STATE-of-the-art fingerprint technology is helping to keep pupils at Churchfields Academy on-site and away from fast food outlets at lunchtimes.

As National School Meals Week draws to a close, the Adver visited the school for an outlook on how they tackle the issue of teenagers and fast food.

There are machines dotted around the canteen area which allow students to login using fingerprints and then deposit money, which is added to their account and used as they wish in the dining room over the rest of the week.

It is a system which allows parents and teachers to keep tabs on where and how their children are spending their money.

The system is also praised by the school’s executive chef and catering manager, Ian Bevan, who said the stigma surrounding free school meals is nullified, with children using nothing more than their finger at the till for each transaction.

“It’s a system the parents can keep an eye on,” he said.

“They can keep tabs on when the money is deposited and when it is spent. It gives them peace of mind the children are eating the right things.

“No one knows who has got free meals at this place, which helps to reduce the stigma attached to it.

“The meals we have here are only £2 per day, which requires £10 for the week. The machine will stop them at £5 each day too, so it can limit them from overspending.”

Ian works for Pabulum, a third-party contractor brought into the school last September, who have shown a dedication to improving the health of students with the introduction of fizzy fruit juices and low-fat desserts.

The caterers also have a presence at Kingsdown School, with whom Ian holds regular meetings to ensure the two groups continue to learn from each other.

Churchfields has almost 900 pupils on its roll and serves 400 hot meals every day, with 220 free school meals given to pupils from deprived backgrounds.

Ian said the face of school catering is changing and it is becoming a professional sector, where chefs will treat a school as a project for improvement.

“Professional chefs are applying for jobs in schools now,” he said.

“The idea of one dinner lady serving food to children is fading, there are more professionals and more men entering school kitchens.”

“There is a lot of research going into school recipes and menus now. The nutritional balance has to be right for the children.”