Parent Debt Management Policy

Mellors Catering Services.
October 2024

This policy aims to set a quality standard in the management and communication of Parent debt and the issue of pupil meals, ensuring that all parties have a clear understanding of the best practices.

Interested parties include school clients, school administration personnel, Mellors catering managers and staff, the Mellors operations team, and parents and guardians.

The policy position is that Mellors will provide a meal to a pupil with zero credit on the cashless / parent pay system or other credit systems on the day that the pupil requests a meal.
The school can request that Mellors provide no meals to pupils without the necessary credit.

Alternatively, the school may request that no food be provided without the school’s authorisation in such cases. This will be challenging during lunch service unless a school representative is present when the pupil requests a meal.

At the end of service each day, the catering manager will forward any debt relating to providing meals to pupils with no credit to the school office.

The school is to pay Mellors cash or cheque for the value of all such claims at the end of each week and on the last day of each term / half term.

Therefore, the school must arrange petty cash or a chequebook for such settlements. The school’s responsible for ensuring that such a system is in place and that a relevant authorised person is tasked with this provision.

The school is then responsible for claiming the debt (according to its policy) with the parent(s).

The school can advise Mellors to cease providing meals to a pupil at any time, in accordance with the school’s debt management policy and procedures.

Mellors will not raise invoices or internal issues to the school relating to parent debt.

If the school is unable to provide petty cash or cheque for any provided (unpaid) meals as per this policy, then Mellors will be unable to provide any further meals for pupils without credit on subsequent days.

For further information on this policy, please contact Mellors head office on 01695 737 280.