Against Borders for Children to go to court to stop 'toxic' policy
The campaign group Against Borders for Children announced yesterday that it is mounting a legal challenge against the Department of Education's (DfE) policy of collecting country of birth and nationality information on school children in England.
Against Borders for Children is a coalition of parents, teachers and campaigners that was set up with the aim of reversing the DfE's policy, which has been in effect since September 2016.
The group has launched a crowdfunding campaign here to cover some of it costs in the legal challenge. The human rights organisation Liberty will represent the group in the challenge.
Against Borders for Children says the policy of collecting children's nationality and country of birth information is toxic and highly divisive.
Schools Week reported last December that it found via a Freedom of Information request that the DfE did initially intend to share pupil nationality data with the Home Office for immigration purposes, but this was later overturned.
Yesterday, Schools Week quoted Fran Zanatta, a spokesperson for Against Borders for Children, as saying: "Human rights campaigners have been patient and allowed the government time to retreat from this discriminatory policy, an approach which spreads fear in our schools and risks the safety of our young people.
"Their intransigence means this court challenge must now go ahead. We are optimistic that we will succeed, and that schools can get on with undoing the toxic legacy of the last few years."
You can read more about the Against Borders for Children campaign here.