubt we can afford.

I don't understand the paranoia? I can't see nationality or place of birth being state secrets. As has been said, the govt could find out the information anyway in other ways (and also people can just lie if they are not required to present proof). Presumably it is cheaper to do a first pass filter in the form of a simple questionnaire which most people will be happy to fill in leaving only the remainder to be investigated further if appropriate. It seems appropriate to the potential fraud that would go on if these things were never checked.

I don't have a problem with providing details of nationality and language spoken at home. I'd hazard a guess that schools with a higher proportion of kids who don't speak English as a mother tongue get more funding.

The government is not going to deprioritise applications form illegal immigrants - and in fact you can thank ex Education Sec Nicky Morgan for that. It is however legal for schools to deprioritise and indeed refuse applications from legal residents of this country, regardless of nationality, if they are not the right religion. Why is that ok?

at least 15k net to be able to send your child to private school? Yeah and the rest ! Where do you live op and I'd actually like to know how much tax you pay seen as you brought it up

OP - you don't want to provide the info, you don't have to provide the info, so don't provide the sodding info! It really is that simple. And if you have such a problem with the reason behind it then write to your local MP or to the PM or someone and ask them instead of guessing (and being OTT and offensive about it)

A lot of it comes down to language.
Children from some countries are not entitled to free education. We give them free education because it is their right as a child to be educated, and not their fault that they have dodgy arsey parents.

Dds school is about 50% Eastern European a significant proportion don't speak a word of English when they start. So maybe her school gets more funding? Don't know if they do or not but they certainly need it!

Obtaining ethnicity data for health purposes What health purposes

There are some conditions that occur more frequently in people of certain ethnicities. And there are a shortage of organ donors for people of certain ethnicities too. The stats of where the different ethnic mixes occur may help with healthcare planning.

"How about for calculating how many children in a given class or school will have English as an additional language and will require translation help/help with English?"

That is a separate question and one that is already asked and a new scale for it. In that instance it is the staff at the schools that are best placed to establish the level of English held by children with English as an additional language.

Well, since DD was born and long before she started school I had to put these details on various forms. Also my own and DH's details.

So the school is only a drop in the ocean of data accumulation.

DH and I are non UK-citizen, DD actually is a British one. So, her data is screwed up anyway because DH think it is funny to either do both or just one depending on the size of the box in the form.

The school uses the data (collected already when DD started in 2011 and 2014 again at Junior level) to ensure that a) all nationalities have a space to celebrate anything special, b) check if any language issues need to be dealt with (child and carer), c) know that parents may not understand all kind of traditions and take this into account when they get strange questions. And obviously can put nice percentages into their paperwork.

I don't really care.

*Lewji: Obtaining ethnicity data for health purposes

What health purposes?*

Certain ethnicities carry a greater risk of certain health conditions. Knowing the ethnic breakdown of your patients and local area allows for more precise service planning and delivery so that services are tailored to and meet the needs of the service users (patients).

Interesting that youre all picking up on the ops answer to the question rather than the fact it was a really shitty thing to ask. Education isn't a privilege. It's a right, and unless you fall into the 2 categories named in the gov.uk link what you earn, who you are, how much tax you pay is totally irrelevant, and feeds into the position that only those who pay tax are somehow worthy of using public services. I'm pretty sure the sahps on mn would have something to say about.

I'd be more convinced that there is nothing to worry about if someone could tell me about such data collection by schools in other countries? What is the purpose?

Denmark: on the sign up for school they ask what the childs mother tongue, and what language is spoken at home. This information is relevant and useful for teachers. I cannot see how knowing a childs place of birth is relevant for teaching.

"How about for calculating how many children in a given class or school will have English as an additional language and will require translation help/help with English?"

Not all EAL children need help/translation. DD is classified as EAL but speaks English fluently as she is born here and English is outside home language since birth.

But, EAL can mean additional funds for the school, just based on the amount of children not necessarily based on the actual need. So it is handy to mention it.

Interesting that youre all picking up on the ops answer to the question rather than the fact it was a really shitty thing to ask.

Yep because talking about armbands and being rude to posters is always the way to go.....

Do you know what? I'm getting a leetle bit fucked off now with the near-constant insinuations that Brits (who are a varied, independent and multicultural lot) and British residents would ever LET something sinister and totalitarian happen to our children even if this miserable government or some other bunch of Herbert's tried it.

Can you see the wonderful dedicated staff in your local school, or the parents or anyone else involved going along with the marking out, segregation or removal of children?

It would never, ever happen.

And if some of you seriously think your children or any children are at any risk of armbands, badges, secret registers or anything else, what the fuck are you doing leaving your children in those schools? Why are you in the U.K.at ALL?

Whether your current nationality is British or otherwise, why are you not actively leaving if you believe this is happening?!

*Actually:
Some European countries send police into schools to collect refugee children for deportation

Which countries?
It sounds more like something the US does*

I know that Sweden does this.

There has been a lot in the press recently about Malmö city council helping the police by giving information regarding which nurseries and schools children attended. Primary aged children have been taken from their classrooms for deportation

Do you also refuse to give your nationality to any NHS services you choose to use?

It offends me because it's not relevant to my Childs education. I would want to know what the government intends to do with this data.

Data Protection: The School is legally OBLIGED TO TELL YOU FOR WHAT PURPOSE THEY NEED THE DATA AND WHAT THEY INTEND TO USE THE DATA FOR.

So yes, if someone in the NHS asked me my nationality I WOULD ask why they needed the data if the reason was not supplied with the request.

Yes it DOES offend me, if this information is not provided as its a breach of the law and it would make concerned over what the data might be used for and who might have access to it.

I am British. I have problem with the misuse of my data as its financially and socially sensitive information which has a value. It is not merely just a bureaucratic formality. You SHOULD ask questions any time you are asked for seemingly innocent information about you are a matter of routine if you are not automatically told why they want it.

It drives me insane when shop assistants just ask me for my email address without framing it as a request and giving me a reason why they are asking. Why do people automatically assume its ok because its a government body asking in the same way?

IT IS NOT OK. THERE IS A REASON WHY WE HAVE THE DATA PROTECTION ACT. Anyone flouting it, should be hauled up over it.

OP, reply asking the school why they are not compliant with the Data Protection Act, and you will not be supplying any further information until they do. This way, it answers your question properly and covers you arse at the same time whilst informing the school why they need get their act together.

If they are not collecting the data in a proper fashion, you can be as sure as hell they are unlikely to be storing and using the data in the proper fashion, so I would also be explicit in mentioning that in my response too.

If there is no need to formally record the data, merely ensure that you are eligible, why do you need to write ANYTHING down?

Being difficult? Meh. School have a responsibility to protect children. This INCLUDES their information. Its the law every bit as a requirement to ensure that your children are entitled to schooling in this country.

Why is ok for schools not to comply with the law but for individual parents with valid concerns to be bashed for raising those concerns because there is nasty attitude to immigration in this country?

I'd really like to know.

I'm really not sure about ethnicity for health purposes.

For example, regarding diabetes, the overall prevalence differences in the paper I checked ranged from 15% to 33%. How that would affect planning, I'm not sure.
And for example "Asian" can mean very different things.

Then, for example, regarding certain haemoglobin problems in blacks, nationality would probably be more important than "ethnicity", as not all black populations are affected.