Parliament Hill school in the London Borough of Camden has issued all of its pupils and staff with a swipe-card which allows them to pay for school meals using a cashless, electronic payment system.

Parents send in a cheque or cash to the school, which is then credited to the card. When pupils buy food in the canteen, the money is automatically deducted from the card.

Electronic cash can reduce the problems of bullying incidents over dinner money

Apart from the problems of bullies trying to take school dinner money from children, the swipe card also addresses the problem of children on free school meals selling their dinner tickets to other pupils.

This trade in dinner tickets can mean that the children most in need of a hot meal are those who miss out.

The north London comprehensive, with 1,200 pupils, is testing the system to see if its advantages are worth applying elsewhere in the borough.

The cash card system, which has cost around £20,000 to introduce, could also be extended for use in the school library and as part of an electronic registration system.

The school's headteacher, Christine Peters, says that apart from helping to take away a flashpoint for bullying, the card system has saved administration time and helped pupils to feel more responsible.