Parent Pay
1. INTRODUCTION
ParentPay is a secure online payment system that Westdene Primary School use to collect dinner money. From January 2013 we are extending its use to include all payments to the school EXCEPT After School Club & Breakfast Club.
In an attempt to remove cash and cheques from the school office, we are asking all parents to use this e-payment method to pay the school. You will have a secure online account, activated using a unique set of activation codes (please speak to the School Office for these activation codes).
Please click here for the Activation Guide. More than one child using ParentPay? Click here to Merge Accounts and use just one account (even if they are at different schools).
Making a payment is straightforward and ParentPay holds an electronic record of your payments 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.
Parents who are unable to make payments online, or wish to continue paying in cash, can request a PayPoint Card. This will enable you to pay at any store which displays the PayPoint sign. Please be aware that payments made via PayPoint can take up to three days to be credited to pupil accounts. Please inform the school if you require a PayPoint Card.
2. SCHOOL MEALS
Meals cost £2.10 per day or £10.50 per week. You can choose to pay weekly, monthly, per term or per year but you must have funds on account before a meal is taken. Please also add extra funds if you would like your child to have the opportunity to buy drinks (the cost of daily drinks can be found on the Friday Update).
We do ask that your account is kept in credit at all times as we are unable to provide meals without payment.
If you are entitled to free school meals then we do still encourage you to log in and activate your account. This will enable you to top up the account for drinks if required and also let you view what your child has chosen to eat each day.
3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does Parent Pay involve?
Pupils do not pay for school meals, trips, swimming lessons, music clubs, etc. with cash. ParentPay is an online system which allows parents to pay for these school items online using a credit and/or debit card or to pay cash at local stores through the PayPoint network.
All pupils at Westdene School have a ParentPay account. We ask parents to activate these individual online pupil accounts by visiting www.parentpay.com and use the unique username and password provided by the school.
How are school meals paid for?
When a pupil collects a hot school meal, the charge is automatically added to their individual account.
Please credit your child’s account with funds for hot school meals in advance of a meal being taken using a debit or credit card, or by requesting a PayPoint card to facilitate paying cash at local PayPoint network stores.
Please contact the school if you need your child’s account activation details.
My child is entitled to a free meal, how does it work?
The free meal allowance will be automatically credited to your child’s account each lunch time. You do not need to do anything. The allowance will not carry over to the next day if it is not used. We would encourage you to still activate your ParentPay account to view what meal your child has chosen and to see what meal choices there are for future dates. Using this system means that free meal entitled pupils are not identifiable at all within the dining hall. If you think you may be entitled and would like to claim visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/onlinefreeschoolmeals - the application is very quick and simple or call 01273 293 497.
What if I want to continue to pay in cash at school?
Unfortunately we will not be offering the facilities to accept cash (unless there are exceptional circumstances and this has been prearranged with the school). If you do not have access to your online account, please request a PayPoint letter and cash can be put on to your child’s account at any PayPoint outlet. The nearest PayPoint stores to school are Mace (36 Eldred Avenue), Co-Op (21-23 Old London Road, Patcham), Spar (Mill Road) and Wilmington Convenience (4 Wilmington Parade).
What if I cannot access a computer to use ParentPay?
We are committed towards a completely cashless system. We would encourage you to visit your local library or internet café. You can also set up the PayPoint payment system as described above. If parents elect not to use ParentPay, we would ask that you provide a packed lunch.
What do I need to do now?
ParentPay activation details are available from the school office. If you would rather use the PayPoint method of payment then you must contact the office to request a PayPoint card (and a “barcode” letter as an interim measure).
What do I do if I have forgotten/lost my activation username/password?
You can request replacement details from the school office.
Do I need separate accounts for each child at the school?
No. On the home page there is an Add a Child tab. Enter the username & password for the child you wish to add, click search and then click on Add child to your account.
What does my child do if they want a school dinner?
Firstly we ask that you let your child know if they are to have a school dinner that day (and any other day). If a child does not have a packed lunch but is unsure if they are having a school dinner, we will contact you.
