School wants to see child's passport to prove their right to education

[coffeedregs]

Has anyone been asked to take their child's passport to school (to be photocopied for the school to keep) to show evidence that they have the right to be educated in the UK? School says it is a recent Home Office Directive. Never heard of this before, so curious to find out if others have. (A quick look on the home office website was not helpful.)

[Her0utdoors]

The information was requested by dd school at start of reception this year. I declined to answer and have been marked in their records as 'information refused'. To the pp who mentioned they had to supply documents to nursery, I believe it is require for different reasons when used to secure the 15 or 30 funded hours.

[PhilomenaButterfly]

Oh, that makes sense.

[BernardsarenotalwaysSaints]

Philomena I have a feeling that they asked, via a tick box on the information form, if a copy had been seen by Nursery with the older 2 & a 'yes' was enough.

[Madcats]

DD(11) had to send in a copy for private school when she joined secondary. We made the copy.

[PhilomenaButterfly]

Really? DD's 11, we had to take hers in, to prove her age.

[BernardsarenotalwaysSaints]

We had to provide dc3 birth cert before she started Reception last September (2017). They didn't need to see them for dc1 & 2, so I think it changed between dc2 starting & dc3 starting, he's 2 academic years above her.

[PhilomenaButterfly]

When DS2 was registered with the school, they used his birth certificate. Not all 4yos have passports.

[EllenJanesthickerknickers]

The right to an education as a child is a basic human right that shouldn't be denied to you just because your parents have no right to be living here.

Luckily this isn't just my opinion, and that of most right minded people, but the law. So go back to reading the Daily Mail, OhDear.

[AlexaShutUp]

That’s not saying that they have a right to be here, and if not, then the system for dealing with illegal immigrants should deal with that.

Exactly. It is not the role of schools to police the immigration status of their pupils. The role of the schools is to educate.

[noblegiraffe]

Yes, ohdear while they’re here they have the right to an education.

That’s not saying that they have a right to be here, and if not, then the system for dealing with illegal immigrants should deal with that.

[Bestseller]

OhDearGod (should I say that twice? ). No, there are immigration laws to prevent that, but once here, yes every child is entitled to education as as Noble says, society is better off for it.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

So, noblegiraffe, are you saying that any child, from anywhere in the world, can come to the UK and be educated at our expense? And clearly they wouldn't come alone, but with their families?

[Bestseller]

They have to check ID and proof of address but not nationality anymore. Even when they did it was only for statistic purposes, not to check any entitlement.

No one should be keeping copies of ID documents. They should be checked and noted. If it is necessary to take a copy, it should be destroyed once the checks have been done.

[noblegiraffe]

Yes, funded by the British taxpayer. Because they’re children, and they have the right to an education, and it is in everyone’s best interests that they get one.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

The child has a right to an education regardless of what country they are in.
Not funded by the British taxpayer though.

[noblegiraffe]

The child has a right to an education regardless of what country they are in.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

Their parents do, though. And they're the ones applying for a place, potentially fraudulently.

[noblegiraffe]

Children don’t generally get to choose where they live.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

The right to an education is included in the United Nations Convention on the rights of a child.

Sure, but not in any country of your choosing. You need to have some right to live there.

[noblegiraffe]

You were never required to show a passport to get an education - Theresa May wanted to introduce it as Home Secretary, and deprioritise school places for the children of illegal immigrants. Nicky Morgan, then Education Secretary, told her to get lost.

The right to an education is included in the United Nations Convention on the rights of a child.

[h0rsewithn0name]

Schools have no entitlement to copy birth certificates or passports. They do however have to see proof of date of birth. We view the birth certificate and sign an internal form to say when it was seen.

The reason is to ensure they are not smuggling a three year old into reception :)

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

EllenJane, Of course we have to limit it to people who have a legal right to be living in Britain. British taxpayers are not obliged to offer (and pay for) education for the whole world.

[EllenJanesthickerknickers]

OhdearGod maybe because education is a universal right that we shouldn't limit to 'the British?'

[Witchend]

We had to provide birth certificates for all of mine at school start. My oldest is in the 6th form now.

[spanieleyes]

We have been told we can't even chase up birth certificates!