In September of this year my daughter will be moving schools. The local council need a copy of her birth certificate as confirmation of her identity. This is despite the fact that her birth certificate was originally produced for the same council less than a year ago for the same purpose before she could attend her current school. Anyway, I dutifully posted said document. It has however, failed to arrive - either lost in the post or misplaced somewhere along the way. In conversation with the relevant admissions department this morning I asked why they actually need a copy of the birth certificate at all. The robot at the end of the telephone advises me that it's for identity and security purposes. So, I ask, why not simply refer to the previous submission. Because, the robot replies, that was for a different process. I don't give up so easily. As the document has clearly gotten misplaced somewhere between the post box and the admissions desk, could the process not be intelligent enough to note that my daughter still has the same date of birth and name as when we previously applied for a school place for her? Apparently not, "it's not the same process" is the response I get. Common sense and customer service clearly not strengths of Bracknell Forest School Admissions team...