Home student form

[5zeds]

My son has a very “foreign” sounding surname and has recently started college. We were sent home a form to fill out that if he was a refugee/immigrant/visa status to be filled out. There was no way of filling it out if you were just British. I took it back and they apologised and said it must have been an admin error. The thing is I don’t think it’s so much an error as stereotyping. If it’s relevant I’m white but my dc aren’t. I’m upset about it. It reminds me of my eldests first week at Uni when everyone asked her “where are you from” and then “no I mean originally”.

What can I do to help them and me negotiate these moments? Is it worth saying to college (almost entirely white we are very rural) “I understand but I don’t think it’s ok to just assume all the non white people are not home students” or am I just being silly?

@5zeds yeah, this isn’t a very big deal. I mean you can talk to the school about improving their processes.

should be tracking all students at the beginning of the year, really.

I think its a big deal. It should go to everyone, not just the ones that sound "forrin".

Like a job application saying do you have the right to work in the UK, everyone gets asked.

I actually reread and does it go to everyone? that was an assumption on my part that it didn't. but it should be worded in a way that British people need to and can fill out too.

No it’s just us and the form was only had options for immigrant/refugee/etc. it’s definitely because of our surname or colour.

OP I had this about 20 years ago when I went to uni to do a postgraduate course. Funny thing is the alumni association contacted me during the Black Lives Matter protests to ask whether the uni could have been more inclusive during my time there. I was also the only student in my flat not to be given a electoral registration form even though they gave all the foreign students and other British student a form. So I brought it up.

On the other hand the college I went to do my A levels, which did lots of other courses, just asked for everyone's citizenship/nationality/refugee status when you applied so they knew this stuff when they accepted you onto their courses.

So yes bring it up with the college that their admin processes are lacking so are discriminatory.