Mr Roger Eakhurst, LCCS Assistant Director adds "Our customers told us some time ago that queuing at lunchtime is a real turn off so in addition to offering different service points we have introduced a swipe card system into many of our High Schools. With as many as 700 students to be served quickly within a short space of time there are good reasons for adopting this system."
 
As the system is introduced to a school, each student is issued with a swipe card registered in their name.
The system carries a photograph of the student from the school SIMS.NET that is updated each year. Each card carries a PIN unique to the card.Parents can pay in advance or daily by cheque or cash.Cheques, which are preferred, are credited to the individual student account held on the system. LCCS also install re-valuer machines in school that can be used to load cash automatically onto the system.

A limit is set as the 'maximum spend' for the day to cover morning break and lunchtime. At service times, students come to the counter, order up their lunch and present their card. The card is swiped and the photograph is displayed and checked to see that the correct person is using it.
Lost cards can be replaced free of charge or purchased depending on the circumstances.

As already mentioned, students like the speed by which they can be served their lunch. This cuts down the time taken and avoids the frustration that comes from slow service in short break times.

All cards look identical so there is no distinction at the point of sale between students receiving free meals.
The school can specify other uses for the card to ease the administration of other systems within school. By paying by cheque, parents can be sure that the money they intend for meals is used for meals. The amount of money being carried around school is greatly reduced so there is less chance of it being lost or stolen.

The system holds records of what is being purchased. This means we can plan our production to reflect customer demand and on request we can provide details of what has been purchased by individuals.The system helps us to promote balanced choices through the use of reward points.