Cashless Catering
We use a cashless catering system in our school restaurant. This system has many benefits for everyone and allows us to continue to develop and provide a more efficient and faster payment system. See below to read our Frequently Asked Questions.
How does it work?
The system operates using a biometric scan, which means there is no need for students to carry around cash, payments cards or tokens. The system simply recognised your child's thumb print at the tills. A biometric system is much secure and faster than any other method of identification.
What is it?
Biometric authentication is the automatic recognition of a living being, using suitable body characteristics - in this case, a thumbprint.
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We take students biometric prints which are stored as individual mathematical algorithms on the system. Students making purchases in the Restaurant have their fingerprint scanned at the till. If the comparison to the algorithm on the system is possible, then payment is taken from your child's account.
What about security?
Parents, carers and students can be assured that the biometric images cannot be used by any other source of identification purposes. The system uses a biometric input to create a mathematical algorithm and then discards the biometric image; only the numbers remain and these cannot be re-interpreted back into a biometric image. When your child leaves our school all data will be deleted. At no point will your child's fingerprint be stored; once the scan is converted into a unique algorithm the image is then discarded.
How do we credit our child's account?
We use ParentPay which allows parents to pay online by debit or credit card, or in cash at local PayPoint stores.
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ParentPay already helps 5,000 schools and 1.5 million parents to provide a safer, quicker and more efficient method of payment. Login details will be sent to you once your child has been scanned and an account set up.
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Initially, a spend limit of £6 will be created for every student, this can be increased or decreased by contacting Student Services.
Approval
As per current legislation, we operate an 'opt-in' policy. Therefore, we will require the consent of at least one parent/carer in order that the biometric information of your child can be processed. This information will remain within the school. Click here to request an 'opt-in' form.
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This system has many benefits; less opportunity for lost lunch money, less queueing time in the Restaurant and those students who currently receive free school meals can choose to remain anonymous.