Cashless at Vyners
Vyners School has operated a cashless catering / online payment solution since June 2012.
The system has a number of benefits:
- Customer service in the canteens is speeded up during the busy break and lunchtime periods, enabling more students to be served.
- Students eligible for free school meals are offered anonymity, thus removing any stigma attached to accessing the service.
- Students do not need to bring 'real' money into school, for either the canteen or trips / other activities, reducing the risk of loss in transit and the risk of any bullying.
- Parents and carers can view canteen purchases online to ensure a balanced diet is being consumed.
- Parents can pay for a number of different school activities, for more than one child, at the same time.
If you are new to the system, you need a registration letter in order to set up your payment account on sQuid. These are routinely given out on first admission. A further copy can be obtained on request from the School Office. Please do not set up an account directly via the Squidcard website as this will not be recognised in School. If you are having trouble accessing the system or paying for items, the 'Guidance for Parents' document below contains some helpful hints and screenshots.
Vyners originally used a purely biometric solution to enable students to spend their online funds in the canteen. This converts an image of a person's fingertip into a unique alphanumeric number, which is then used to identify them. A biometric system also removes any inconvenience which might result from a card based system (lost and damaged cards etc). Attached below are some helpful FAQs from BIOSTORE, the company who supplied the biometric database. Please note that the biometric system only relates to canteen spend, not paying for trips and activities.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school now operates a dual system of identification. Students may use their biometric ID, or a plastic card, uniquely programmed for their individual cashless account. The first card is provided by the school for free; lost cards may be replaced for a fee of £1.
From 1 September 2013, explicit parental consent has been needed in order for the school to take, retain and use biometric IDs. All parents must complete and return a consent form before a biometric image can be taken. The consent form is sought during student enrolment.
The attention of all parents is drawn to the fact that students are allowed a maximum daily spend in the canteen of £5. This limit can be increased or decreased at parental request; please email any changes to office@vynersschool.org.uk.
Parents are advised that the School is unable to advance money to students who come to school with insufficient funds on their account. In such situations, a basic sandwich and a piece of fruit will be supplied by the school for one day only, after which parents are asked to make appropriate lunch arrangements for their child.
Students who leave the school should endeavour to spend all remaining funds on the system. If this is not possible, the school will transfer any remaining balances to a sibling who is in school. Where this is not applicable, refunds may be requested for amounts over £10 by emailing the Finance Team (dsuri@vynersschool.org.uk) no later than 31 July in the year of leaving. Refunds may also now be directly requested from squidcard (who will return funds to the bank card stored on the system). Amounts left on the system after this date will be treated as a donation to school funds.
