Schools, meals and cashless payments.
Discussion
The school attended by by children has quite a late lunch (2pm or later). But they have a tuck shop that sells hot food, which they use daily. They take snack money, because they have breakfast at 7:30am.
The school is now saying that they will have access to tuck only certain days a week and that we must get them a credit or debit card to pay with.
Has anyone else had similar from school?
The school is now saying that they will have access to tuck only certain days a week and that we must get them a credit or debit card to pay with.
Has anyone else had similar from school?
I think its to help combat bullying for kids lunch money.
My lads secondary school has a pre paid system. We go online to their website and top up his account each week to give him credit, which he uses to purchase school lunches etc.He knows that he only has 'X' amount to spend each day. If he spends more and leaves himself short by Friday then he goes without lunch. He hasn't done that 'yet' though.
My lads secondary school has a pre paid system. We go online to their website and top up his account each week to give him credit, which he uses to purchase school lunches etc.He knows that he only has 'X' amount to spend each day. If he spends more and leaves himself short by Friday then he goes without lunch. He hasn't done that 'yet' though.
LeadFarmer said:
I think its to help combat bullying for kids lunch money.
My lads secondary school has a pre paid system. We go online to their website and top up his account each week to give him credit, which he uses to purchase school lunches etc.He knows that he only has 'X' amount to spend each day. If he spends more and leaves himself short by Friday then he goes without lunch. He hasn't done that 'yet' though.
No it’s COVID measures.My lads secondary school has a pre paid system. We go online to their website and top up his account each week to give him credit, which he uses to purchase school lunches etc.He knows that he only has 'X' amount to spend each day. If he spends more and leaves himself short by Friday then he goes without lunch. He hasn't done that 'yet' though.
We would be happy to have them charge an account and we pay, but the school is saying we must provide credit or charge cards.
Louis Balfour said:
miniman said:
Surprised they don’t already have something like fingerprint payment, but a Go Henry card is the simple answer here.
I will look into it.We could have enabled Apple Pay but they have banned mobile phones.
LeadFarmer said:
I'd not heard of Go Henry, just looked it up and it appears theres a monthly charge.
Are there any other similar cards on the market that are free? I like the idea of a card that can only be used to spend up to the amount of credit it has on it, and can't be used like a credit card.
Get a Monzo or Starling card for yourself and just load a few quid on it then give to your offspring to use.Are there any other similar cards on the market that are free? I like the idea of a card that can only be used to spend up to the amount of credit it has on it, and can't be used like a credit card.
Any use of the card will be immediately notified on your phone, you can top it up in an emergency and they are both free.
Son's school, (High School) used to have a system where he put say £10 into a machine and then when he bought anything it was deducted from his account. And if he ran short by the end of the week he would "beg" extra cash...
Since his return two weeks ago (Scottish school holiday are different) we have had to put money on his account via a web site link and they no longer get the option of hot meals. It's all sandwiches and the like, they "pre order" and it's brought to the eating area.
They've rearranged lessons so there's not much travelling between classrooms, different years get different eating times and no mixing between years.
Since his return two weeks ago (Scottish school holiday are different) we have had to put money on his account via a web site link and they no longer get the option of hot meals. It's all sandwiches and the like, they "pre order" and it's brought to the eating area.
They've rearranged lessons so there's not much travelling between classrooms, different years get different eating times and no mixing between years.
LeadFarmer said:
I'd not heard of Go Henry, just looked it up and it appears theres a monthly charge.
Are there any other similar cards on the market that are free? I like the idea of a card that can only be used to spend up to the amount of credit it has on it, and can't be used like a credit card.
Parent pay. Are there any other similar cards on the market that are free? I like the idea of a card that can only be used to spend up to the amount of credit it has on it, and can't be used like a credit card.
You can. Top up on phone etc and they use fingerprint at the cash desk etc.
https://www.parentpay.com/
Difficult to see what the kid is 'buying' though the itemisation doesn't seem great and ripe for 'overcharging' and double counting but maybe that's just lazy canteen staff
speedyguy said:
Parent pay.
