Catering (HC3S)
The price list and menu's for our school canteen can be found at the bottom of this page
Whilst your child is with us at Cove School it’s important that they are ‘fuelled and ready’ for the learning prospects presented to them. The best way to ensure this happens is to eat a nutritional lunch each and every day, whether it be from the school canteen or a packed lunch! At Cove we use the Hampshire HC3S catering service, they cater across 496 local sites, creating great value nutritional meals every day! Breakfast and lunch are available!
We use a pre-pay cashless system where individual student lunch cards are used to make purchases from the school kitchen. The staff do not accept cash.
You can pay for your child's lunch online by registering with ScoPay. We recommend this method as it saves students carrying cash around school. With ScoPay you are able to see what they are eating and how much they are spending. Each child will receive a letter with an activation code when they start in Year 7.
Students are also able to add money to their account using the machine in the foyer near the kitchen. The machine will accept anything between 5p and £20, students need to use their lunch card to add funds.
Cheques must be made payable to “HC3S”, with name of the student written clearly on the back and posted in the letterbox by the kitchen. For top-ups to be processed same day they need to be submitted before break time!
| Breakfast | To start the day right! |
|---|---|
| Lunch | More substantial to get you through the rest of the school day! |
Our menu is updated twice yearly, and we offer promotions and theme days monthly to tie in with local and national events. Check the dining hall regularly for information on specials coming soon, and the weeks current menu.
What 'HS3S' Say?
Our school caterers are award-winning caterers HC3S.
It’s an explosion of exotic ingredients, it’s a veritable feast, yet it’s all about the taste.
Street food is here to stay, especially in secondary schools as it’s easy to hold and perfect for socialising while eating. Of course, they also produce main dishes that you can eat with a knife and fork so there’s plenty of choice, and all of it’s freshly prepared.
From morning break, hot and healthy light bites, to nutritious lunches from the deli range too there’s something to suit everyone’s taste, and that’s without the extra theme days.
Their biometric system means it’s easy to speed through the queues so students don’t need to worry about carrying loose change.
Find out more about HC3S at www.hants.gov.uk/hc3s, menus and theme days, follow them on Facebook. @hc3s Education
Nutritional Standards
Our menus comply with the Government's final food based and nutritional standards. Information including ingredients and nutritional content is available to students, staff and parents upon request. We ensure that all our suppliers premises, their delivery vehicles as well as the products they provide, are subjected to rigorous inspections on a regular basis. All suppliers provide a specification for each food product supplied, detailing the ingredients and nutritional elements.
Catering Accounts Frequently Asked Questions
What is cashless catering?
Products from the canteen are purchased without the need for physical cash to be handed over. Every student has a Scopay account, through which, money can be deposited into their cashless catering accounts. It is the parents’/carers’ responsibility to regularly check these and ensure that there are sufficient funds available, if the canteen is used. Please explain to your child that they should only buy items for themselves and not for their peers.
How do I link Scopay accounts to the app?
When your child starts at Cove School, they will be provided with a Scopay letter that contains a link code. This provides very straight-forward instructions so that you can get started immediately. If you have not received a letter and/or have any problems, please e-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk
How will my child access their cashless catering account?
We strongly advise parents to give permission for their child to use facial recognition software. You can do this via Arbor. This means that they will they will just need to look into a camera in order to access their catering account (their photo needs to be taken beforehand, further details attached). This is a free service. If you do not want to give this permission, you will need to obtain a lunch card, for the price of £1. E-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk regarding this. Please note that every time a lunch card is lost, a replacement will have to be purchased for £1.
How can I keep an eye on how much my child is spending at the canteen?
You can check this on the Scopay app. You will be able to see the balance of their account so that you know when to top-up.
Why have I received an e-mail telling me that my child’s account is in arrears?
This is because they have spent more money than they have in their catering account and you need to make a deposit as soon as possible.
Why has my child been allowed to purchase something when they don’t have enough money in their catering account?
A £5.00 ‘buffer’ exists so that if, in the unlikely event, your child needs to get lunch (e.g., they have forgotten/lost their own) but they do not have sufficient funds, they can go into arrears by £5.00. This is a contingency that exists so that your child does not go hungry; it will need to be paid back and should not be used regularly as an ‘overdraft’.
I understand that there is a £5 buffer but I do not want my child to go into arrears at all. What can I do?
E-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk with your concerns.
I am trying to make a deposit to the catering account but it is not working – what can I do?
Occasionally, there are blips with Worldpay, who process financial transactions for Scopay. If your payment is not going through, please try using a different device or a different card, or try again at another time. It usually sorts itself out but if you continue to have trouble, please e-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk
My child is spending (too much) money at the canteen – What can we do?
Please explain to your child how the cashless catering account works. If they want to use the canteen, money needs to be added to their account so that they are in credit. It may be useful to agree a certain daily spend limit with them. Send your child in with a snack and water (there are water stations that they can top up at, at school) so that they can reserve their canteen money for a proper meal. Check their account regularly and discuss any unexpected or unusual spends with them. If there are discrepancies that you wish to understand further, please e-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk
My child is entitled to free school meals – will their account be credited each day?
No. Your child can spend up to £3.00 (November 2023) per day and the transactions will show as £0.00. Please note, any spending above this amount will show as debits on their account and you will need to pay this. Also note that if your child uses the canteen at break AND lunch in the same day, the £3.00 limit applies to the day, not the individual visits.
I think that my child should receive free school meals – will this just happen automatically?
If you think that your child should receive free school meals, please ensure that you make an application for this. You can do this via this link: https://www.coveschool.uk/326/free-school-meals. We will receive a notification if your application has been successful and your child will then be entitled to a daily £3 spend at the canteen.
My child is leaving Cove School but they still have money in their account. How do I get a refund?
E-mail k.hedley@coveschool.uk and this can be arranged. Please note, it can take up to a month to receive a refund. We have to request this from HC3S (our caterers, an external organisation) and then pass it on to you. If you have moved away, this can be sent to you via cheque.