Westdene Primary School & Nursery

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).

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.

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.

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).

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 https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/children-and-education/schools/free-school-meals - the application is very quick and simple or call 01273 293 497.

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.

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).

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.

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.

You can request replacement details from the school office.

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 £2.20 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.

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.

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.

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.