Your child will choose their meal at registration each morning. At lunchtime they will collect their meal and proceed to the dining hall till. At this point, the till operator will select your child’s name and will also be able to see their photo. Teachers and Midday Supervisors will be on hand to help them with this process. A meal will then be logged against your child’s account and you will be able to view this later in the day. Your balance on ParentPay will decrease by £2.10 in payment for the meal. If your child also buys a 30p or 60p drink this will reduce your balance on account further. If there is no money on your account, we will contact you the next day to ask that you add money to the account. The school is unable to continue to provide meals without payment.
If you do not want your child to order a drink we would ask that you let them know. The school can also set your account to “meal only” – this must be requested via the school office.
What does my child need to bring in to School if they want a school dinner?
Nothing. They will just need to say their name at the till and the till operator will check their photo and record what meal they took.
Does my child have to have a school dinner every day?
No. If you provide a packed lunch, your child will not have a meal recorded against your account and your balance remains unaffected. You can choose each morning to either provide a packed lunch or have a school dinner. We do however ask that if you do choose to have a school meal that you have money on your ParentPay account to pay for it.
My child normally has a packed lunch. Do I need an account so they can buy drinks at lunchtime?
Yes, every pupil will need an account as we no longer accept cash at the till.
What happens if my child has no money in their account?
Your child can still have a school meal. This MUST be paid back in full the next day either by adding funds to your ParentPay account or by taking cash to a PayPoint outlet (with accompanying letter or PayPoint card).
How much money should I put on my account?
It is up to you to choose how much money to put on the account but we would recommend a minimum of £10.50 to cover 5 days of school meals. Please also be aware that if you child buys a drink you will need enough money on your account to cover this additional cost. You can set a reminder on your account to send you an alert either via a text message or email to remind you that your balance is low. If there is no money on your account, we will contact you via text or email to ask that you add money to your account. The school is unable to continue to provide meals without payment.
What if I don’t want my child to use the money on account for drinks?
Please contact the school immediately and we can set your account as “meals only”.
Can I check what my child is eating at school?
Yes. You can see what he or she is buying through the ParentPay system. We would encourage you to check your account regularly to confirm the balance and to see what they are eating and what drinks they are buying.
What cards can I use on ParentPay?
ParentPay accepts MasterCard and Visa credit cards and Maestro, Switch, Delta, Electron, Solo and Visa debit cards.
Is it safe to make payments on the internet?
Yes. In fact, it’s as safe to pay online with ParentPay as it is to use your credit card in a shop or over the phone. ParentPay uses leading technology to process your credit/debit card transactions securely. All communication with the bank is encrypted (jumbled up so no one else can read it). Neither ParentPay nor the school has access to your card details.
What about personal information?
ParentPay uses a very limited amount of information about you and your child solely for the purpose of administering your account; they do not share or give information to any other organisations. They operate under strict guidelines set out by the Data Protection Act 1998, which ensures the protection and care of personal information. This means that any information you give ParentPay electronically will only be used for the purpose that you intended.
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 ever contacted by someone claiming to be from ParentPay, please contact the school immediately.
Can I use my Childcare Vouchers to pay for dinner money?
If you are a working parent, your employer may offer childcare solutions – including childcare vouchers - which qualify for Income Tax and National Insurance exemptions (either in part or completely) providing certain conditions are met. Please refer to the HMRC website for further information: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/ir115.pdf. We can only accept childcare vouchers for payment of our Extended Services After School Club and Breakfast Club. The school cannot accept childcare vouchers in payment for any other school item or event including but not limited to trips and dinner money.
Can I pay for my child’s school trips and clubs using ParentPay?
From January all school items will be payable online except After School Club and Breakfast Club payments.
Why has the school introduced ParentPay?
There are many benefits to this system:
- You no longer need to find change in the morning
- It allows you to pay for school items anytime, anywhere
- ParentPay is a highly secure payment site
- We will provide information to every parent via the ParentPay system on what has been bought every day by every pupil. Parents have told us this information is important to them
- It saves us a lot of administrative time handling, counting and banking the cash we receive. Money from ParentPay is paid directly into our bank accounts instead
- There is less cash on our premises
- ParentPay has been successfully launched in over 30 local schools. All remaining schools across Brighton & Hove are now being encouraged to introduce ParentPay in their dining halls. This enables parents with children at different schools within the city to add up to six children to their account regardless of which school they attend.