Simplicity that saves time
In a busy school, every minute counts. From collecting dinner money to managing school trips, payments can quickly become a source of stress for both staff and parents alike. ParentPay changes that by bringing payments, refunds, reporting, and communication into one secure, easy-to-use system.
Across the UK, schools are discovering that ParentPay isn’t just for school meals. Whether it’s managing payments for clubs, trips, wraparound care or third-party services like music lessons, admin is minimised and oversight is maximised – with a comprehensive audit trail and integrated reporting.
Parents love the convenience of setting and forgetting payments with Auto-Top Up, paying for all their children in one checkout (even across different schools) and responsive support when they need it from their ParentPay team – all enhancing the experience of the school community.
By using the platform to its full potential, schools are streamlining admin, improving financial oversight, and making life easier for families.
Here’s what we’re seeing from schools who’ve made this shift.
The Cottesloe School: when simplicity leads to transformation
Sonya Amor Marshall, Business Manager at The Cottesloe School, describes a journey that many schools will recognise. “ParentPay was already in place when I joined the school, originally implemented by our caterers to collect school meal income.”
Recognising its potential, the finance team expanded its use: “Our finance team were keen to expand the use of the system because it was easy to use, and having seen how it changed the process of collecting cash and cheques, we knew it would help streamline everything in accounts.”
The impact was immediate: “ParentPay has made life so much easier for our finance office, it has transformed our processes and made collecting payments much more efficient. All the information they need is right there in front of them, they can see live balances of trips and other school items as well as those from the cashless catering system in the canteen.”
The real game changer was the integration with other systems: “Not only does ParentPay integrate with our till system, but it feeds straight into our Private Funds Manager too, which has further reduced the workload for our finance team.”
St Godric’s Catholic Primary: solving the cash crisis
The challenge at St Godric’s was familiar to many primary schools: “The key goal was to take away the large amounts of cash and cheques which were brought into school, as some were being lost between the classroom and the office.”
This isn’t just about convenience—it’s about safeguarding, accuracy, and reclaiming hours lost to chasing payments. By implementing ParentPay across meals, trips, and after-school clubs, the school saw immediate results:
“ParentPay has proved efficient, and the email communication works very well too. It is so much easier than sending out individual letters to pupils, which sometimes never get home, and it also reduces the amount of paper we use.”
Inclusivity was key. Even families who preferred cash could pay securely via PayPoint, maintaining choice without adding administrative burden:
“These have worked brilliantly. If anything is cancelled it is so easy to refund straight back to the parent’s ParentPay account.”
What the data tells us about modern school payments
These experiences reflect broader patterns we’re seeing across thousands of UK schools. When schools move beyond single-purpose payment systems, several things happen:
Administrative efficiency increases dramatically. Finance teams spend significantly less time on payment reconciliation and chasing outstanding balances. One system, multiple payment types, integrated reporting.
Parent satisfaction improves measurably. Families appreciate the convenience of online payments, instant confirmations, and automatic refunds when events are cancelled. They can pay for all their children in one quick transaction. No more envelope stuffing or lost cheques.
Financial oversight strengthens considerably. Real-time reporting, automatic reconciliation, and integration with existing finance systems give school leaders clearer visibility over cash flow and budget planning. For MATs, trust level reporting with school-level granularity is built in.
The integration advantage
What sets successful implementations apart isn’t just the technology—it’s how well it connects with schools’ existing systems and workflows.
Schools like The Cottesloe show the power of integration: when payment data flows automatically into catering systems, finance software, and MIS platforms, admin becomes background noise rather than a daily challenge.
This integration extends to people. When finance teams, teachers, and parents all find the process simpler, uptake increases and resistance fades. The result is a virtuous cycle: easier processes lead to higher adoption, which drives greater efficiency–making the system even more valuable.
The practical path forward
For schools looking to improve their payment operations, the evidence suggests starting with the biggest pain point—whether that’s school meals, trip payments, or club bookings—and expanding systematically is the best approach.
The schools seeing the greatest benefit are those who view payment systems as infrastructure rather than just transaction processors. When everything connects—payments, communication, reporting, refunds—the cumulative effect transforms daily operations.
As Sonya from The Cottesloe School puts it: “There are so many advantages, and it’s really convenient for parents. If schools are considering making the change, I’d recommend it.”
The transformation isn’t just about going digital—it’s about creating systems that work for everyone and free up time for what matters most: education.
Whether you’re tackling a specific challenge or simply want to explore what’s possible, the conversation starts with understanding where you are now – and what you want to achieve.
Get in touch to arrange a conversation about your school’s specific needs.
