Paying for meals at St John Fisher
Free School Meals
Parents/carers receiving certain benefits may be eligible to Free School Meals. Eligible students receive a daily allowance which is automatically added to their ParentPay account. Please note that the allowance does not carry over if unused.
Even if your child does not intend to have school meals, we strongly encourage eligible families to apply. Every student in receipt of free school meal provides the school with valuable additional funding that can support:
- School trips
- Educational resources
- Revision guides
- Extra-curricular opportunities
Applications are confidential and will not affect any other benefits. To check eligibility or apply, please visit the Kirklees website: Kirklees Free School Meals.
Changes to Free School Meals from September 2026
From September 2026, all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, attending maintained schools, academies and free schools will be entitled to receive a free meal.
There will be 2 categories of benefits-based free school meals:
- Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less
- Expanded FSM, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit
Ending transitional protections
Transitional protections for free school meals have been in effect since 1 April 2018. This has meant that pupils becoming eligible for free meals under the benefits-based criteria have retained their entitlement, even if their household circumstances have changed.
From September 2026, transitional protections for free school meals will end and Free School Meal eligibility rechecked annually.
Further information is available here.
School Meal Payments
We operate a cashless catering system using ParentPay, a secure online payment platform. Parents / carers can use ParentPay to:
- Add funds to their child’s account
- View what their child has purchased
- Set a daily spending limit
If your child receives Free School Meals, you can still access ParentPay to monitor their food choices or top up their account if needed.
ParentPay can be accessed at the following link - ParentPay.
If you have misplaced your login details, please contact the Finance Team in school.
Cashless Catering and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT)
Our catering tills use Facial Recognition Technology to provide a fast, convenient and secure method of paying for school meals. This removes the need for students to carry cash, reducing the risk of it being lost.
The system works by analysing a student’s facial features and converting them into a secure, encrypted identifier that is stored in our database. No photographic images are stored or shared.
Why we use Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition offers several benefits:
- Improved Service: Students simply select their meal, look at the camera and go.
- Greater Efficiency: Faster transactions mean shorter queues.
- Enhanced Experience: Students have more time to enjoy breaks and extra-curricular activities.
- 100% Contactless: A hygienic, touch-free payment option.
- Familiar Technology: Many students already use similar features on personal devices.
As with all biometric systems, written parental consent is required.
Consent can be given by completing the Facial Recognition Technology section on the Student Consent Form. Additional copies are available from Reception.
Parents/Carers may withdraw consent at any time by contacting the school. Students without consent will be issued a PIN to use instead.
Further details about our use of biometric data can be found in our Privacy Notice.