Biometrics

A cashless school

St Teilo's is a ‘no cash’ school. To purchase school meals parents and carers are required to charge an online account using a debit or credit card. The benefits of cashless catering include:

  • A convenient way of paying for school meals.
  • Discourages the misuse of school dinner money through spending in shops outside of the school grounds.
  • Alleviates many of the associated problems with the use of cash in schools, for example loss, theft and bullying.
  • Healthy eating is encouraged.
  • Queuing times are reduced through increased speed of service.
  • Automatic Free School Meal allocation with the pupil remaining anonymous.
  • A more efficient delivery of service to help the caterer provide wholesome, healthy and enjoyable school meals at a low cost.

    The cashless system is operated biometrically, using a thumb or finger print. Importantly, no image of the fingerprint is retained. Cashless catering systems are therefore safe, secure, fast and easy.

    About biometrics

    St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School (the school) aims to use information about students as part of an automated (i.e. electronically-operated) recognition system. This is for the purposes of catering, printing and book loans. The information from students that the school wishes to use is referred to as ‘biometric information’ (see next paragraph). Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (sections 26 to 28), the school is required to notify each parent of a child and obtain the written consent of at least one parent before being able to use a child’s biometric information for an automated system.

    Biometric information and how it will be used

    Biometric information is information about a person’s physical or behavioural characteristics that can be used to identify them, for example, information from their fingerprint. The school aims to take and use information from students’ fingerprints for the purpose of providing them with access to school meals, printing services and book loans from the library.

    This information will be used as part of an automated biometric recognition system, which will take measurements of students’ fingerprints and convert these measurements into a template to be stored on the system. Images of students’ fingerprints are NOT stored. The template (i.e. measurements taken from students’ fingerprints) is what will be used to permit students to access services.

    The school will not use the biometric information for any purpose other than that stated above. The school will store the biometric information collected securely and will not share this information with any third parties other than the supplier of the biometric system.

    Providing consent

    In order to be able to use students’ biometric information, the written consent of at least one parent is required. However, consent given by one parent will be overridden if the other parent objects in writing to the use of their child’s biometric information. Similarly, if the child objects to this, the school cannot collect or use his/her biometric information for inclusion on the automated recognition system.

    Parents can also object to the proposed processing of their child’s biometric information at a later stage or withdraw any consent they have previously given. This means that, if they give consent but later change their mind, they can withdraw this consent. Any consent, withdrawal of consent or objection from a parent must be in writing.

    Even if a parent has consented, their child may object or refuse at any time to their biometric information being taken/used. His/her objection does not need to be in writing. Parents will be encouraged to discuss this with their child.

    If parents do not wish their child’s biometric information to be processed by the school, or their child objects to such processing, the law says that the school must provide reasonable alternative arrangements that allow him/her to access catering, printing and library services.

    If parents give consent to the processing of their child’s biometric information, they must sign, date and return a consent form.

    When a child leaves the school, or if for some other reason he/she ceases to use the biometric system, his/her biometric data will be deleted.

    The school’s privacy notice can be found here.

    You can contact the school here.