There are two dining room facilities in the school, one for main school and one for Sixth Form. Both are modern, attractive spaces that are popular with students and staff alike. Food is offered throughout the day but predominantly during breaks and lunches.
Food is fresh and locally sourced where ever possible. It is prepared and cooked on the premises by our own team of catering staff. Our staff are all experienced and led by a professional cook with a diverse background in the catering world who has brought this vibrant mix to our school and the menus we provide.
Options range from hot and cold snacks, through salads, sandwiches, wraps and jacket potatoes to a full meal at lunchtime including roast dinners, lasagna, curry, fish and chips to name but a few. Pasta is served daily with a choice of sauces but the menu is about to undergo a full review taking into account the views of all our students and parents, as well as our hungry staff!
How do free school meals work?
Each student who is eligible for free school meals will automatically receive a daily credit on their account of £2.80. They can use this to purchase a meal from the dining room. The credit will only be available to spend on that day to spend on school meal items. Students receiving free school meals are not distinguishable from students paying with their own money.
My child receives free school meals, but I want to give them some extra money. Can I still do this?
A free school meals student’s account can be topped up in the same way as any other. Topped up funds can be spent when the student chooses.
How do I pay over the internet?
By using the Wisepay system accessed via the school website. Payment can be made by credit or debit card. Payment is credited to the account and available to spend immediately.
How often should I top up my account?
You can top up as often as you wish.
I want to top up once per term, but don’t want my child to spend all of the money straight away.
The system has a limit of £5 per day for each student to spend. If you wish to change this amount please email wisepay@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk.
I have more than one child at Poole High School; can I top up both accounts at once?
You have been issued with one login per child. These accounts can be merged please refer to the help document on Wisepay.
How will I be able to check my balance?
Either online via your Wisepay account or at the till point on presentation of your fob.
What if there are insufficient funds on the account to pay for a meal?
No student will be denied a meal if they have insufficient credit on their account: The school will allow the student to go into their overdraft facility on their account although parents will be expected to ensure the account is settled by the next day.
The overdraft facility is set at £5
Once this overdraft facility is reached there will be no more credit at the canteen until the account has been settled.
What happens if the fob is lost?
Replacement fobs are available from main reception. Please be advised there will be a £1 charge for a replacement. Any information held on the lost fob will be disabled. Another student will not be able to use the fob as a photo will be shown on the cashiers screen to check ID.
What happens if my child leaves the school?
Unfortunately it is not possible to process refunds so please ensure all funds are used prior to your child leaving.
I still have funds on my account at the end of the academic year will I lose this money?
No, once money is paid into an account it will remain there until it is used.
What happens if my child forgets their fob?
The cashier can perform a manual look up on the screen and access their account from there.
My child has food allergies will the canteen staff know about this?
All information on the account is taken directly from SIMS. If you have notified that school that your child suffers from food allergies it will show on the cashiers screen when the student presents their fob.
The school operates a cashless system for all payments in the dining room. Some of the benefits of this include:
- Speeding up service and reducing queues by removing cash from the dining room
- Reduces the risk of loss or theft of cash, and bullying associated with cash
- Allows parents greater control to ensure their child spends their money on school lunches
- Allows online payments and avoids the need to find cash each day
- Simplifies the administration of free school meals
- Ability to see what your child is eating each day
All students are issued with a fob. Instead of paying by cash at the till students access their account by placing this fob on a reader which brings up their photo and account balance on the cashiers screen. The cashier uses the touch screen to ring through the meal and the cost is deducted from the individuals account.
Please read through the information below for a summary of how the system works and answers to frequently asked questions.
Each student has a Wisepay Account set up automatically when they start, & login details are issued .
Please contact wisepay@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk if you have not received these or need a reminder of the details.
Funds must be added to the child’s account using a credit or debit card through their WisePay account , the school’s online payment system.
Funds added can take up to 1 hour to show in the students account at the till , so thefore you must ensure sufficient funds are available before the student purchases their meal.
We are unable to accept cash payments at school – please contact wisepay@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk if you are unable to pay using the schools online payment system.
A spend limit of £5 per day is automatically set. If you wish to amend this please contact wisepay@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk
Free school meal students will automatically be credited with their free School meal allowance (FSM) each day , this amount will not be carried over if not used.
You are also able to add extra funds to their meal account enabling a greater daily spend than allocated by their FSM allowance.
The system will first deduct the FSM allowance before using funds added by parents.