Parentpay
Parent Pay
1. INTRODUCTION
ParentPay is a secure online payment system that Scorton CE Primary School uses to collect payments for school meals, trips, breakfast club, after school club and nursery fees.
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). See below for the activation guide.
More than one child using ParentPay? See guide below 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 £2.50 per day or £11.75 per week. At Scorton meals are pre-ordered and selected for the half term in advance. A payment item will be added to Parentpay at the end of each half term for the amount owed.
If you are entitled to free school meals then we do still encourage you to log in and activate your account.
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 Calder Vale St John’s 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.
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 Spar (Claughton Garage, A6), Co-Op (Catterall) and Sainsburys (Garstang).
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.
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?
School dinners are ordered in advance half-termly. Please contact the school office for a menu.
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?
All school items will be payable online including 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
