To only pay for school dinners when I get a text from the school?

[NumberZ]

We’ve been told that arrears of 2 weeks worth of dinners will mean that the pupil will have to bring school dinners in and will not be given a school meal.

I’ve always waited for the ‘reminder’ and paid it anyone else?

When does the reminder come? Before fees are due or when you’re already late?

Why?

Why aren't you paying when you're child has the meal?
At our school you need to top up your child's dinner card in advance before the lunch can be bought

So basically you believe their cash flow is less important than yours.

Your, not you're

We always paid in advance

Why do you have to wait to be reminded by the school? Do you do this with all your bills? It’s your responsibility to pay on time.

Is there a reason why you wait for a reminder? Do you pay in cash or online? I usually pay online in advance for school dinners.

Er no.

We were told not to preload the app - the reminder comes from the school, we’ve never before been told the timeframe we have to pay it within (apart from the end of term)

No, you need to have the amount you intend to spend there in advance. You don't go into a shop, take the goods, then wait for an invoice, do you?

The school is extending a courtesy by allowing children not to go hungry if their parents have a short-term cash flow problem/organisational mishap. It's not intended to be used on a regular basis.

We are told how much dinners are and use the school gateways app to pop money on as and when. We can see when it runs low and is our responsibility to make sure the money is there.

Why would you do that, schools have got enough to do without wasting effort chasing parents who haven't go the common sense to pay up on time like you're meant to. Not normal or considerate behaviour

Why don’t you just pay a weeks worth of dinners every Monday?

Did they give any rationale for not pre-loading the app with funds?

@SirensofTitan

Why would you do that, schools have got enough to do without wasting effort chasing parents who haven't go the common sense to pay up on time like you're meant to. Not normal or considerate behaviour

I think it’s an automated text, what is ‘on time’ if it’s not when you are told to pay?

@MrsRobbieHart

Why don’t you just pay a weeks worth of dinners every Monday?

Yes I will pay weekly from now on.

@DysmalRadius

Did they give any rationale for not pre-loading the app with funds?

I can’t remember now, it was a couple of years ago when we started issuing it.

You should be paying it at the beginning of every week.

You pay and then your child spends it by eating…what’s so difficult about that concept. You don’t get invoiced for the meals afterwards.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

You pay and then your child spends it by eating…what’s so difficult about that concept. You don’t get invoiced for the meals afterwards.

As I said we aren’t supposed to preload it.

It's a bit odd if they're not clear when hou should pay. Ww pay for school dinnwrs in arrears. I pay when i get thw bill.

I've always had to pay when ordering the meals (with the exception of the first few days of term at the school that needed a cash payment dropping off).

That's unusual
At our school we paid in advance at primary school and they let you know when it was running low. It would stop if you let it get to two weeks in arrears, I paid monthly in advance and once miscalculated so had to drop off money to school pretty sharpish

At secondary school we have SCOPAY and have to preload their canteen accounts, if there's no money in there they can't buy anything

Mine mostly take packed lunches to secondary school as food isn't great, more snacks and queues are too long so no time to actually eat it. but the primary school meals used to be good value

Of course you’re supposed to pre load it- what school implements a policy of chasing payments.
If they are sending text chasers clearly something isn’t working