We use biometric technology for our cashless catering system.  This is a convenient method for registration and increases efficiency with serving food. Queuing times have been halved, enabling young people to access our facilities more quickly.  The process of obtaining lunch is easier for students entitled to a free school meal and generally, as lunches can be paid for in advance at the start of the school day/week, your child also has the benefit of not having to worry about losing money throughout the morning. 

We chose the Live Register system because it uses the latest biometric technology to scan a student’s finger; this generates a unique number used in the Live Register system to identify your child, allowing them to register and to spend money from their cashless account.  The fingerprint is not stored and cannot be used by any other system.

In compliance with the Protection of Freedom Act 2012, we require parental consent, before your child joins the academy in year 7, to your child being registered onto the Live Register system using their fingerprint.

Provider: The catering service at Barnsley Academy is provided by Caterlink Ltd.

Catering Information: Children and young people need the right balance of food and nutrients to grow and develop. A healthy nutritious lunch gives students the energy to concentrate in class and cope with the demands of the day. Our catering service provides a variety of healthy food at breakfast, break time and lunch. These refreshment times also provide our students with the opportunity to develop social skills whilst enjoying eating with other students.

Free of charge: The following are available free of charge (to all pupils) in the dining hall at breakfast, break time and lunch:

• Fresh drinking water
• Breakfast (1 slice of toast) – only available until 8.25am

Allergens: In December 2014 – the Food Information Regulations 2013 came into effect which require all food businesses to provide customers with more information relating to the food served. A poster is displayed in the dining hall. It advises pupils with any questions relating to allergens to speak with a member of the Caterlink staff in the dining hall.

Menus and Prices:  Our food options offer excellent value for money. A sample of the menus are available at the bottom of the page.  Please note – items available are subject to availability, menu options and may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances.

Cashless Catering: The Academy uses a biometric cashless catering system and students access their allocated accounts by using finger scan identification. Student accounts must be in credit in order to purchase food and/or drinks – as cash payments are not accepted.

Packed Lunches: Students are permitted to bring in their own packed lunch. Parents / carers are encouraged to provide packed lunches which have the right balance of food and nutrients and should not include crisps (or similar), chocolate bars (or similar), chocolate coated biscuits or sweets. 

Free School Meals:  Entitlement to Free School Meals (FSM) is subject to local authority approval (based on current legislation). The FSM allowance covers the cost of a standard meal and is only available at lunchtime. Additional funds should be added if your child wishes to purchase other items.  

Further information, and how to apply, for Free School Meals can found on the Barnsley Council website (click here) or to fill in the application for free school meals.