Pupils in Colchester have become the first in the county to use hi-tech ID cards to pay for their school meals.
Salad days - year eight pupils Andrew Murphy and Megan Dellar, with catering manager Simone Hunt, try out the new ID lunch cards at St Benedict's School, Colchester. Picture: ROB SAMBROOK (451773)
St Benedict's School has launched a cashless canteen to make paying for food easier.
Cash is put on to youngsters' ID cards, which are swiped through a gadget which deducts the total from their account.
The till shows the balance so there is no danger of pupils running out of cash.
Spokesman Lesley Brennan said: "Parents can send in a cheque and we update the card. Then it takes the cost of the food off the card and pupils can see from the till how much money they have left."
She added: "It's working very well. Kids aren't carrying money about with them and it's faster because they aren't rummaging about for money and staff don't have to give out change."
The scheme uses hi-tech identity cards introduced in Essex by the county council a year ago.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Thursday, September 22, 2005
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