Government scraps plans for controversial nationality census for 2-5 year-olds in humiliating U-turn

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Teachers are not border guards, and hopefully this initial concession will give the government serious cause to consider halting the data collection entirely.” In an open letter to MPs, the coalition of parents, teachers, schools and campaigners, have urged parents to boycott the next school census for fear information could be used for third party purposes, including immigration enforcement. Instead of sowing yet more division and mistrust, we urge the Lords to uphold the safety and dignity of children and send a message to Government that this divisive and unnecessary policy must scrapped.” Others have warned the Government’s pupil database “puts children at risk of racial profiling”, though the DfE has insisted that any information on nationality, ethnicity or otherwise would only be stored for the department’s own analysis and records. Debating the matter in Parliament earlier this month, Lords rejected the census, with Lib Dem education spokesman Lord Storey warning that the introduction of nationality data collection had “all the hallmarks of racism” and risked alienating young children based on their ethnicity. A DfE spokesperson said: “Gathering data on nationality and country of birth through the School Census will help ensure our children receive the best possible education and support.