Parent Pay

Parent Pay is the system we use to order school lunches.  This is used from Nursery – P7 even though Nursery – P5 have free meals.

Parent Pay is replacing the CHIPS system that we have used for the last 5 years.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1 – I do not pay for my child’s school meals.  Why do I need to use Parent Pay?

Although the website is called Parent Pay, its not just about payments..! Parent Pay allows parents and pupils to pick their meals in advance (you can order up to 3 weeks in advance) which means parents can make informed choices as they are the ones who know what their children can, or will, eat.

2 – My child always has a packed lunch.  Why do I need to use Parent Pay?

Initially we will be using Parent Pay just for school meals however in the future Parent Pay will be used for collecting money for school trips and excursions allowing parents to pay online.

3 – What’s the advantage of booking my child’s meal in advance?

No-one knows better than a child’s parent what that child will, or more importantly WON’T eat.  We can set the system us to manage vegetarian diets, or vegan diets, or religious restrictions.  What we cannot enter into the system is preferences — so if your child doesn’t like cheese, or fish for example, you are in a better position to help your child order a lunch they will eat than the school staff are.  If you can’t make a choice from the menu for a specific day, you can then have advanced warning that you will need to provide a packed lunch for that day.

4 – Is there an app I can use on my phone?

Parent Pay doesn’t have an app, but you can add it to your phone home screen which makes it just as easy as using an app!  We have a guide on how to do this – Add Parent Pay To Phone – Hazlehead School (hazlehead-ps.aberdeen.sch.uk)

5 – I didn’t order lunch in advance!  Will my child get a meal?

Yes – we would never have a pupil go hungry.  Children CAN still order their choices in the classroom using the class computer however we would encourage parents to order meals in advance.  This saves time in the morning in class!

6 – My child has a hospital appointment and won’t be in school until 10am.  Will they get their lunch?

We would ask if you KNOW your child is going to be late for school due to a scheduled appointment that you order their meal in advance.  You can order up until midnight the night before.

7 – I’m running late this morning because of the weather and traffic.  I didn’t plan for us to be late for school, but we are.

If your child is late for school and you haven’t pre-ordered meals in advance, your child can choose in the classroom if they are in before 08:50 or at the school office if they are later than that.

8 – Will my child have a lunchcard?

Parent Pay doesn’t use the lunchcard that CHIPS did use – your child and the kitchen will select your child based on their name.  This means that there are no long delays waiting for replacement lunchcards, and no expense for the school on replacing lunchcards.

9 – I have children at another Aberdeen City School and they aren’t using Parent Pay.  Why do we have to change?

Parent Pay will be the new way throughout Aberdeen City to order and pay for meals.  Hazlehead School is one of the first schools to introduce the Parent Pay system – in time all schools will be using it.

10 – I have a low income – can I ensure my child has free school meals in P6 and P7?

Yes – you can apply for free school meals and the School Clothing Grant on berdeen City Council’s Web page –  Apply for free school meals and School Clothing Grant | Aberdeen City Council

11 – I’m having a problem with Parent Pay – who do I contact?

One of the reasons we are introducing Parent Pay is to give parents more say in what their children eat – we want the parents to have the power.  The school office can change some aspects of the system – if your child develops an allergy or choses to move to a vegetarian or vegan diet, we can set that up for you.  If you have problems with the payment aspect of Parent Pay, need your balance, if your balance isn’t correct, if you can’t log in to your Parent Pay account, you will need to contact Parent Pay rather than the school office.  Parent Pay have provided a large amount of videos to should you how to do things, like add another child.  All of these videos are around a minute long and are very easy to watch.