Nursery requesting to see my DC passport

[cierzo]

The other day went I collected my DC from nursery I was asked to bring my DC's passport. We just started the 15hrs free allowance, but I do not think this is something to do with that.

Why do they require to see this? Anyone knows if this is related to the new government thing which I saw in the papers and Schools week

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/non-white-schoolchildren-prove-not-asylum-seekers-schools-nationality-documents-london-a7324851.html

schoolsweek.co.uk/pupils-who-were-not-white-british-told-to-send-in-birthplace-data/

Can someone advise?

[WhiskyTangoFoxtrot]

I was asked for this when mine were enrolling in nursery (passport or birth certificate).

That was nearly two decades ago (how did that go past so quickly!)

[gillybeanz]

they asked for them a few years ago when my friend took her dc for first free hours. I thought it pretty standard.

[Thefishewife]

I had to take in my child's adoption cert

So you trust the nursey with your child but not his passport 😕

[chocafrolic]

My money is it being due to the Autumn census. We were discussing this at work today (school office) as we have a number of Polish and Turkish children who we don't know if they were born in UK and we need to find out before Oct 6th.

[TheWeeBabySeamus1]

I was made to show a copy of my sons birth certificate before enrolling him at nursery. I thought they did it for everyone.

[daisiesinherfootsteps]

We also just got an additional form asking date and country of birth last week for the census. We weren't asked for proof this time although I definitely submitted a copy birth certificate on registration for the school.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

We haven't ever been asked for passports or birth certificates by either DS1s school or DS2s nursery. Or proof of address.

Maybe they're unusually trusting that parents are providing accurate information on the forms?

[SandyPantz]

Pretty certain they need to see passport or birth certificate as ID for the free hours

neither of mine needed any proof of anything for their free nursery hours, just filled in their forms.. then again we are white so…….

Schools sometimes ask for proof of address

This passport thing is part of the dodgy government data collection thing going on. Which IMO is unlawful because they are not transparent about what the child passport data is for and under data protection arent you supposed to be clear about how the data is going to be used if you are planning to share it (as schools are doing with the government at the mo)

[cierzo]

We were not asked for birth certificate or passport in his previous nursery and when we enrolled DC in the new place they did not ask for it either, it's just now after of 3 months that they were requesting this. We filled all the paperwork, they reason also is making me suspicious it's the fact that my son has a foreign name and we hold 2 nationalities. One of them being Brit, he was born in the UK, and that's what we put in his registration paperwork, I would have thought, they can cross references between the birth registrations, date of birth and place of birth to check that DC is qualified for the 15 hrs, but then I think this is far too much to ask from the government lol

I think @chocafrolic may be right regarding this request out of the blue.

[SandyPantz]

I was made to show a copy of my sons birth certificate before enrolling him at nursery. I thought they did it for everyone

Nope. Never, used several nurseries for each child over the years. Filled in forms, that was it.

But they'll probably start to because the gov is asking them to pass on that data. Not because they need it for the actual nursery or preschool or school though

[SandyPantz]

and that's what we put in his registration paperwork

Yeah but they cant share that without asking you
By asking you for it again on a form that mentions the government they can share your data

[SandyPantz]

In the imminent future I imagine it'll be in the small print of registration forms that you consent to your child's data being shared for non CP reasons and you'll have to bring proof of nationality for that purpose to register. Because people are not complying with the gov request for this data to be collected through schools.

[cierzo]

Well, I guess they need to send the paperwork to claim those hrs to the Education part of the government, and they can tell them if they are happy with them or not, as I said, they could cross reference.

It seems to me, this is going to create more problems that anything. I wonder if they asked other parents too.

[Eyedrophell]

We ask for a copy of the birth certificate or passport,we note the number and destroy the copy. We need to have seen proof of ID for the free hours. We also ask for ethnic category (via a form) as we are asked to provide this to the council but you can refuse this and we enter declined.

You seem to be suspicious of the nursery, have you had issues with them before?

[cierzo]

So back again to do this next year when we start school time. Great fun this is going to be.

Thanks again. @SandyPantz

[cierzo]

@eyedrohell we have problems with the previous nursery.

[unlucky83]

In our area needing a BC/passport for funding came in last year - before that the council took responsibility for it. It was a very basic 1 side A4 form, signed by the parents that was sent to the LA by the nursery (or other similar group).
Now (probably due to lack of funding) they are pushing the responsibility onto the Nurseries/preschools.
Now the 'nursery' has to get the parents to complete a 7 page long form and enter all the child's details (inc contact info etc) on to the (overly complicated) database. And get the proofs of ID and address. The person responsible (and unless it is a very large nursery only one person is allowed to do it) has to sign a declaration etc that they have checked eligibility etc. I don't know if it is actually the case but the impression given is that if there was any fraud etc the 'data entry' person would be held in part responsible...
In theory birth certificates etc won't be needed again for starting school or moving nurseries- the 'nursery' has to state the child's destination which is forwarded to the relevant place (school/other nursery etc) and they have to provisionally accept the child before they can come off the 'books' of the 'nursery' they are leaving. Parent would (should only) have to check a print out of the details already on the database and make any necessary changes ...too early days to see if that actually happens or not. (But I would totally understand the 'data entry' person wanting to see the ID again ...to cover their back.)

[SirNiallDementia]

When you were asked for the passport why didn't you just ask why they wanted to see it?

[BikeRunSki]

We had this email from school today, I imagine this is why you have been asked:

Each year we are required to provide pupil data to the Department of Education. This year one of the new data items required by the DfE is Country of Birth for your child. Could we please ask that if your child was born in a country other than the UK or if your child has dual nationality that you please let the office staff know as soon as possible.

[SandyPantz]

I imagine this is why you have been asked

No. that's where/who the data is going to
Not why
If they can't tell you what it's going to be used for when it goes to the govt then they shouldn't be sharing it.

[WatchS20]

"ach year we are required to provide pupil data to the Department of Education. This year one of the new data items required by the DfE is Country of Birth for your child. Could we please ask that if your child was born in a country other than the UK or if your child has dual nationality that you please let the office staff know as soon as possible."

Interesting. My dc have dual nationality. IS there anyone here who knows if sic profiling has any implications? It seems just like a box ticking exercise but what are the possible (future?) scenarios related to collecting data on pupils not being 100% British? Why does the DoE need to know if children have the British as well as another nationality?

[UncontrolledImmigrant]

My children have dual citizenship

I am sick of being treated like some kind of fifth column

I told the school that while they may be obligated to ask, there is no legal requirement for me to answer

the thing that really raised my eyebrows was the letter home which claimed that knowing my children's ethnicity and nationality would ensure first rate teaching

[WatchS20]

"I told the school that while they may be obligated to ask, there is no legal requirement for me to answer

the thing that really raised my eyebrows was the letter home which claimed that knowing my children's ethnicity and nationality would ensure first rate teaching"

WTF? I don't like the sound of this tbh, it sounds like some dodgy profiling. I love to cooperate with schools but I'm not happy to have my children profiled as 'other' just because they happen to hold another passport. They are British by birth, language and culture. WHY is this info necessary?

[Beeziekn33ze]

Pretty certain that my (white UK born) friend and her (Eurasian) DH have never been asked about their light skinned kids' origins etc at nursery or school. In fact they are all legally NRI.

[Beeziekn33ze]

• DH also UK born