Helston College is introducing a new cashless payment system in their canteen from next month, using children’s fingerprints.

The “Trust-e Cashless Catering System” will go live on November 14 and requires at least one parent to give consent for the use of their child’s biometric data.

Headteacher Pat McGovern reassured parents in a letter home that all information would remain within the college.

“The biometric information taken is an algorithm and not the actual finger print,” he said, in an attempt to lessen parents’ fears that their children were being “fingerprinted.”

Parents are able to opt-out of the system and children will be provided with another identification method such as a four digit PIN code.

But, Mr McGovern said: “The preference of the college is to use biometrics as this is more secure and faster than other methods of identification.”

Former schools minister Nick Gibb recently announced that children’s biometric data was “sensitive personal information” and new advice coming into effect from September next year will not allow schools to use this data without parental consent.