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- ⁄ More pupils to benefit from cashless meal payments
More pupils to benefit from cashless meal payments
25 May 2006
Buying school meals is set to become quicker and easier for more Derbyshire pupils.
Derbyshire County Council is introducing cashless payment systems at a further five secondary schools as part of its drive to improve the midday meal experience.
Schools set to benefit are The Meadows Community School, Old Whittington, Chesterfield; New Mills School and Sixth Form Centre; Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, Ilkeston; The Bolsover School and Heritage Community School, Clowne.
They will become the first in Derbyshire to boast fingerprint recognition technology. Systems in other schools incorporate swipe card technology.
It means pupils will pay for meals using a hi-tech fingerprint reader linked to a computer rather than with cash at the point of service.
Parents top up their child’s account by posting a cheque to the school or pupils can add money at an on-site pay station. The system allows parents to set a daily spend limit.
Other benefits include:
- Quicker and easier service by removing all cash transactions
- Reducing bullying because pupils do not need to carry cash and those who receive free meals cannot be identified
- Pupils can earn points from buying certain healthy foods
- Easier monitoring of nutritional information by schools.
The county council is paying £91,812 towards the work, with the schools contributing a combined £24,520.
The project forms part of the council’s plans to spend £300,000 introducing cashless systems in more secondary schools by 2009. Eleven schools have been equipped with swipe card technology since 2002.
It is the latest in a range of measures by the authority to improve school meals, aided by an extra £1.8 million from the Government over the next three years.
Councillor Alan Charles, the county council’s cabinet member for school planning and support, said: “We’re keen to introduce cashless systems in even more schools because of the major benefits they bring.
“The moves are part of our ongoing drive to improve all aspects of school meal provision, supported by the additional Government funding.”
The systems will go live during the autumn 2006 term.
(REF: RS.215.06)
Buying school meals is set to become quicker and easier for more Derbyshire pupils.
Derbyshire County Council is introducing cashless payment systems at a further five secondary schools as part of its drive to improve the midday meal experience.
Schools set to benefit are The Meadows Community School, Old Whittington, Chesterfield; New Mills School and Sixth Form Centre; Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, Ilkeston; The Bolsover School and Heritage Community School, Clowne.
They will become the first in Derbyshire to boast fingerprint recognition technology. Systems in other schools incorporate swipe card technology.
It means pupils will pay for meals using a hi-tech fingerprint reader linked to a computer rather than with cash at the point of service.
Parents top up their child’s account by posting a cheque to the school or pupils can add money at an on-site pay station. The system allows parents to set a daily spend limit.
Other benefits include:
- Quicker and easier service by removing all cash transactions
- Reducing bullying because pupils do not need to carry cash and those who receive free meals cannot be identified
- Pupils can earn points from buying certain healthy foods
- Easier monitoring of nutritional information by schools.
The county council is paying £91,812 towards the work, with the schools contributing a combined £24,520.
The project forms part of the council’s plans to spend £300,000 introducing cashless systems in more secondary schools by 2009. Eleven schools have been equipped with swipe card technology since 2002.
It is the latest in a range of measures by the authority to improve school meals, aided by an extra £1.8 million from the Government over the next three years.
Councillor Alan Charles, the county council’s cabinet member for school planning and support, said: “We’re keen to introduce cashless systems in even more schools because of the major benefits they bring.
“The moves are part of our ongoing drive to improve all aspects of school meal provision, supported by the additional Government funding.”
The systems will go live during the autumn 2006 term.
(REF: RS.215.06)
