Frequently asked questions for online school payments

You can activate your ParentPay account and start making payments once you have received your activation letter with your login details. This will have been sent to you prior to the system being introduced in your child’s school.

ParentPay accept Maestro, Switch, Delta, Electron, Solo and Visa debit cards. You can also use MasterCard and Visa credit cards.

We hope all parents will use the new online system, but if you prefer, you can still credit your ParentPay account by using a Paypoint card.

These can be topped-up at your local PayPoint store. Payments via PayPoint can take up to 48 hours to be credited. You can find your local store by visiting the  Paypoint website. For more information on this option, please contact your school.

Yes. All card transactions are processed securely and are encrypted. ParentPay and the school do not have access to your card details.

Standard website addresses begin with the letters http. However, the address for a secure site will always begin with https.

You will also see a small padlock at the bottom/top right of the screen on our login page and after you have logged into your account. 

Never enter your card details, or personal data on any web page whose address does not start with https.

We operate under strict guidelines set out by the Data Protection Act and hold a very limited amount of information about you and your child to administer your account.

We do not share or give information to any other organisations.

ParentPay will never contact you by phone, email or mail and ask you to divulge confidential information like passwords or card numbers. 

If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from ParentPay, call ParentPay immediately on 02476 994 820. 

You can access the ParentPay website from your smartphone or tablet, or why not visit your local library and book a computer?

Alternatively, you may be able to get access to a computer at your work, but you should check the policy in your workplace before doing this.

Cashless catering is a system to remove the need for children to pay money over the counter when they get their school meal  or snack.

By introducing this system in conjunction with the ParentPay online system, we are simplifying payment arrangements for parents and allowing them access to view what their children have purchased. Children will benefit from increased speed of service and anonymity on free school meals.

The cashless catering system uses a more user friendly and simple biometric finger scan system to identify individual children.

Biometrics work by allocating a number of reference points to a finger or thumb. It’s not a photograph, or a fingerprint, but is more like a shopping barcode.

Registration days will take place leading up to the ‘Live’ day of the cashless system and registration terminals will be placed in the school.

Your child places their finger/thumb on a Biometric sensor which will then store their unique data, saving them carrying a card around.

If you choose to 'opt out' of the biometric option, your child can still enjoy school meals by either using a unique six digit PIN Code in secondary schools or in primary schools catering staff can use the 'look up' facility on the tills.

Yes. The daily spend limit is £4 in primary schools and £8 in secondary schools. This can be changed on written request to the Catering Manager at your school.

Pupils entitled to free school meals will have their ParentPay account credited each day.

Because all account types are accessed in the same way, whether paid for or free, the new system allows those pupils receiving free school meals to remain completely anonymous.

Free school meal credit balances will not be carried over to the next day.