What's the procedure for dinner money at your DC's junior school?

[sameagain]

DS1 is 8, year 3.

Dinner money £1.70 to be paid on the day, by handing the cash to the dinnerlady, at lunchtime, in exchange for his lunch.

Which means that he has to look after the cash until lunchtime, including in the playground and I sometimes get a note from the school saying that I owe the school office, as he was short at lunchtime, because he lost it.

It's only happened a couple of time to DS, but other mums tell me it happens a lot. It's bad enough having to pay it once, but twice? and it must create an opportunity for children to be bullied for their dinner money?

I am inclined to make a fuss and recommend that it's paid at the start of the day, like it was at my school and is in the infants, but am I over reacting? Should I just accept that it's a way of teaching them to look after it - except that it's not because the office replace it, then I have to reimburse them.

Is this system commonplace?

Order and pay online via paypal. You can do it with cash in school but we use this method

We can pay online or cheque/cash to school which is handed to teacher at first register and sent to the office. Can pay daily, termly or whatever and they'll send you a reminder when your fund has run out!

I am horrified that a KS2 child has to look after cash all morning. None of my dd's school clothes have pockets that cash would be safe in so it'd be introduce her to carrying a handbag at 7 years old! I'd have to make a fuss.

no, I'm sure that's not common. We can pay, cash, cheque, daily, weekly, termly whatever you want, but to the reception.
Can't quite believe they allow junior school dc's to carry money around... they don't even do that at secondary do they? they have a card system with point on here.

Here its cash or cheque weekly or whatever for primary. but cash at till at secondary (from y6). That bothers me.

yes, year 3, 8 no way do they pay the dinner lady - and it's the same for the whole school.

same as ingles2.

they are allowed to pay for fruit from the fruit bar at break, but it's 25p and even then I'm pretty sure it gets lost sometimes.

At our school we use ParentPay to pay online, and the children order their lunches at registration. We can also pay for clubs, school trips, etc. online - no need to send cash or cheques in with the children. Perhaps you could lobby your school to update their system?
www.parentpay.com/PR1/Info/PP_Index.aspx

At ours the money is sent to the school office with the morning register.

We use Parentpay for lunches too (LEA initiative). I wish we could use it for trips as well, cheques/cash to reception is a pita.

I pay termly, by cheque, to school office.

Thank you - I think I have a slim chance of persuading them to take payment on-line - the last entry on the school website is Jan 2003!! but don't see why money can't be sent to the office with the register or paid termly by cq, as seems to be the case in lots of schools.

I thought I was being horribly overprotective in worrying about DS1 having to look after the cash, so am glad some of you are also shocked at this.

How would you approach it with the school?

Ask the head if it is something they would consider, surely it must be easier for them too.

We can pay cash or cheque, either given to teacher or receptionist. Can pay weekly, monthly or termly which is great. No online payment which is a shame but its a small village school so it may not warrant an online system. Would be good if they had an online system for trips, book clubs etc save tryng to find the right change.

Our online payment is County-wide, so the school doesn't have to administer it. Maybe ask them if there's any scheme in your LEA that they could sign up to?

Failing that, surely it would be LESS admin for the school to take payments less frequently, without relying on small children to keep track of cash.

At the moment dinner money placed in an envelope with child's name sent to the office Monday morning. From September all meals will be free

The school prefer parents to pay termly but will except weekly but no less.

I suppose you could tec write a cheque each day for £1.70 and he could hand it in...? At least that way if he lost it and it was presented you wouldn't have to pay the school office if they gave him money for his lunch

We pay weekly or termly and it gets handed into the teacher or TA, who record it and it then goes to the office.

Our school is cash or cheque either weekly or monthly given to their teacher first thing monday morning. I really think it is far to much to expect a primary school aged child to be responsible for buying their own lunch like that.

We can pay weekly or half-termly, cash or cheque is handed to teacher - must be in envelope. Surprised that you can pay daily. School likes us to commit to either school lunches or packed lunch for the whole half-term for planning purposes. Talk to other parents and approach the Head - it must be easier for them if people pay weekly/half-termly. You cannot be alone with the disappearing pocket money. Good luck!

Ooops! Meant disappearing Lunch money, not pocket money. Just had a conversation about pocket money and school trips - brain scrambled.

We use ParentPay too, its great I can pay for weekly or termly dinner money and swimming lessons and anything else they put on the website - saves you finding cash and I can do it from work one less thing to worry about. Tell your school to get ParentPay it really helps and a lot less to worry about.

my dd (age 5) has to take money in and pay at lunchtime. She can choose from a selection so we dont know how much each lunch will be so have to put in a bit extra just in case. I ended up getting her a purse she can hang around herself like a tiny bag as she lost the normal one she had as they have lunch then go out to play still with the purse (she lost it in the playground and she never got it back)

we pay a term ahead if you want