AN EPPING secondary school is to take fingerprints of all its pupils.

The project, at St John's in Tower Road, is being carried out as part of a new 'biometric cashless catering system' being introduced to transform the way it serves school meals.

Using the technology, pupils will have to scan their fingers on a panel in order to buy food, with a computer system telling staff how much money they have to spend.

The school says the new system will speed up the serving of meals, reduce the need for pupils to carry cash and will also help monitor the diets of children.

Similar uses of the technology at other schools have attracted criticism from parents and lobby groups, amid fears that identities and personal information could be at risk.

But the company behind the technology insists that the system is safe and that all data is secure.

They say that fingerprints will only be stored in the form of a numerical code.

However St John's has said that parents can choose for their child to opt-out of the fingerprinting.

The scheme is set to be introduced when children return from their half-term break on Monday February 22.

What do you think? Are you a parent or student at St John's? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625 or via email at dbinns@london.newsquest.co.uk