SMILING for the camera has long been considered a way of opening doors, but in today’s era of facial recognition, it can also put food on the plates of pupils at their school canteen.
Students from Jersey College for Girls are now able to charge food and drinks to their pre-paid accounts just by looking at the camera above the till.
The initiative was first put forward to parents and pupils last summer, and after the school gained consent from those who wished to take part and installed the relevant technology, it went live at the start of this term.
Facial recognition is not compulsory. Students can continue to use top-up cards in the canteen, which has been cashless for many years.
Both parents and pupils must consent to participate in the scheme, although pupils aged 18 do not require parental consent.
Introducing the scheme to parents, school bursar Julie Forsyth said it was safe, GDPR-secure and had been used by a large number of schools in the UK.
The cameras had even been shown to be able to distinguish between identical twins, she added, just in case one twin might seek to obtain a second helping before their sibling had made it to the canteen.
