Cashless Catering

Cashless Catering & Food at Oakgrove

What is a Cashless System?

A computerised biometric system which is in use throughout the country with cashless catering and school library systems. It has proved very popular across Milton Keynes. Specialist software translates a finger image into a unique number code. This cannot be translated back into the original finger image and it is the numeric code that is stored on the system. The system recognises each individual student from the code and holds student’s cash balances, records cash spent and cash received and other information related to purchases.

How does the student obtain a school meal?

The student will touch an image scanner in front of the point of sale touch screen. A display will show the student’s name, photograph, class and current cash balance held within the system. The selected food items will be entered into the system from an itemised keyboard and the amount spent and the new cash balance will show on the display.

How will the student be able to check what the current cash balance is held in the system at any one time?

(a) By using the revaluation station, located in the main foyer.
(b) The till points will display the remaining balance after each purchase.

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

No, a daily spend limit of £5.00 will be set for all students and no purchase above that value can be made.

On request, an individual student limit of your choice can be set, to include a school dinner and/or break time snacks.

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

As before, no student is refused a school dinner because they do not have their lunch money. The school will allow the student to have a ‘Meal Deal’ for that day only. The student must repay the full amount the next day. This arrangement will be organised by the finance office.

What about the student entitled to a ‘free school meal’?

The system works exactly the same for all students whether they pay or are entitled to a free school meal. The student will have the value of a free school meal credited each day for use at lunch time only.

Any Free School Meal under spend or missed dinner will be identified by the system and will not be added to the next day’s balance.

Students can add extra cash to their balance by using the revaluation station, to top up their daily allocation which can then be used at break or lunch time.

Eligibility for Free School Meals

Data Protection

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 directly involved with the implementation of the system. If you have any concerns please contact the Finance Office.

Features of Cashless Catering

Safe and secure system
Reduced queuing times
Speed and convenience
Encourages healthy eating
Specific dietary requirements can be added to the system
Discourages spending in shops outside of the school grounds
Enables the caterer to deliver a faster service.

Methods of Payment

By ParentPay

On-line service that lets parents make secure online payments by credit or debit card
Alternatively send cash through local PayPoint stores, to school to pay for school lunches, trips, music lesson etc.
ParentPay