£5 donation for head teacher to sign passport applications etc...

[NameChangeNotNewbie]

Thoughts on this?

The money goes to the school fund. It says a donation, not a voluntary donation.

Does this seem reasonable or unreasonable?

GPs and clergy charge so why not schools. If the fiver is too much of a stretch I don't see why they'd be getting a passport at all.

Namechange, take that as a compliment to your DC. Heads certainly know the names of the naughty ones.

If it was for a school holiday or something then the head would be aware of that and if needed could make an exception but in general if you are getting a passport then paying the £5 shouldn't be an issue

TrickyD that is a very positive interpretation of it, and one that I will cherish!

Dh has been called by passport office for forms he signed and it'll turned into a bit ofa saga which I won't go into here but it took up quite a bit of time.

Op ask someone else if you don't want to pay the £5

To those saying as long as the payment is a suggestion and not a demand, perhaps that should work both ways? You may suggest the HT signs the form, and not be pissed off if he/she refuses. Same as with GPs. And I think they charge more than a fiver.

I detest doing passport applications (am a lawyer) but I just can't refuse a few neighbours, the cleaner too etc. It's a massive hassle and I hate it. It's risky, difficult, awful. Hate hate hate it.

I turn down people needing a lawyer to witness things even for fees of £20+ actually. It is just so disrupting to the working day and you wait for them, they call, you have to make sure you have clothes on! I am not into it at all.

I wish there were a better system for passports. It is so hard for people to find someone to ask. Also the risks are huge. I worry every time I might get struck off and lose my career - how can you be 100% sure you have known that particular child for X number of years? It's very hard to be certain. SOmetimes people don't even want to bring the person and I would always refuse that. I need to see them to check the picture is who they are - I cannot see any advantage to me other than that I'm a nice person I suppose who is helpful in doing it. I would be delighted if I was never asked to do one again.

I don't think it's unreasonable at all. The list of people who can countersign your passport is quite long, it seems a bit unfair that the HT ends up with loads of forms to fill in just because it's the easiest option for the parent. It's not part of her job, so a surcharge is entirely appropriate IMO.

I think it's a great idea. If you don't want to pay the £5, just find someone else to sign the form.

I don't think that it's unreasonable for headteacher to charge, it's not part of their job description and you are asking them as a favour, they are quite within their rights to say no. So paying a donation seems like a good compromise, as you are taking up their time.

ethelswith

Have a look here www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications/accepted-occupations-for-countersignatories

Good idea. It's not part of his job. Doctors are no longer able to sign passport forms unless they know the child in a personal capacity.

wow that list is surprising.
travel agent
pub landlord

GPs are no longer on the list because they were swamped with people asking, taking up NHS appointments.

It's also supposed to be someone that knows you - if you haven't seen the GP from one year to the next, they can't do your passport.

It had absolutely nothing to do with charges. Most GPs have set up the charges to remind you, it's not NHS work and to get someone else to do it - or they have a big notice like mine does saying they don't do them at all.

That's not an exhaustive list either - my profession isn't listed there any more, I suspect for similar reasons as why they have doctors excluded, and I'm definitely allowed to do it (people have phoned and checked at my behest when I realised my job wasn't on there any more).

I actually think it's really off asking for money for this in any way - it's just one more way of charging people for not having connections. Sure it's only a fiver and sure the cost of the holiday blah blah blah but the parents who know solicitors and engineers socially aren't having to pay the fiver.

It's a bit more likely that if the head teacher is your only option you are not as well off as others so this fiver is just another extra cost of being poorer either in actual money or in connections.

Enormous Tiger - I have signed passport applications for friends' children. I didn't find it difficult to work out how long I'd known them because they were my friends. And I didn't feel like I was taking a massive risk because I knew the children and recognised them in the photos so was confident in what I was signing. Am I missing something?

Pretty much anyone can sign these days, I rang the passport advice line when doing my first adult application a few weeks back and was told my countersinger - not on the list, a head chef, was fine. I don't know many people and knew literally no one on the list, Apparently pretty much anyone can sign they just need to have a workplace that can be verified (I've no idea how this is done) and contacted.

I think it's an excellent idea. The manager of the nursery both my DC went to recently countersigned their applications, we know her well and she's known DS1 since he was tiny and DS2 since he was in the womb We were lucky to have her do it, as we knew nobody else who'd be even vaguely suitable according to the approved list of countersignatories.

As PPs have said, if you can afford passports and foreign travel, bunging a fiver towards the PTA is well worth it. Countersignatories do take a certain amount of risk when they put their name to the application, so it's a very small price to pay.

I can sign passport applications etc. I would not ask for money to do so.

Iwantusername - on the form I think I was asked for my work address as well as personal address and I had to enter my membership number of my professional body as well as my own passport number.

@Theproblemofsusan
Postmen, pub landlords etc can sign it's nit just middle class professionals.

If you genuinely don't know anybody with a job then HT may be the only option in which date a fiver to school funds is negligible compared to cost of passport and travelling abroad.

The list of signatories is not exhaustive, but it boils down to "people of standing in the community".

I just have to renew my passport and then i am also fair game for these requests 😀

By the way my profession is not on that list. They are examples not an exhaustive list.

What risks are people referring to?
I have countersigned for friends/friends dc where I have known them for years. All you are vouching for is that you the picture is a likeness of them isn't it? I don't recall needing to state anything else. Unless you don't actually know them/it isn't a picture of them (in which case you shouldn't be signing) what are you risking?

I think a lot of people get very stressed out about it, I do agree that while the list contains a few 'lower' (I have no idea of how else to put it) professions like post masters/shop keepers etc its definitely geared to far more MC and upper MC professions, Definitely.
However I think there are loads of professions (pretty much any, I was told) that are accepted that people just don't know about. As above a head chef signed mine, Nothing catering related is even on the list.
I don't think its that difficult to not know anyone on the list tbh. I don't, hence why I had to see if anything else is accepted.

That said I think having a countersigner is just a stressful and meaningless way to verify someones identity, especially now that adults (unsure about kids) must attend an identity interview. I'm sure that nowadays there must be a much better way to identify someone than to presume someone is able to verify the next persons identity simply because they are a pilot/doctor/dentist

Iwantausername, try using 'lower paid' in future.

Lower.