We are a cashless school and payments for dinner money, school trips and other items are made using a secure website called ParentPay.

Benefits of using ParentPay

• ParentPay is easy-to-use and offers the freedom to make online payments whenever and wherever you like, 24/7
• The technology used is of the highest internet security available ensuring that your money will reach school safely – offering you peace of mind
• Payments can be made by credit or debit card
• Full payment histories and statements are available to you securely online at anytime
• Your children won’t have to worry about losing money at school
• Parents can choose to be alerted when their balances are low via email and/or SMS text

How to set up ParentPay as a new user

You should have received your unique ParentPay Account activation letter via email at the start of the school year or when your child joined our school. If you have not received your letter, please email communications@theongaracademy.org requesting your details, and confirming your child's full name, date of birth, and year group.

• Log on to www.parentpay.com
• Enter your activation username and password in the Account Login section of the homepage. Please note: these are for one-time use only, you will choose your own username and password for future access during the activation process
• Enter all the requested information and choose your new username and password for your account. Please register your email address as this enables us to send you receipts and reminders
• You can now go to ‘Items for payment’, add items to your basket and proceed to complete your payment

Paying for items on ParentPay

We recommend using the following method for adding funds to your child’s balance

• Log on to www.parentpay.com
• Locate the students name click pay for meals
• Enter the amount you want to add on and select add to basket
• Click on the trolley icon on the top left-hand corner
• Click on proceed to checkout
• Click on other payment method
• Enter your card details (as if you are making an online shop purchase) and click on review payment. You can save your card details here for future payments
• Click on pay now
• Check your emails for a receipt from platform@parentpay.com to confirm the transactions is complete

ParentPay is promoting a one-click payment method when you complete a transaction for dinner money or trips. While this appears to be making it quicker for parents to make a payment, this is actually a bank transfer transaction which can take up to 10 days to clear with the bank. 

We know that parents are making payments in good faith using this method, however, ParentPay credits the dinner money card straight away allowing the money to be spent while the payment is still pending with the bank. Although it’s up to the bank which day the transaction is completed, it does mean that money you think was taken from your account on day one, may not in fact be taken until ten days later, by which time the money could no longer be there, resulting in a failed payment and leaving your child’s dinner money account in debt.