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Food at School

Our catering is provided by Kirklees Catering Service.

Kirklees Catering Service is the multi award-winning catering supplier to schools across Kirklees and the wider region. A wide choice of food and drink is on sale at both break and lunchtime.

We have included some sample menus to show the food that students are able to purchase each day, with current costings (subject to change). The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) and our Inspire space (for SEND students) are available at break, lunchtime and until 16:15 (16:00 on Fridays) for students in addition to our restaurant, main hall and outdoor space. 

Cashless Catering

Biometric Cashless System 

A cashless system is used for the payment of items purchased in the restaurant, where no cash is taken at the point of sale. Each student and member of staff using the system will be allocated an account, much like a bank account. This information is held on a secure server and stores details of individual cash balances, records cash spent and cash received, records where money has been spent, on what food and the exact date and time the money was spent.  The cashless system can be accessed through ParentPay and Point Point locations in the area.

How are students and staff recognised by the Biometric system?

Prior to the system going live, all individuals intending to use the system will have their finger scanned. This finger scan will be converted into a number and stored on the system against that individual. Once the finger scan has been taken it is automatically converted to numeric form. No register of fingerprints is kept and it is impossible to reconstitute a fingerprint from the numeric reference. 

How is the Biometric Recognition System used to obtain a meal?

At the till point is a dermal scanner, when the student wishes to pay for the meal they simply places their thumb/finger on the scanner; and this will bring up that individual’s account. A display will show the terminal operator the cardholder’s photo, name, and current cash balance held within the system. The selected food items will be entered into the system from the touch screen terminal while the product values and the total balance will show on the display. For individuals using a PIN, they simply give the terminal operator their number, and the account will be brought up.

How is money entered into the system?

  1. ParentPay online with a credit/debit card to pay for meals
  2. ParentPay PayPoint - check the location of PayPoints near you http://www.paypoint.co.uk/locator.aspx

ParentPay Online - making secure payments online using your credit or debit card

ParentPay offers you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – safe in the knowledge that the technology used is of the highest internet security available. You will have a secure online account, activated using a unique username and password which is forwarded to parents; who will be prompted to change these, and to keep them safe and secure.  If you have more than one child at our school, you can merge their accounts to create one login for all your children.  Making a payment is straightforward and ParentPay holds a payment history for you to view at a later date; no card details are stored in any part of the system. Once you’ve activated your account you can make online payments straight away.

ParentPay PayPoint - making secure payments using a PayPoint Location

Parents wishing to pay cash may do so using the PayPoint network at local convenience stores. .PayPoint payments are recorded by ParentPay and can be seen by logging into your ParentPay account and viewing your payment history online. The nearest PayPoint stores to you can be found by visiting http://www.paypoint.co.uk/locator.aspx

You can request a barcode letter from school which will have your individual account details to take into a PayPoint store. If you are using PayPoint on a regular basis to top up your child's account, please contact the Academy to request a PayPoint Card. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my child wants to bring their own food into school?

Students are welcome to bring their own food to school. The Academy promotes a healthy, balanced diet and so students are not permitted to bring fizzy drinks, energy drinks or chewing gum. These items will be confiscated and students will be sanctioned in line with policy.

What will Parent Pay be used for?

ParentPay is our cashless payment provider. It is used for payment for school meals, drinks and snacks and as our preferred method of payment for trips and events.

How can you check your current balance held on the system?

You can check your balance online at https://app.parentpay.com

What if the student does not hold a sufficient cash balance one day to pay for a school meal?

No student is refused a school meal - at lunchtime, the Academy will allow a student to go into a minus cash balance for a short period of time, to ensure they have something to eat. It would then be expected that the account is topped up. Please note, students will not be allowed to purchase food at breakfast and/or break if they do not have sufficient funds in their account. 

How does the system manage Free School Meals?

The system works exactly the same for all students whether they pay or have a free school meal entitlement. The amount allocated for the free school meal will automatically be available in the students account and will only be accessible at morning break and lunchtime. However, any under spend or missed lunch will be identified by the system and will not be added to the next day’s balance. Accounts can be topped up with additional funds, to enable students to spend more than their allocated Free School Meal allowance. Any extra money can be added into the system to be used for breakfast.  

If we pay for a set number of school meals, can it be spent in one day?

If requested, a daily spending limit can be set for all students and no food above that limit can be bought. If no limit is set, a student can spend £5.00 at each sitting, up to a total of £15 per day.

What is Biometric Registration?

Each individual’s finger and thumb prints are unique. The Biometric cashless system will store only a section of the print as a unique number and not as a fingerprint. Each student will have that unique number stored on a central server. This is done by scanning the finger or thumb with a non-evasive electronic scanner, which passes light over the finger or thumb. 

A print will be stored numerically, as a set of numeric reference points, unique to the individual’s print. Each reference point comprises of three numbers which are the X and Y co-ordinates and an angle of curve. The system does not store the image of the finger scanned. The stored co-ordinates are only of use in matching part of the individual’s print and cannot be used for any other purposes.

Certain data will be held on the system to enable accurate operation. This will include your son/daughter’s name, form, photo, account balance and meal entitlement. This data will be handled under the guidelines of the Data Protection Act and only used by parties directly associated with the Academy. Access to this information is controlled strictly by the Academy only.