You can. Top up on phone etc and they use fingerprint at the cash desk etc.
https://www.parentpay.com/
Difficult to see what the kid is 'buying' though the itemisation doesn't seem great and ripe for 'overcharging' and double counting but maybe that's just lazy canteen staff
To answer your question regarding the itemisation...You can. Top up on phone etc and they use fingerprint at the cash desk etc.
https://www.parentpay.com/
Difficult to see what the kid is 'buying' though the itemisation doesn't seem great and ripe for 'overcharging' and double counting but maybe that's just lazy canteen staff
Parentpay is the payment system which links to cashless till software that may have a simple menu for speed. Watching the process of cashless operation during a break time, it is amazing how quick transactions occur.
As for the double counting...if you mean they press the button twice, yes it happens but can be operator error to. They were serving 100 kids in 15 min Per till.
Payment is simple . nimbl , revolute etc . as suggested above.
I'd be more concerned about only being able to access Tuck a few days a week.
Yours sound much like my sons ... Lunch is normally quite late ... and is often skipped in favour of sports. Since he leaves the house at 7:20 a snack sausage roll or similar at break doesn't seem unreasonable.
If they aren't offering this everyday then i'd have to send snacks in.
I'd be more concerned about only being able to access Tuck a few days a week.
Yours sound much like my sons ... Lunch is normally quite late ... and is often skipped in favour of sports. Since he leaves the house at 7:20 a snack sausage roll or similar at break doesn't seem unreasonable.
If they aren't offering this everyday then i'd have to send snacks in.
Chozza said:
Payment is simple . nimbl , revolute etc . as suggested above.
I'd be more concerned about only being able to access Tuck a few days a week.
Yours sound much like my sons ... Lunch is normally quite late ... and is often skipped in favour of sports. Since he leaves the house at 7:20 a snack sausage roll or similar at break doesn't seem unreasonable.
If they aren't offering this everyday then i'd have to send snacks in.
The peoblem is, one of our children would take a snack and just not eat it. He would be too busy playing football or whatever.I'd be more concerned about only being able to access Tuck a few days a week.
Yours sound much like my sons ... Lunch is normally quite late ... and is often skipped in favour of sports. Since he leaves the house at 7:20 a snack sausage roll or similar at break doesn't seem unreasonable.
If they aren't offering this everyday then i'd have to send snacks in.
I think the school is being a bit crap.
From my own experience, I thought most schools were already cashless.
I agree with setting up a childs account and just direct debit the amount that they need weekly, as this teaches them to budget and familiarises them with banking as a life skill.
But, why use a paid monthly service such as goHenry, or set up in your name and not your child's, when some traditional banks and building societies still offer free child accounts with a debit card? For example the Nationwide Flexone Children's or NatWest adapt accounts from 11 years old, with Visa Debit card and Apple / Google pay.
I agree with setting up a childs account and just direct debit the amount that they need weekly, as this teaches them to budget and familiarises them with banking as a life skill.
But, why use a paid monthly service such as goHenry, or set up in your name and not your child's, when some traditional banks and building societies still offer free child accounts with a debit card? For example the Nationwide Flexone Children's or NatWest adapt accounts from 11 years old, with Visa Debit card and Apple / Google pay.
It makes no sense why only some days a week can they get tuck. Imo sounds like the school is using covid as an excuse to stop doing something they dont want to do anymore.
As for cashless payments, that would have been a nightmare for me as a kid. I'd save £1 a day of my £2 dinner money and could afford a good friday night... then attempt to sneak in the house without being caught.
As for cashless payments, that would have been a nightmare for me as a kid. I'd save £1 a day of my £2 dinner money and could afford a good friday night... then attempt to sneak in the house without being caught.
hotchy said:
It makes no sense why only some days a week can they get tuck. Imo sounds like the school is using covid as an excuse to stop doing something they dont want to do anymore.
As for cashless payments, that would have been a nightmare for me as a kid. I'd save £1 a day of my £2 dinner money and could afford a good friday night... then attempt to sneak in the house without being caught.
Surely you’d do the same with cashAs for cashless payments, that would have been a nightmare for me as a kid. I'd save £1 a day of my £2 dinner money and could afford a good friday night... then attempt to sneak in the house without being caught.
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