Here at Holy Trinity we use a cashless catering system. This ensures that pupils have no need to walk around school with cash and it enables us to deliver a more efficient, faster service and to continue to provide wholesome, healthy and enjoyable meals at the lowest cost.
Funds can be added to a pupil’s account either:
Any amount of money can be paid into your child’s account held within the system; money spent on food will be taken out of the system. The system also provides you with a report detailing each item of food served, each credit made on the system, for any item period and show a current balance (via the School Gateway app follow this link for more details School Gateway ).
There is a daily ‘spend limit’ programmed into the system of £5.00, this can be increased by making a written request to the school admin office.
The quickest and easiest way to pay is via the on-line payment system.
What is a Cashless System?
At the heart of the cashless system there is a computer controlled by Fusion Impact – software. This allows the system to recognise each individual pupil, hold individual cash balances, record cash spent and cash receive record where money is spent, on what food, on any specific date and time of day.
How are pupils recognised by the system?
Each pupil will have their fingerprint registered once which will then be translated to an Alpha Numeric number to create the account- and the fingerprint image is then discarded forever. The Alpha Numeric is a series of measurements between specific points on a person’s print. When the finger is then scanned at the food server, the alpha numeric number associated will then enter them into system and identify them. No fingerprint images are retained or could be extracted from the system- it is fully approved and in use in other schools all over the country.
How is this then used to obtain a school meal?
The pupil simply places their finger on a scanner at the point of sale; a display will show the server the pupil’s name, class and current cash balance held with the system. The selected food items will be entered into the system from an itemised keyboard while the amount spent and the new cash balance will show on the display.
Online Payments
This system is called School Gateway Online Payments and will allow you to quickly log into a secure account via computer or smartphone and use your debit or credit card to make an immediate payment into your child’s account. The same system can be used to make payments against some other school activities. The system does not charge parents anything for online payments. Further information about online payments and how to activate your child’s online account is available by following this link School Gateway.
What if one day, the pupil does not have any money the system?
As always, no pupil is refused a school dinner because they have not brought money with them. The school will allow for the pupil to loan money for one day. However it will be taken off at the end of the day, leaving the pupil with a minus balance. The money will need to be loaded onto their account using School Gateway to repay the loan and re-credit the system before they can use the system again.
What about pupils entitled to a ‘free school meal’?
A pupil entitled to a free school meal will automatically get their allowance added to their account every day around 11.30am. This can only be spent at dinnertime. If they do not use it all, the remaining amount will disappear after dinner and then they will get their allowance refreshed the next day. Pupils can also add their own money onto the system for use at breakfast and break times services.
Data Handling
Certain data will be held on the system to enable accurate operation. This will include your child’s name, class, photo, account balance and meal entitlement. This data will be handled under the guidelines of the data protection act and only used by parties involved with the implementation of the system. If you have any concerns please contact the school.
We require your consent to scan your child’s fingerprint to create the alphanumeric number that will identify them to the system. If the consent is not received then pupils will be required to use a PIN number that is inherently less secure, and the process takes longer at the point of sale.
